Music

Rap vocalist Darryl McDaniels of RUN-DMC talks about the group's success. McDaniels is the "DMC" of the group. They were the first rap group to earn gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums. Their most recent album is "Down with The King" released in 1994. But RUN-DMC is expected to release their next album later this year. The group is credited with bringing new fashions, new dances, and new language to popular culture.

In honor of Fresh Air's 10th anniversary as a national show, musician Dave Frishberg performs an original song, commissioned by the show's staff.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One" (Matador) the new recording by the band Yo La Tengo.

Composer Alf Clausen is the man behind the music of "The Simpsons." There's a new compliation CD of music from the animated cartoon TV series, "The Simpsons: Songs in the Key of Springfield" (Rhino).

Ken Tucker reviews the newest CD "Middle of Nowhere" by the group Hanson. They're a trio of teenage brothers with strong pop sensibility.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Abbey Lincoln's new release " Who Used to Dance." Lincoln is now in her 60s.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the Chemical Brothers' newest CD "Dig Your Own Hole."

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles Bob Wills, who helped define the western swing sound while in the band The Texas Playboys.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the reissue collection "Lee Konitz meets Jimmy Giuffre" (Verve).

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "So Long So Wrong," the new album by Allison Krauss and her band Union Station.

Critic Milo Miles remembers singer/songwriter Laura Nyro, who died this week.

Critic Milo Miles considers the music made by reggae's cult figure Lee Perry and England's producer Mad Professor: "Who Put the Voodoo 'Pon Reggae" and "Dub Take the Voodoo Out of Reggae" (both on the RAS label).

Tucker became a star at 13 years old with the chart-topping song "Delta Dawn." Since then she has had countless other hit songs, grammy nominations, and in 1991 was voted the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year. But her success has not been without it's low points, such as problems with drug and alcohol abuse and controversy over the "mature" lyrics she sang as a teenager.

Critic Milo Miles reviews "I Can't Lose" (Blind Pig label), the new recording of blues singer, guitarist and songwriter Deborah Coleman.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews "Classics for Dummies" on CD-Rom on the EMI label.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "Unchained Melody" (Curb) the new collection of early songs by the 14-year-old country singer LeAnn Rimes.

In light of the deaths of rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, a discussion on the culture of rap and the violence that surrounds it with Chicago police officer Eric Davis. He's a member of the rap group the Slick Boys. Davis and two other officers founded the group in 1991 to provide positive role models for the inner-city kids they encountered on their jobs every day. The group has received national acclaim for their songs about the importance of getting an education and staying off of drugs and out of gangs.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "Pop" (Island Records) the newest release by the Irish rock band "U2", their first in four years. It incorporates a lot of techno elements and other contemporary influences.

Baker, one of America's great rhythm-and-blues singers of the 1950's, died earlier this week. She was 67. The Associated Press says the cause was heart complications. Baker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Her hits included "Tweedlee Dee," "Jim Dandy," and "I Cried a Tear." After living in the Philippines during the '70's and '80's, Baker made a comeback in the '90's when she appeared on Broadway in "Black and Blue." (REBROADCAST FROM 3/26/91).

Levin is a teacher in the Music Department of Dartmouth College and a longtime follower of the music of the Celtic lands, the Balkans, South Siberia, and other cultures. His new book "The Hundred Thousand Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia" traces how the music of a culture lives through and reflects the lives of its people. He looks at how the Russian conquest of Central Asia at the end of the 19th century affected the music of the area.