Inspired in part by Sly Stone, in 1973 Herbie Hancock set out to make a funk album. With a heavy use of early synthesizers and no guitars, the jazz/funk hybrid became the first platinum jazz album (U.S. 1 million in sales). This podcast was originally produced for NPR when the album was inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Mamie Smith was the first black performer to record the blues. Before 1920, it simply had not occurred. And the song, Crazy Blues, became a hit for Mamie after the originally scheduled performer, Sophie Tucker missed the session due to illness. The song sold 10,000 copies its first week and 75,000 within a month, paving the way for black musicians, and the black entertainment industry.
In this podcast, we explore Are You Experienced, the first album from The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Featuring commentary from engineer Eddie Kramer, among others, the podcast was originally produced for NPR, when the album was inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Starting out as a gospel singer, Sam Cooke crossed over to the mainstream charts, landing sixteen Top 20 hits before he was killed at age 33. This podcast, featuring a conversation with Aretha Franklin, tells the story of A Change is Gonna Come.
Koko Taylor, Queen of the Blues, passed away June 3 in Chicago. The cause was complications from surgery to stop gastrointestinal bleeding. She was 80 years old.
Friday, June 26, 2009
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