Music

Rufus Thomas was a Memphis-based disc jockey who helped promote black music throughout the south. He also became a recording artist and producer who wrote dozens of dance hits. Rock historian Ed Ward has this profile.

Sidney Bechet broke new ground as a soloist early in jazz's history, paving the way for nearly every saxophonist who came after him -- from Charlie Parker to Steve Lacey. RCA has just reissued a collection of his recordings. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead has this review.

Darlene Love sang with the 1960s girl group The Blossoms, and recorded hits with producer Phil Spector. Their professional relationship was rocky; Love later severed ties with him. Her first solo album, Paint Another Picture, has just been released.

Hyman performs and talks about the music of Erroll Garner. Hyman is a composer and arranger. He's worked on several Woody Allen films. He wrote the music for "Purple Rose of Cairo," and was music supervisor for "Radio Days."

Love was the phantom lead singer on some of Phil Spector's biggest girl group hits, like "He's a Rebel," "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" and "Da Doo Run Run." She was in the Broadway productions of "Leader of the Pack" and "Carrie." Her first solo album has just been released. It's titled "Paint Another Picture." This is the first of a two-part interview.

The Queens-based punk band has a new disc compiling some of their best tracks. Frontman Joey Ramone joins Fresh Air to discuss how the group formed, the punk attitude, and the changing sounds of popular music.

To help fund the Smithsonian's purchase of the Folkways Records collection, a number of artists are raising money with an album of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly covers. Rock critic Ken Tucker says Bruce Springsteen and Brian Wilson give standout performances.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles singer-songwriter Alex Chilton, an American musician whose career began when he was still a teenager. His band Big Star was critically-lauded but short-lived.

A revival of Ain't Misbehavin', featuring the original cast, is now playing on Broadway. Critic-at-large Laurie Stone says she jumped at the chance to see it. Overacting and exaggerated choreography plagued the first act, but the cast showed restraint during the last half.

The hit songwriter sang bass with the doo-wop group The Crowns; he switched to lead vocals when they became The Drifters. King got his start at Harlem's Apollo Theater before finding national fame. As a solo performer, he had hits with original songs like "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem."

New Fresh Air performer-in-residence Dick Hyman plays some of the music of Jelly Roll Morton. Hyman says the pianist and composer bridged the gap between ragtime and jazz, incorporating the phrasing and style of wind and reed players.

Rock critic Ken Tucker remembers the songs that defined the season. Standouts for him were Steve Winwood's beer commercial anthem, Public Enemy's new album, and an edgy ballad by Crowded House.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's recording of Charles Ives' Holidays Symphony, which draws its inspiration from four different American holidays. Ives incorporates folks songs, traditional music, and the background noise of everyday life into his compositions, often to haunting effect.

Rock historian Ed Ward says "scrunch" is that romantic longing you feel as summer races toward its end. He talks about the songs that typified this phenomenon for him over the decades.

Before his death, Benny Goodman gave Yale University five truckloads of his recordings, which are now being released on compact disc. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the first volume, which he says blends the facile in Goodman's music with the raw.

The punk band X returns with a live album recorded at the legendary L.A. rock venue. Rock critic Ken Tucker says it's a fitting testament to the group's decade-long career -- which, rumor has it, may soon come to an end.

Brian Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown and spent years in seclusion. Now he's back with a new solo album. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about how he approached songwriting early in his career, the influence of drugs on his music, and the role the controversial Dr. Eugene Landy plays in Wilson's personal and professional life.

The musician is considered part of a recent flute revival. Wincenc joins Fresh Air to discuss the nature of the instrument and how she achieves her rich tone. Wincenc plays classic and contemporary pieces, including works she commissions from new composers.

Classical musical critic Lloyd Schwartz says the new CD, The Bernstein Songbook, avoids the composer's orchestral flops, instead featuring excerpts from his exuberant operas and musicals.

Rock historian Ed Ward tells the story of how Ray Robinson--an obscure emerging R & B singer--broke away from his image as a Nat King Cole imitator, changed his name, his record label, and established his identity as Ray Charles.