May 18 Watch 5:34 A music maker sings the coronavirus blues By Jeffrey Brown, Frank Carlson Musician Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen has long met adversity with music. She lost her New Orleans home to Hurricane Katrina and relocated to North Carolina with assistance from the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a group that supports blues musicians. But… Continue watching
May 02 Levon Helm's spirit remains in barn that bears his name By Tom Casciato The rock group “The Band” left an indelible mark on 20th century music, and its drummer, Levon Helm remained a formidable presence well into the 21st. Continue reading
Apr 30 New Orleans musicians find way to soothe the city with music By Stacey Plaisance, Associated Press The coronavirus and the social-distancing measures designed to fight it have nearly silenced the New Orleans music scene. But some are still finding a way to play their music. Continue reading
Apr 26 Watch 5:12 Louisville musicians make a song for the city amid crisis By Christopher Booker Soon after Louisville, Kentucky shut down in response to the global pandemic, Teddy Abrams, the conductor of the Louisville orchestra, was asked by the city's mayor to create a song that would emphasize its strengths. The end result is a… Continue watching
Apr 25 Courtney Barnett: Sending out 'Empathy Signals' By Tom Casciato The acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett recently completed her first U.S. solo tour. NewsHour Weekend’s Tom Casciato caught up with Barnett at her stop at the historic Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. Continue reading
Apr 14 Watch 4:06 Accentuating the positive with #SongsOfComfort By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport For a moment of diversion from difficult news, we have another look at -- and listen to -- some of the music being posted across social media using #SongsOfComfort. Jeffrey Brown has our selections from Yo-Yo Ma’s ongoing project. Continue watching
Apr 07 Singer John Prine dies at 73 By Michael Warren, Associated Press Prine, the ingenious singer-songwriter who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There” and scores of other indelible tunes, died Tuesday. Continue reading
Mar 21 Watch 6:15 Musicians take their shows online as cancellations cascade By Christopher Booker The spread of coronavirus in the U.S. has shut down businesses and schools and forced widespread cancellations, from major sporting events to religious services. But with the help of social media, some artists and musicians are making sure that the… Continue watching
Mar 06 Watch 6:51 Robbie Robertson on building The Band By Jeffrey Brown The documentary "Once Were Brothers" chronicles the highs and lows of a famous rock group. Lead guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson began touring as a teenager and played for Bob Dylan before joining forces with four other musicians to become… Continue watching
Mar 02 Why some of the best-known tunes, like 'Happy Birthday,' are the hardest to sing By Bryan Nichols, The Conversation Don’t judge your singing skills on familiar cultural songs; they’re just not good measures of our singing abilities. Continue reading