BILLIE HOLIDAY: LADY DAY’S ENDURING LEGACY
Few major musical artists faced the obstacles Billie Holiday had to face, but then few can match her...
Musicians
WHEN CAN I FLY?: MICHAEL BELFER, THE SLEEPERS AND TUXEDOMOON
Michael Belfer and his Bay Area-based bands the Sleepers and Tuxedomoon were mainstays, along with Crime, of the...
REVEREND GARY DAVIS: I AM THE LIGHT OF THIS WORLD
Reverend Gary Davis (1896-1972), guitar virtuoso and folk-blues giant, moved from Durham, N.C. to New York City, where...
VIN DIESEL, ARTHUR RUSSELL AND ME
Mixmaster Arthur Russell meets wannabe rapper Mark Sinclair (aka Vin Diesel). What could possibly go wrong? That’s what...
HUBERT SUMLIN: HOWLIN’ WOLF’S SECRET WEAPON
As Howlin’ Wolf’s longtime guitarist, Hubert Sumlin (1931-2011) kept to the shadows, but his sweet, subtle, sophisticated leads...
RICHARD HELL: THE PAST AND PRESENT OF DESTINY STREET
Richard Hell and the Voidoids are best-known for their debut album, the masterful Blank Generation (1977). Before completely...
DOWNTOWN LIFE: JOHN OATES RECALLS HIS EARLY DAYS IN NYC
When Daryl Hall and John Oates arrived in New York from Philadelphia in 1972, they were a folk-soul...
FRED NEIL: THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS LIFE
In 1969, as his most famous song, ‘Everybody’s Talkin’”, was dominating pop charts, Fred Neil (1936-2001) was working...
NICK REYNOLDS: ALABAMA 3, THE SOPRANOS, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, SEX PISTOLS AND DEATH MASKS
The resume of Nick Reynolds has many fascinating facets—son of the mastermind of The Great Train Robbery, abstract...
KID CONGO POWERS: DREAMING ABOUT LUX & POISON IVY, JEFFREY LEE PIERCE AND SEAN DELEAR
The genial former member of the Gun Club, the Cramps, Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds and a collaborator with...
RON AND RUSSELL MAEL: STILL SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS
After 50 years and 25 albums and collaborations with a who’s who of rock ‘n’ roll, pop and...
THE DICTATORS BACK TOGETHER! ANDY SHERNOFF TELLS ALL
With their irreverent mix of ‘teengenerate’ sarcasm, three-chord garage rock, surf music and party-hearty stage antics, The Dictators...
IT DON’T BOTHER ME: THE LEGACY OF BERT JANSCH
From his earliest days in the folk clubs of Edinburgh—where he learned from greats like Davey Graham, Martin...
GUITARIST DEREK BAILEY: FREE FOR ALL IMPROVISOR
Derek Bailey (1930-2005) was a successful guitarist playing pop music in dance halls and jazz in nightclubs in...