Playlist

At one point in the 1960s he had five Top 10 hits within a 20-month period. His songs include "MacArthur Park," "By The Time I Get to Phoenix," "Up Up and Away," "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston."

Allen Toussaint, evacuated from New Orleans after the floods hit, is a songwriter best known for the hit "Working in the Coal Mine." He wrote songs for The Meters, Dr. John, Patti LaBelle and many others, and was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. (This interview was first broadcast on Jan. 6, 1988.)

Tom Waits discusses his fame, his unique voice and his small role in the film Paradise Alley.

Fulks has one foot in the singer/songwriter scene and one in country music. He spent three years writing songs in Nashville, but no one opted to record his songs. So he's recently come out with a new CD of his own music, "Let's Kill Saturday Night" (Geffen Records). Fulks began his career as a regular at the same fabled Greenwich Village hole in the wall where Bob Dylan made a name for himself. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his career and sing some of his songs.

He's best known for his hit songs "Short People" and "I Love L.A." He's written for a number of films including, Ragtime, Avalon, The Natural, Toy Story, Babe and Seabiscuit. He's received 14 Oscar nominations and won in 2002. Recently he released Volume One of The Randy Newman Songbook.

Leonard Cohen is a singer-songwriter, whose unpolished voice is described as "intimate." His folk music was popular in the 1960s and his songs have been recorded by many artists. Before becoming a musician, Cohen was already a novelist and poet best known for his novel "Beautiful Losers."

Singer Songwriter Dion. Hes just released a new record of doo-wop tunes Deja Nu (Collectables 2000). In the late 1950s, Dion and his band the Belmonts topped the chart with several pop hits, earning him the status of Teen idol. Dion split amicably with the band in 1960 and continued to write Top 10 hits until the British Invasion changed the pop preference. Now, in his 50s, he continues to produce, write and sing new material. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

The folk singer made a career as a musician after the breakup of her marriage. Now a resident of the Delaware Water Gap, she is helping raise money to fund a private investigation of a series of axe murders in that town. A member of the musical community, Eddie Joubert, was one of the victims. Sorrels performs some of her songs a cappella in studio.

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Richard Thompson. He first became known from his work with "Fairport Convention." He's since gone solo and is known for his dark songs which blend elements of British folk ballads and the blues. His new album is "Rumor and Sigh," (on Capital Records).(Rebroadcast. Originally aired 6/28/91)

Lowe was part of England's 1970s pub rock scene, and later moved into record production -- even though he had no prior experience. He joins Fresh Air to discuss how he got into songwriting, his discography to date, and his new album, Party of One.

Along with bandmate Stephen Stills -- and occasionally Neil Young -- Crosby and Nash have been writing and recording folk rock songs with distinctive, tight harmonies. Their career began in the 1960s, and has weathered addiction and personal conflict. Crosby, Stills & Nash have a new album called Live It Up.

He is a national icon in Brazil. Along with Gilberto Gil, Veloso created the provocative "Tropicalismo" movement which combined the richness of Brazil's musical past with 1960s rock 'n' roll, surrealism, and dada -– in reaction to the military junta in 1964. Veloso and Gil were jailed and exiled for their efforts. Veloso's memoir Tropical Truth a Story of Music & Revolution in Brazil (first published in 1997) is now translated and published in the United States (Knopf).

He made the pop charts over and over again during the 1970s and early 80s with his love ballads like “Mandy,” “Looks Like We Made It,” “I Write the Songs,” and “Copacabana (At the Copa).” Before becoming a singer he was Bette Midler’s accompanist and arranger. He’s currently on tour and has a new album of material “Here at the Mayflower” (his first pop album since the 1980s).

DeMent's music combines country and folk. Her latest album is called "My Life." She draws from her and her family's life experiences growing up in rural Arkansas, and Southern California. Her first album, "Infamous Angel' was released in 1992. Some of the music from it is used in the recent movie, "LIttle Buddha."

He's best known for his playing with Booker T & the MGs. He co-wrote such hits as "In the Midnight Hour," "Soul Man" and Otis Redding's "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay." This interview first aired September 18, 1990.

Prine keeps his earthiness alive on his first album of new songs in 13 years. Critic Ken Tucker says The Tree of Forgiveness features simple folk arrangements and a jaunty tone.

Singer-songwriter Steve Earle has released ten critically acclaimed albums; his latest CD is called Transcendental Blues. He's just published his first book, a collection of short stories called Doghouse Roses. Earle is also politically active. He currently serves as a board member of the Journey of Hope and is affiliated with both the Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and the Abolitionist Action Committee.

Rock singer, songwriter and record producer T-Bone Burnett. He's produced the work of musicians like Marshall Crenshaw, Los Lobos, Roy Orbison and Elvis Costello. In 1975, Burnett travelled and performed with Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder Review." Burnett's new solo album, which he produced and wrote the songs for, is titled "The Talking Animals."

Singer/Songwriter Elvis Costello. In the late 1970s he burst out of Britain's pop-music scene with a sound and attitude never seen before. He was the angry young-man with a fresh sound. He's known for making connections between different musical communities. He's collaborated with Paul McCartney, Ruben Blades, Aimee Mann of "'til Tuesday," David Was of "Was (Not Was)," and T. Bone Burnett.

He calls his latest project a musical novel. This is part two of our interview with Young about his new CD Greendale. The 10-song album is set in a fictional California seaside town. Young also shot a feature film version of the album on Super8, which made the film festival circuit and goes into wider distribution in April. There is also a DVD, Inside Greendale, which includes in-studio footage of Young and his band Crazy Horse and scenes from the film. Over the years, Young has made excursions into country, blues, electro, rockabilly and soul.

We spoke with him on the occasion of an album releasethe double CD concert album Premonition. Featured on the recording is many of his biggest hits with Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Down on the Corner," "Bad Moon Rising," and "Proud Mary." Fogerty won a Grammy Award in 1997 for his album Blue Moon, Swamp

It's been 30 years since he created the gender-bending Ziggy Stardust, and produced the now classic album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Over the years Bowie has produced albums for Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, and collaborated with Brian Eno. Bowie also starred in the films The Man Who Fell to Earth, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and Basquiat. This interview first aired September 4, 2002.

A concert and interview with Louisiana born singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams. She's joined by guitarist Gurf Morlix. Her influences include Bob Dylan, Delta Blues man, Robert Johnson, Van Morrison, and writers Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty. In the late 70s she made two obscure folk albums. But she didn't really find her own voice until 1988 when she produced her self-titled album. (Rebroadcast from 08/28/1992)

The former Lovin' Spoonful frontman talks about his career in rock and folk music, his experiences during the landmark Woodstock Festival, and his musical-in-progress, an adaptation of the novel Charlotte's Web.

Already an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a duo with Art Garfunkel, next week he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a solo artist. As a solo artist, his albums include Still Crazy After All These Years, Graceland, and Rhythm of the Saints. His new album is You're The One.

Wainwright is best known for his 1973 hit "Dead Skunk ." Considered by many to be a satirical and caustic folksinger, his latest album, History, is a highly personal album. He sings frankly about marriage, parenthood, and child abuse.

It's been thirty years since the Heartbreakers debuted with their album Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Petty's most recent album, and his first solo album in 12 years, is Highway Companion. It has been four years since he's released an album with the Heartbreakers. This interview originally aired on Jul. 27, 2006.

He's been called the 'not-so missing link between soul and country'. His songs have been recorded by Vince Gill, George Strait, the Dixie Chicks, Shelby Lynne and many others. But he's also recorded over a dozen of his own solo albums and has sung background vocals on more than 40 albums. In 1999 he collaborated with his hero, blue grass legend Ralph Stanley on the album, I Feel Like Singing Today which was nominated for a Grammy.

Hidalgo and Perez's Los Angeles-based band fuses traditional Mexican music with more straightforward rock. Their new album is called The Neighborhood, which is inspired by the different cultural communities of their home city.

Since the 1973 release of his first album, “Closing Time,” Waits has won over fans with his original songwriting and distinctive, gravelly vocal style. One reviewer calls Waits “the Ultimate hobo boho, a Jack-in-the-box cum storyteller.” Musicians including Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and Rod Stewart have recorded covers of his songs.