Search results for

Susan Werner's musical path has taken her from opera to pop, jazz and classic American songs. In her latest album, The Gospel Truth, this singer-songwriter journeys to America's spiritual side.

Lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Colin Meloy is part of the indie pop quartet The Decemberists. The group hails from Portland, Ore. Meloy is known for using "10-dollar words" in his songs, and for "creating character studies that wouldn't sound out of place in a Victorian novel."

He made the pop charts over and over again during the 1970s and early '80s with his love ballads like Mandy, Looks Like We Made It, I Write the Songs and Copacabana (At the Copa). Before becoming a singer, he was Bette Midler's accompanist and arranger. He has a new CD Barry Manilow: 2 Nights Live and a DVD Ultimate Manilow (Rebroadcast from March 21, 2002).

This '90s anthem paved the way for an avalanche of Latin pop artists following in Ricky Martin's footsteps.

Ben and Leo Sidran release their new children's CD El Elefante. The collection of original songs is in English and Spanish. Father and son started working together when the son was a child, and the collaboration grew from that. Ben is more jazz influenced; Leo is more pop- and rock-oriented. The two talk about the fun they had creating the music with NPR's Melissa Block.

As part of our tenth anniversary celebration, Liane leads us through some of our most memorable in-studio performances during the last decade. Excerpts are presented from The Roches, Kavkasia, Tan Dun, the Modern Mandolin Quartet, Glen Velez, Leon Parker, the Gales Brothers, Chris Isaak, the New Jungle Orchestra, Rockapella, Hudson Shad, Mavis and Pops Staples, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Don Pullen, Awadagin Pratt, Jule Styne and Joni Mitchell.

She made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 1959. Since then shes written thousands of songs, including the hits Coat of Many Colors, Jolene, and I Will Always Love You. And shes had hits on both the country and pop charts. Parton wrote her autobiography in 1994, My Life and Other Unfinished Business. Her new all-accoustic CD is Little Sparrow

As a young piano prodigy, Rachel Fuller composed neoclassical orchestral works. Today, she rocks. "Cigarettes and Housework," her debut pop CD, features dark, edgy songs and a title track about doing housework in the nude. She talks with NPR's Liane Hansen.

When he was a child, music critic Tom Manoff heard the music of Edvard Grieg, particularly his piano concerto in A-minor. This piece of music is known as a workhorse. In pop music, it would be referred to as a "greatest hit." Tom Manoff talks about the status of the warhorse in classical music and we hear Grieg's piano concerto performed here by Leif Ove Andsnes.

The 1970s Memphis rock band Big Star never reached commercial success, but the group is often cited as a precursor to the grunge of the 1990s, as well as today's power-pop. A new compilation, Big Star Story, assembles some of the songs from the group's three full-length albums. NPR's Will Hermes has a review.