Singing
Julie Andrews says she's not the squeaky clean lady you might expect
The Sound of Music star will soon be honored with the AFI's Life Achievement Award. In 2008 and 2019, she spoke to Fresh Air about growing up during WWII and performing in her parents' vaudeville.
Anthony Roth Costanzo nearly lost his voice to cancer. Now he's back as 'Akhnaten'
A decade ago, Costanzo had surgery that threatened to destroy his singing voice. Now he stars as a gender-fluid Egyptian pharaoh in the Met Opera's production. Originally broadcast Oct. 7, 2019.
'Schmigadoon!' star Cecily Strong and co-creator Cinco Paul embrace musical satire
SNL's Cecily Strong co-stars in the Apple TV+ satire series Schmigadoon!. It centers on a couple who gets trapped in a town where people burst into song. We talk with Strong as well as Cinco Paul, the show's co-creator.
'Fresh Air' Pays Respect To Aretha Franklin, The Queen Of Soul
To mark the debut of the biopic RESPECT, we listen back to archival interviews with Aretha, as well as with Jerry Wexler, producer of the hit "Respect," and Dan Penn, who co-wrote "Do Right Woman."
Tony Bennett Retires From Performing: Listen Back To His 'Fresh Air' Interviews
Bennett continued performing even after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016. Now, at 95, he will retire, following doctor's orders. Bennett spoke with Terry Gross in 1982, 1991 and 1998.
Allison Russell Displays A Bursting Range Of Music On 'Outside Child'
Russell cut her new album in a scant four days, pouring a lifetime of experiences into it. Outside Child is the confession of a woman who's faced hellish experiences and emerged with uncommon grace.
Leslie Odom Jr. Finds Sam Cooke's Voice In 'One Night In Miami'
Odom Jr. landed his first Broadway role at 16, and later starred as Aaron Burr in Hamilton. Now he's up for two Oscars, one for his role as Cooke in One Night in Miami.
Elizabeth King's Gospel Sound Transports Believers And Non-Believers Alike
King made some recordings in the 1970s, but then quit the music business to raise her children. Now in her late 70s, she's released her first full-length solo album: Living in the Last Days.
'Fresh Air' Remembers Mary Wilson, Founding Member Of The Supremes
Wilson, who died Feb. 8, began singing with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard in 1959. As the Supremes, they helped define Motown sound with a string of hits in the 1960s. Originally broadcast in 1986.
Dusty Springfield's Manager/Biographer Describes Singer's Dance With 'Demons'
The late British singer had a number of hits in the '60s, many of which are included in a new Atlantic Records anthology. We listen back to a 2002 interview with Springfield's friend Vicki Wickham.