Fresh Air rock historian Ed Ward takes a look at the record label, which emerged as a subsidiary of All Platinum Records. It promoted rap music soon after it first emerged in New York nightclubs.
Kaminer's new book, It's All the Rage offers insights into our culture's larger questions of individual responsibility, victimization, punishment, innocence and guilt. Kaminer is also a contributing editor to the Atlantic Monthly and Public Fellow at Radcliffe College.
Haggard has been on the country music scene since the early sixties and has more number one hits than any country music star except Conway Twitty. Recently, two tribute albums of his songs were released: Mama's Hungry Eyes and Tulare Dust. Haggard was also recently inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Wertheimer has been with NPR since the network first went on the air with All Things Considered, May 3, 1971, which she now hosts. Wertheimer has come out with a book that looks back at some of the key events in American history as they were covered by NPR sations, called Listening to America.
Rock historian Ed Ward continues this week's five part series on the influence of several key record companies on the music world. Today, Ward looks at Casablanca, a big producer of disco hits, and its founder Nick Bogart.
We continue our interview with NPR reporter and All Things Considered producer/host Linda Wertheimer. In this segment, she talks about her experiences as a woman during the early days of her career.
Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead remembers the late Julius Hemphill, who died on Sunday. Hemphill, the saxophonist and composer, helped found the World Saxophone Quartet.
Rock Historian Ed Ward continues his five part series on what impact several small record companies have had on the music world. Today he discusses Island Records, founded in England by Jamaican-born musician Chris Blackwell.
Al Franken is a writer and actor on "Saturday Night Live." His characters have included the one-man mobile uplink unit, Pat Robertson, Paul Tsongas, and Stuart Smalley, host of "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley." In 1992, Franken published a book under Stuart's name; Stuart's new project is an upcoming movie called "Stuart Saves His Family."
Thupten Jinpa was a refugee in India as a child, became a monk at a Tibetan monastery, and is the translator, editor and annotator of "The World of Tibetan Buddhism," written by the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Professor John Dominic Crossan is a native of Ireland, ordained as a priest in the U.S. (he left the priesthood in 1969), and now teaches biblical studies at DePaul University. He is a founding member of the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars who meet to determine the authenticity of Jesus' sayings in the Gospels. Crossan's latest book is Who Killed Jesus: Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of The Death of Jesus.
Rock historian Ed Ward looks at Specialty Records, a label in the 1950s that promoted the music of African American musicians who laid the groundwork for rock and roll.
We continue our conversation with Professor John Dominic Crossan, whose new book "Who Killed Jesus" has just been released. In this half, he talks about the historical significance of crucifixion, as well as how Crossan has practiced his faith since leaving the priesthood.
Commentator Gerald Early reflects on saxophonist Charlie Parker and the nature of African American genius on the occasion of the release of "Charlie Parker with Strings: The Master Takes."
Dr. Thomas J. Moore is Senior Fellow at George Washington's Center for Health Policy Research and author of the new book, Deadly Medicine: Why Tens of Thousands of Heart Patients died in America's Worst Drug Disaster. He tells the story of a certain line of drugs that prevented irregular heartbeats but were consequently shown to be dangerous and even fatal. Yet the drug remained on the market due in large part to the giant pharmaceuticals power over the FDA.
Dr. Robert Temple, Director of the FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation. He's a large figure in Thomas Moore's new book, Dangerous Medicine. Moore says Temple let harmful drugs remain on the market virtually unrestricted, even though the risks were known. Temple gives the reason why the FDA let the drugs remain on the market.
Maxwell has a new collection of short stories All the Days and Nights. He was fiction editor of the New Yorker from 1936-1976. He worked with such authors as J.D. Salinger, Jon Cheever, Jon Updike, Eudora Welty and scores of others. Jon Updike has said Maxwell's voice is "one of the wisest in American fiction. It is, as well, one of the kindest.
