Dec 08 Watch 8:55 Kennedy Center honors Al Green for soul and staying power By PBS News Hour Al Green was one of five artists honored at the Kennedy Center this year. Jeffrey Brown talks to the singer, whose iconic voice has stirred souls with pop music and gospel for decades, about a life of making music and… Continue watching
Nov 30 Watch 4:10 Generations apart, Ozark musicians find friendship through fiddling By PBS News Hour An accomplished Kansas musician known for her fiery style of fiddling recounts the special relationship she has with her 97-year-old fiddling mentor from Arkansas. The two discuss their life lessons learned from fiddling, the nuances of their individual sounds, and… Continue watching
Nov 27 Watch How the music industry uses big data to create the next big hit By PBS News Hour Is big data killing good music? As part of a collaboration between The Atlantic and PBS NewsHour, Judy Woodruff speaks with Derek Thompson, whose piece in this month’s magazine featured how data collected by Shazam and other music apps is… Continue watching
Nov 19 Watch Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn meld marriage with musical collaboration By PBS News Hour Despite playing a common instrument, celebrated banjo players Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck have kept their musical careers separate. But after performing together as a favor to a relative, the two realized their different styles could be complementary, leading to… Continue watching
Nov 11 Sugarhill Gang's Big Bank Hank dies at 57 By Colleen Shalby In his own words, Henry Jackson -- or Big Bank Hank -- was a Casanova. He was six foot one, and tons of fun. Continue reading
Nov 03 Watch Bob Dylan's complete 'Basement Tapes' surface for the first time By PBS News Hour In the late '60s, Bob Dylan retreated to upstate New York to recover from a motorcycle accident and the exhaustion of touring. In the basement of a house called Big Pink, he recorded with the musicians who would form The… Continue watching
Oct 31 Watch Taylor Swift shake, shake, shakes up a slowing music industry By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Oct 29 Watch After many regenerations, the Allman Brothers Band goes out on a high note By PBS News Hour One of the most legendary bands in rock ‘n’ roll took the stage for the last time Tuesday. Founded by Gregg Allman and his late brother Duane, the Allman Brothers Band has been synonymous with Southern rock and musicianship since… Continue watching
Oct 27 Watch Music Maker eases the blues for down-and-out artists By PBS News Hour 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… Continue watching
Oct 27 Blues man 'Ironing Board Sam' sings 'Over the Rainbow' By Frank Carlson 75-year-old Sammie Moore, aka “Ironing Board Sam,” has been playing and singing the blues for 55 years. Listen to him sing "Over the Rainbow."… Continue reading