Music

Record producer Willie Mitchell. A new retrospective album of the 60's and 70's "Hi Label" hits has been released. Mitchell was one of the hit makers for the Memphis-based label in its early days and later was the influential producer who made the sounds of soul greats Al Green, Ann Peebles and Otis Clay so well known.

World music critic Milo Miles remembers two musicians who were recently assassinated: Rachid Baba Ahmed, a producer and musician of Algerian Rai Music, and Tejano music's Selena.

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.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a reissue of one of his favorite albums from his youth: Folks Songs of Spain by Germaine Montero.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a five-cd set of all of the Oscar winning songs of the last 60 years.

Journalist and rock historian Daniel Wolff has written a new biography, You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke. Wolff was aided in his research by many people who were close to Cooke, including S.R. Crain, a co-founder of the Soul Stirrers and later Cooke's manager. Crain also joins the conversation.

Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker looks back at the music of Doc Pomus, who died in 1991. There's a new tribute album to him out, called "Till the Night Is Gone."

Bass has a new gospel album, "No Ways Tired." Her R&B hit "Rescue Me" came out in 1965. She was given no credits and no royalties for the song. Soon after, disenchanted with the industry, she retired to raise a family. In recent years, she has been on a comeback while getting back to her roots as a gospel singer.

Rock Historian Ed Ward looks back at Ike Turner's career before Tina, when he secured his place in American Pop music history.

Ramone has been called the "Pope of pop," producing and engineering artists from Bob Dylan to Gloria Estefan, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and dozens of others. Last year he produced Frank Sinatra's "Duets 2." Ramone has just finished recording a classical album with the Curtis Institute Orchestra and produced the cast recording of Stephen Sondheim's "Passion."