Boogie Chillen
Every year the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to be preserved for all-time. This year's picks include John Lee Hooker's breakthrough song "Boogie Chillen"....
View ArticleThe 2,000 Year-Old Man
Every year the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to be preserved for all time. One of this year's selections is the famous 1961 comedy routine by Mel Brooks...
View ArticleThe Sounds of American Culture
Every year the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to be preserved for all time. Our five-part series "The Sounds of American Culture," produced by Ben Manilla...
View ArticleCarmen Miranda: O Que è Que a Bahiana Tem
Carmen Miranda(Courtesy of Naxos Nostalgia)This samba was recorded by the Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda in 1939. Dori Caymmi, the son of the songwriter, and biographer Martha Gil-Montero explain how...
View ArticleThe 2,000 Year Old Man
Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks in their in their iconic "2000 Year Old Man" routine(Photography by William Claxton Courtesy Demont Photo Management, LLC) This 1961 comedy routine by Mel Brooks and Carl...
View ArticleGeorge Jones: He Stopped Loving Her Today
(Sony)One of this year's selections is a song so sad that George Jones was initially reluctant to record it. Yet it became one of the most popular songs in country music. Produced by Ben Manilla and...
View ArticleLink Wray: Rumble
(Rhino / Wea)This guitar instrumental altered the course of rock music. The story of Link Wray and "Rumble," from 1958, is told by guitarist Steven Van Zandt, bassist James Hutchinson, and writer Brian...
View ArticleJohn Lee Hooker: Boogie Chillen
John Lee Hooker Our series begins with John Lee Hooker's breakthrough song "Boogie Chillen". Blues veteran Charlie Musselwhite and writer Peter Guralnick explain how Hooker's 1948 song left its mark on...
View ArticleHe Stopped Loving Her Today
Every year the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress chooses 25 recordings to be preserved for all time. One of this year's selections is a song so sad that George Jones was initially...
View ArticleHowlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning”
Every year the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to be preserved for all time. One song chosen this year is Howlin’ Wolf’s "Smokestack Lightning," a...
View ArticleCoal Miner's Daughter
Loretta Lynn(Russ Harrington)Every year the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to be preserved for all time. One song chosen this year is Loretta Lynn’s 1970...
View ArticleLoretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter
Loretta Lynn(Russ Harrington)This hit country song was written in 1970 by Loretta Lynn. With her plaintive, but proud voice, Lynn tells the story of growing up poor in the Appalachian Mountains of...
View ArticleR.E.M.: Radio Free Europe
"Radio Free Europe" was R.E.M.'s first single. It represents a breakthrough moment, when indie rock was splitting away from punk music to become its own sound. Engineer Mitch Easter, radio manager Mike...
View ArticleMorton Subotnick: Silver Apples of the Moon
Morton Subotnick's Silver Apples of the Moon Morton Subotnick's Silver Apples of the Moon, was the first album of all-electronic music. Released in 1967, it found favor with electronics geeks, as well...
View ArticleHowlin' Wolf: Smokestack Lightning
Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning" The first song in our series is Howlin’ Wolf’s "Smokestack Lightning," a cornerstone of Chicago Blues. Howlin' Wolf's daughter and his longtime guitarist Hubert...
View ArticleWeb Extra: Silver Apples of the Moon
Morton Subotnick's Silver Apples of the Moon Another pick by the National Recording Registry this year is Morton Subotnick's Silver Apples of the Moon, the first album of all-electronic music. Released...
View ArticleR.E.M.'s Radio Free Europe
Every year the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to be preserved for all time. One song chosen this year is R.E.M.'s "Radio Free Europe." It was the band's...
View ArticlePhonautogram
An 1859 drawing of the phonautograph by French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville(First Sounds at FirstSounds.org)Did you know there are audio recordings that predate Thomas Edison's phonograph...
View ArticleCaptain Beefheart: Trout Mask Replica
Cover of Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band(Reprise/Ada) A few months ago, the Republican candidate Jon Huntsman tweeted: “I wonder if a tweet where I admit how much I like...
View ArticleProfessor Longhair: Tipitina
Detail from cover of the Professor Longhair album Red Beans 'N' Rice(Great American Music)The New Orleans piano player Henry Roeland Byrd made a name for himself as Professor Longhair, a former street...
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