May 15 Legendary blues man B.B. King dies at 89 By Sarah McHaney 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… Continue reading
May 10 Watch 1:30 After trauma of combat, soldiers find solace in songwriting By PBS News Hour An Austin-based singer-songwriter founded Songwritingwith:Soldiers, a free program that pairs professional songwriters with veterans to craft original songs based on their experiences. For many of the 120 military members who have participated, songwriting begins the healing process. Continue watching
May 05 Computer scientists prove 80s pop music is boring By Nsikan Akpan “Pop music is dead.” You’ve heard the refrain dropped by nostalgic music lovers at backyard barbecues. And it’s no surprise. Everyone thinks the tunes of their generation marked a sort of cultural pinnacle and that music has since become bland. Continue reading
Apr 13 ‘Austin City Limits’ founder Bill Arhos dies at age 80 By Anna Sillers Bill Arhos, founder of Austin City Limits, the longest-running music show in American television history, died on Saturday at the age of 80. Continue reading
Apr 10 Watch 6:13 Big Ears Festival breaks barriers for open-minded music lovers By PBS News Hour Big Ears is a small, personal and eclectic music festival that aims to showcase how diverse genres can stretch and influence one another. This year, acts like the Kronos Quartet and Rhiannon Giddens and musicians from Wilco and The National… Continue watching
Mar 31 Watch 5:03 How African musician Salif Keita went from social outcast to international superstar By PBS News Hour Salif Keita is known today as the "golden voice" of Africa, but in his youth he was an outcast, unaccepted by his community because he was born with albinism. Turning to music as an outlet, Keita rose to be one… Continue watching
Mar 28 Watch 4:05 To draw fresh crowds, symphony offers modern take on classical music By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Mar 25 Watch 1:29 Library of Congress adds 25 recordings to registry By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Mar 24 Watch 4:06 When music is medicine for kids coping with cancer By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Mar 11 Watch 5:31 The blurred line between creative risk and musical rip-off By PBS News Hour The song “Blurred Lines” was one of the biggest hits of 2013, but a jury has decided that some of that success is thanks to Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up.” Gaye’s children were awarded $7.3 million after they… Continue watching