In-Studio Performances

During a 2000 visit to the Fresh Air studios, the former teen idol performed old songs, new songs and songs by blues and country performers who influenced him.

Rhiannon Giddens brings her banjo to the studio and sings some songs from her new solo album which includes original songs based on slave narratives.

Dion has just released a CD of new songs, covers and new versions of his old hits. It's called New Masters (Collectables, 2003). In the late 1950s, Dion and his band the Belmonts topped the charts with several pop hits, earning him the status of teen idol. His best known songs include "I Wonder Why," "A Teenager in Love," "The Wanderer," and "Runaround Sue." This interview first aired Oct. 17, 2000.

We listen back to an interview with the eccentric singer and performer Tiny Tim. Born Herbert B. Khaury, he began performing in the 1950s. He is best known for his performances on Laugh-In, especially his croonings of "Tip Toe Through the Tulips." Tiny Tim died in 1996. There's a new box set of his recordings God Bless Tiny Tim. This interview originally aired on June 16, 1996.

Pianist and composer Dave Burrell was an important part of the free jazz scene of the 1960s, recording with Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, Archie Shepp and others. His new CD with his Full-Blown Trio, Expansion, marks Burrell's first recording for a U.S. label in almost 40 years.

While on tour for her album, Over and Even, Shelley stopped by WHYY to play some of her songs along with accompanist Nathan Salsburg. She tells Fresh Air's Sam Briger she's always wanted to perform.

"We think it's all a bit vulgar, you know, cashing in on Christmas," Lowe says of the British. He says he took it as a challenge: Quality Street tackles old classics and adds originals to the mix.
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Will Holshouser has played all kinds of music on the accordion, including Cajun, avant garde jazz and indie rock. He joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross in her studio to play features from his new album.

To mark the release of his seventh album, the singer-songwriter brings his acoustic guitar to the Fresh Air studio to sing some new songs as well as some of his favorites from the 1920s and '30s.

Prospect Hill is Flemons' first album since leaving the band Carolina Chocolate Drops. By coincidence, the multi-instrumentalist recorded the album the day Pete Seeger died.