Music

The man known as "the King of the Surf Guitar," Dick Dale. He launched surf rock in 1960 with his band, the Deltones. He described the surf sound in a 1963 article as "a heavy staccato sound on the low-key guitar strings, with a heavy throbbing beat--like thunder, or waves breaking over you." It's also played loud and with plenty of reverb. Dale defined the California sound, and influenced The Ventures, The Beachboys, and Jan and Dean. He also influenced later groups like Sonic Youth.

Chubby Checker got the credit for "The Twist," but the real credit goes to Hank Ballard who wrote the song and recorded it first (with the Midnighters') in 1958. Balalrd was a notorious figure in the early days of rhythm and blues. His song "Work with me Annie," was considered too lewd for many stations to play. Anyway, Ballard gets the credit for "The Twist," in a new documentary, "Twist" by film maker Ron Mann. Terry talks with both Hank Ballard and Ron Mann.

Rock historian Ed Ward discusses a record collection that "changed his life," "The Anthology of American Folk Music."

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews a new album by Liz Phair, "Exile in Guyville" (Matador records).

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the original cast recording of the Broadway show "The Who's Tommy."

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a 2-CD reissue of trumpeter Don Cherry's albums recorded for Blue Note in the 1960's.

Musician and record producer, Ron Levy. He was asked to played in B.B. King's band, when he was just out of high school. He went on to form "Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom, and recorded with the "luminaries" of the late seventies blue wave revival: Kim Wilson and Jimmie Vaughan and others. He started producing for Rounder Records and ended up working with old blues legends on Rounder's Blues label. Levy has long championed the Hammond B-3 organ which has come back into vogue. And he has a new Wild Kingdom release, "B-3, Blues and Grooves." (Rounder).

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a number of new recordings conducted by composer Pierre Boulez (Boo-LEZZ). Three new discs of Stravinsky, Bartok, and Debussy (on Deutsche Grammophon). The Erato label has a new recording, and so does Sony (Boulez's greatest hits).

Johnston has four albums to his credit. The latest is, "Unlucky." His previous album, "Can You Fly," brought him to attention of many critics and garnered him much acclaim. Despite his love of hard rock, Johnston's songs have been described as "post-punk honky-tonk. . . performed by a lonely, heartbroken wiseass."

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "Shanghaied on Tor Road," a new release of German improviser and guitarist Hans Reichel playing an instrument of his own invention, the daxophone -- a stringless, amplified piece of wood.

World music critic Milo Miles tells us about a new strain of Merengue music: Merengue rap.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new Donald Fagen solo record, which was produced by Fagen's longtime Steely Dan cohort, Walter Becker.

Rock critic Ed Ward on the enduring legacy of British rock group Roxy Music.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new CD on Angel/EMI of collected Piano Trios by the celebrated 1920's chamber players Alfred Cortot, Jasques Thibaud, and Pablo Casals.

For many years Killen was the head of Tree International, Nashville's leading music publisher, writer and producer. Killen once played bass in Hank Williams' band for ten dollars a night; in 1989 he sold Tree to Sony for 50 million. He's worked with just about every star in the Country firmament: Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson; and many classics in the Country cannon: "King of the Road", "Okie from Muskogee" and the immortal "D-I-V-O-R-C-E". Killen's new autobiography is "By the Seat of My Pants."

A concert with the McGarrigle sisters, Kate and Anna. There are new CDs of their first two albums, released in the late 70s: "Kate & Anna McGarrigle" and "Dancer with Bruised Knees." The McGarrigles are known for their close and "subtle harmony." Their music is considered hard to categorize, although it sounds folky. The sisters absorbed an eclectic blend of music when they were growing up in Canada: Victorian ballads, blues, jazz, French-Canadian folk songs, Broadway tunes, and country music.

World Music commentator Milo Miles finds the ideal record to introduce Americans to Pakistani music: Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn and his "Devotional & Love Songs."

Lincoln's new record is "Devil's Got Your Tongue." Once married to legendary jazz drummer Max Roach, she's made her mark on jazz for almost 40 years, singing with giants like Benny Carter, Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins. Lincoln has been hailed by one critic as the "Last Great Diva", and says herself that she sings in the tradition of Sarah Vaughan, Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a newly discovered concert from 1957 of the Thelonious Monk Quartet featuring John Coltrane, "Live at the Five Spot."

For many years, Sheldon was bandleader and sidekick for Merv Griffin's talk show. He sang with Benny Goodman, was a childhood friend of Chet Baker's, and played burlesque with Lenny Bruce. He's just released a new record of standards, called "On My Own."