Watch 6:37
How old-timey ‘skiffle’ music liberated British rock
Singer/songwriter Billy Bragg gained fame as a punk rock and folk musician in the 1980s. Now nearing 60, he’s still singing songs of protest and passion, but also singing the gospel of skiffle, a folk and blues-inspired genre that helped…
Watch 6:34
Blues greats Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ team up to make some joyful noise
It's called the blues, but Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' are feeling nothing but joy. The two musicians have been writing and performing music a long time, but never together -- until now. Jeffrey Brown sits down with the two…
Watch Taj Mahal and Keb Mo sing the “Diving Duck Blues”
Taj Mahal and Keb Mo are both living legends in the blues music scene. But they haven't released an album together -- until now.
Mumbai meets Muddy Waters in a bluesy tribute to Bollywood
San Jose bluesman Aki Kumar has just released an album that combines old songs from Indian blockbuster films of his childhood with Chicago-style blues.
Blues legend B.B. King has died at age 89. The singer continued to perform until last October, averaging more than 300 performances a year for six decades. Jeffrey Brown, who once joined King on his tour bus, and remembers the…
The King of the Blues, B.B. King, died Thursday, May 14, at his home in Las Vegas after suffering from high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. He was 89 years old. King was one of the most influential blues…
Before we ring in 2015, we want to reflect on some of the great Art Beat stories from this past year. So who did we listen to in 2014?…
Ralph Peer popularized the genres of country, blues, jazz, gospel and Latin. His story begins in the era of the wind-up crank cylinder and ends in the age of color television and is told in the new book, "Ralph Peer…
For every American musician who makes it big, there are many, many more who eke out a living to be able to afford new guitar strings. The Music Maker Foundation, based in North Carolina, helps struggling blues artists meet their…
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