Music

Leader and bassist of the band KISS, GENE SIMMONS. The band rose to prominence and popularity in the mid 1970s. They were known for their Halloweenish face paint, black-leather outfits, eight-inch platform heels and grandiose stage shows where SIMMONS spit out blood, belched fire, and stuck out his seven-inch tongue. SIMMONS has written a new autobiography, “Kiss and Make-up” (Crown Publishers) which details his early years growing up in Israel and later in Brooklyn.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Rings Around The World (XL Recordings/Beggars group) by the Welsh quintet Super Furry Animals, which is a hit in England, and soon to be released in the U.S.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews The Almeria Club, the new recording by Hank Williams Jr.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Keep That Groove Going! featuring veteran saxophonists Plas Johnson and Red Holloway.

Rock historian Ed Ward continues with part two of his review of the Nuggets Two box set. This time he focuses on music from Europe, South America and Asia. The CD collection is called Nuggets Two: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964-1969.

Rock historian Ed Ward reviews the new four-CD set Nuggets Two: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964-1969, an expanded compilation of psychedelic obscurities put out by Rhino Records.

Rock critic Ken Tucker Reviews Even In the Darkness, the new release by the hip-hop group, The Dungeon Family.

Juan Garcia Esquivel was the icon of space age bachelor music, producing innovative recordings of pop music in the 1950s and sixties. He died in his home in Mexico on January 3rd at the age of 83. In 1994 his work was re-issued on the CD, Esquivel!: Space Age Bachelor Pad Music (Bar/None). Yvonne de Bourbon, one of Esquivel's ex-wives, and a former performer in his live show.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Holiday in Dirt, the new album by Stan Ridgway.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks. There's a new compilation of their music, The Most of Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks.

Composer Jerry Goldsmith has been writing film and TV music since the 1950s. He won an Academy Award in 1976 for his music for The Omen. His film scores include: Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Sand Pebbles, Chinatown, and A Patch of Blue. His TV credits include: The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Dr. Kildare, The Waltons, and Barnaby Jones. Theres a new CD collecting his music, The Film Music of Jerry Goldsmith (Telarc).

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews El Arte del Sabor the new CD by the Bebo Valdes Trio (Blue Note).

It's the Rolling Stones' 40th anniversary. The Stones' entire early catalog has been re-released. Today rock historian Ed Ward presents the first of a two part series about the music of the Rolling Stones. He'll talk about their early years.

With writer Penny Valentine, biographer Vicki Wickham recently published Dancing with Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield. Wickham was Springfield close friend and manager for over a decade of Springfield career.

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 John Pizzarelli trio continues. Listen to the first segment with the John Pizzarelli Trio.

Philip Furia is currently writing a book on Hollywood's musicals. He discusses the impact of Harry Warren on movie musicals. Furia is the author of The Poets of Tin Pan Alley, and Irving Berlin: A Life in Song. He is chair of the English department at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Today, as part of our series on American popular song, we continue our profile of Harry Warren (1893-1981), a successful but little known songwriter who produced a number of hits during the 1930's, 40's and 50's. Today in part two of our profile, we focus on Warren's songs of the 40's and 50's, including some of the most popular love ballads of the world war two years, one of Dean Martin's biggest hits, and the theme for a tv western.

Harry Warren's music publishing company, Four Jays Music, is now headed by his grand-daughter, Julia Riva. She talks about her grandfather and his music.

We continue our American Popular song series, with a program about composer Will Marion Cook. He was born in 1869 and was part of the first generation born after slavery. Cook was one of the innovators of ragtime song, and helped introduce ragtime to Broadway. Cook wrote In Dahomey the first full-length broadway musical written and performed by African Americans. It opened on Broadway in 1903. Some of Cook's songs reflect the racial stereotypes and dialect of the time.