Composers

Ibrahim, who died June 15, left South Africa in 1962 and lived in exile in the U.S. and Europe for many years. Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation, and we listen to Terry Gross' 1989 interview.

Ann Marie Baldonado interviews Will Sharpe who stars in the new limited series "Amadeus"

Wilson, who died at age 82, was the creative force behind The Beach Boys. He wrote and produced many hits, including "Good Vibrations" and "God Only Knows." Originally broadcast in '88 and '98.

The Emmy-winning composer/arranger worked with a 35-piece orchestra for 27 years, creating music for The Simpsons. Clausen died May 29. Originally broadcast May 14, 1997.

The renowned arranger, composer and producer worked with countless artists, including Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson. Jones died Nov. 3. Originally broadcast in 2001.

The Memphis soul label is the subject of the HBO Max documentary series, Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. We listen back to archival interviews with Stax musicians Steve Cropper, Booker T. and Isaac Hayes.

Ronson spent a year creating Barbie's music, and co-wrote the song, "I'm Just Ken," which has been nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy. Originally broadcast Sept. 7, 2023.

Today, we remember Tony Bennett and listen back to three interviews I recorded with him in the 1980s and '90s.

Weil, who died June 1, spoke to Fresh Air in 2000, along with her husband and writing partner Barry Mann. Mann described her as a "very organized" writer, who stuck with a verse until it was complete.

After her husband's death in 1979, Sue Graham Mingus worked to keep his legacy alive, forming a repertory ensemble devoted to playing his compositions. She died Sept. 24. Originally broadcast in 2002.

Williams was a dazzling player and a favorite at Fresh Air. She died March 10 at 73. We'll listen back to her 1997 performance and interview.

We conclude our tribute to Sondheim by listening to archival interviews with collaborators and performers, including Stephen Colbert, James Lapine, Paul Gemignani and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

We continue our tribute to Sondheim by listening back to a 2010 interview in which he shared the stories behind some of his most famous songs and gave his take on other great lyricists.

Sondheim, who died Nov. 26, was the lyricist and composer who gave us Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and other shows. In 2010 he spoke about his writing process, from rhyming to finding the right note.

Producer, composer and arranger Thom Bell was one of the prime originators of the Sound of Philadelphia, creating hits with the Delfonics such as "La La La Means I Love You" and "Didn't I Blow Your Mind." Bell was born in Jamaica and moved to Philadelphia at age 5. He planned to become a classical conductor, but in his early 20s, he was signed by Cameo Records to create a Philadelphia version of Motown.

The young singer-songwriter has described herself as "half-Japanese, half-American, but not fully either." Critic Ken Tucker says her fourth album, Puberty 2, has an impressively wide range of sounds.

For the composer, life is how the past and the future connect. Glass' new memoir, Words Without Music, looks back on his childhood, travels through Asia and when his music provoked violence.

HBO's new TV special is part biography, part music-appreciation lesson and part performance piece. Critic David Bianculli says it's a superbly compiled work, overseen by two of the people most intimately familiar with the composer himself.

Carter lived one of the most fulfilled lives any artist could wish for. What's sad about his death Monday at 103 isn't just that a whole era in music has come to an end, but that Carter was still composing, and on the highest level.

Richard Adler, who co-wrote the musicals The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees with his partner, Jerry Ross, died Thursday at his home in Southampton, N.Y. He was 90. Fresh Air remembers the composer and lyricist with excerpts from a 1990 interview.

This interview was originally broadcast on Aug. 9, 1990.