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In this episode: Michael Jackson wasn't called the King of Pop for nothing. He raked in more than a billion dollars in his career and it seems death could not slow him down. He’s made... (episode)
Zack O'Malley Greenburg, author of Michael Jackson, Inc., discusses the brilliant and boneheaded investments that built the star's billion dollar estate, and left him deep in debt up ...
Hear The Walkmen frontman perform songs from Black Hours at Soundcheck’s event at Brooklyn's BAM Harvey Theater on June 7 as part of RadioLoveFest.
Watch the acclaimed singer, violinist, and composer perform songs from her latest album, The Littlest Prisoner, in the Soundcheck studio -- with her all-star bandmates, Bill Frisell a...
In this episode: Since the Blind Boys Of Alabama was founded in the 1930s, the group has been a gospel institution. All these years later -- and especially with the recent album I'll ... (episode)
<p>Writer and radio host Alyn Shipton chronicles the life story of enigmatic singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson.</p>
<p>Hear Blind Boys of Alabama perform in the <em>Soundcheck</em> studio.</p>
<p>Watch Mutual Benefit perform songs from its 2013 album<em> Love's Crushing Diamond</em> live in the <em>Soundcheck</em> studio.</p>
In this episode: He called himself “Doc Pomus,” and he wrote some of the most iconic songs of the 1950s and '60s; songs like “Viva Las Vegas,” “Save the Last Dance for Me” and “This M... (episode)
<p>In <em>Queens of Noise</em> Evelyn McDonnell tells the short-lived but influential band, The Runaways.</p>
<p>Hear the beguiling and visceral vocalist and musician play songs off her latest album, <em>The Knife Shift</em>, in the <em>Soundcheck</em> studio.</p>
In this episode: Nickel Creek wowed audiences when they burst onto the scene in the early '90s. A trio of precocious child prodigies -- Chris Thile on mandolin and banjo, Sara Watkins... (episode)
Saratoga Springs' Caffe Lena has been an integral part of the folk scene since the 1960s. We talk with Jocelyn Arem, who edited a new book and box CD set about the musical history of ...
It's been eight years since the phenomenal folk and bluegrass trio Nickel Creek released an album. In that time Chris Thile, Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins each pursued myriad individu...
In this episode: Research has found that generally the more that people hear a song, the more they like it -- unless, of course, they listen so much that they end up liking it even le... (episode)
Elizabeth Margulis -- the Director of the Music Cognition Lab at the University of Arkansas and the author of On Repeat: How Music Plays The Mind -- explains why repetition and music ...
<p>Hear New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn --the frontman for Crowded House -- perform songs from his new solo album, <em>Dizzy Heights</em>.</p>
In this episode: Throughout his long and legendary career, soul singer, songwriter and guitarist Bobby Womack has been responsible for countless timeless songs. Last year's superb alb... (episode)
The legendary soul and R&B singer and songwriter, who wrote countless hits in the 1960s and ’70s, died Friday at 70. In a career-spanning conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaef...
In just a few decades, the Fender Rhodes electric keyboard has infiltrated a diverse array of musical genres and uses thanks to its portability and an unmistakable sound. A new docume...
In this episode: Hugh Laurie is best known as the star of the former Fox drama House, which wrapped in 2012. But since the release of his debut album called Let Them Talk in 2011, he’... (episode)
<p>The former star of the Fox TV drama <em>House</em> talks the blues, American accents and karaoke.</p>
<p>Kyu Sakamoto's 1963 hit "Sukiyaki” left its mark on rapper Slick Rick, Mad Men and countless cover versions.</p>
<p>Mike Bloomfield is rock's greatest forgotten guitar hero -- a hero even to rock guitar gods like Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana.</p>
First: Sarah Jarosz is just 22, but she’s already made a mark on the folk and bluegrass scene thanks to her deep bluegrass knowledge and exceptional instrumental skills. The Grammy-no... (episode)
<p>Watch British singer Ebony Bones perform a fierce and powerful rendition of "W.A.R.R.I.O.R." in the Soundcheck studio.</p>
<p>Watch the young folk songwriter perform live in the <em>Soundcheck</em> studio.</p>
In this episode: John Carter Cash, the son of Johnny Cash and June Carter, talks about his father's "lost” record, Out Among The Stars. Recorded in the early ‘80s, it was shelved as J... (episode)
<p>Johnny Cash recorded <em>Out Among The Stars</em> in the early 1980's, but it's never been heard until now. John Carter Cash talks about unearthing and releasing this "lost album."</p>
The genre known as "shoegaze" isn't very well understood -- probably because the label itself is awkward and misleading. Given the recent resurgence of the loud and melodic sound, Fla...
<p>Watch the folk pop band Hurray For The Riff Raff perform songs from its forthcoming record, <em>Small Town Heroes</em>, in the <em>Soundcheck</em> studio.</p>
In this episode: Duke Ellington is one of the towering figures in American music, but there's more to his story than hits like "Take The A Train." Cultural critic and writer Terry Tea... (episode)
Amy Tan is best known for The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife, and her just-released book The Valley Of Amazement. Hear the acclaimed author talk about the new book, and shar...
<p>A new biography of Duke Ellington paints a complex picture: a man who was brilliant but undisciplined, prolific but prone to taking credit for the work of his sidemen.</p>
<p>Hear jazz saxophonist and composer Matana Roberts perform in the <em>Soundcheck</em> studio.</p>