Tribute/Appreciation

Commentator Maureen Corrigan on the legacy of Dashiell Hammett, who was born one hundred years ago today.

Tribute to Randy Shilts who died of AIDS. (Rebroadcast of 07/05/1990 and 04/23/1993)

We pay tribute to Frank Zappa who died over the weekend with an excerpt of Terry's 1989 interview with him. (Rebroadcast of 1/17/1989)

Rock historian Ed Ward pays tribute to Otis Redding.

Singer and Songwriter Arthur Alexander died today. He had only recently begun performing again after a twenty year break. We remember him.

Jazz critic Kevin White pays tribute to Ella Fitzgerald who turns 75 this Sunday. He argues that there are two versions of the jazz singer -- an interpreter of ballads and standards, the other a "superhuman" scat singer.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead pays tribute to the singer, who died last Monday.

Book critic John Leonard considers the vital role book translators have on literature on the occasion of the death of translator Ralph Manheim.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg looks at the contributions made by two men of language: former Senator S.I. Hayakawa, an English professor and former president of San Francisco State University; and Professor Dwight Bolinger, who he calls "one of the most distinguished semanticists of the age." Both men died last week.

The late songwriter Doc Pomus co-wrote such hits as "This Magic Moment," "Save The Last Dance for Me," "Teenager in Love," and "His Latest Flame." We remember Pomus with three interviews:

1) Music critic Peter Guralnick (Gurr-AL-nick), a friend and admirer of Pomus. Guralnick wrote "Searching For Robert Johnson," a book that examined the life of blues musician Robert Johnson. And he's currently working on a biography of Elvis Presley.