Music & Culture

French pop star Johnny Hallyday on stage at Paris' Palais Des Sports stadium in 1969.

France Mourns Its Favorite Rock Star, Johnny Hallyday

6:26pm December 06, 2017

by Eleanor Beardsley

Hallyday, who died Wednesday at 74, had a career that spanned 50 years. He recorded more than 1,000 songs and sold more than 100 million records — but was little known outside France.

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Music & Culture

Bette Smith On World Cafe

1:23pm December 06, 2017

by Talia Schlanger

A singer tells a true story about becoming the person you really want to be.

Jeff Tweedy performs at NPR Music's 10th Anniversary Concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.

Music & Culture

Watch Jeff Tweedy's Career-Spanning Performance Celebrating 10 Years Of NPR Music

11:57am December 06, 2017

by Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey

From Uncle Tupelo to an unreleased song, Jeff Tweedy showcased the range of his career in an acoustic set.

Music & Culture

Jamila Woods Talks Spiritual And Political Themes Behind 'HEAVN'

10:55am December 06, 2017

The singer and poet discusses evolving as a vocalist, celebrating black womanhood in her lyrics and challenging common perceptions of Chicago in her debut album.

Music & Culture

The Thistle & Shamrock: Music Migration

10:40am December 06, 2017

Join host Fiona Ritchie as she uncovers the deep roots across several generations that run under a family tree of songs from the British Isles and Ireland to the Southern Appalachians.

Artwork for Sufjan Stevens' "Tonya Harding" single.

Music & Culture

Sufjan Stevens Pens A Quiet Song For 'Feisty, Fierce' Figure Skater Tonya Harding

9:58am December 06, 2017

by Lars Gotrich

Sufjan Stevens loves complicated heroes who, for better or worse, represent something unmistakably American. His latest ode is to figure skater Tonya Harding.

French singer Johnny Hallyday smiles as he receives the best album award next to French TV host Virginie Guilhaume at the 31st Victoires de la Musique, the annual French music awards ceremony, last year at the Zenith concert hall in Paris.

Music & Culture

'French Elvis' Johnny Hallyday Dies At 74

8:57am December 06, 2017

by Scott Neuman

Born as Jean-Philippe Smet during World War II in occupied Paris, Hallyday latched on to American-style rock 'n roll in the 1960s and went on to sell 100 million albums over five decades.

King Krule performs a Tiny Desk Concert on Oct. 20, 2017 (Jennifer Kerrigan/NPR).

Music & Culture

King Krule: Tiny Desk Concert

8:42am December 06, 2017

by Bob Boilen

King Krule, the musical project of English singer, songwriter and rapper, Archy Marshall, brings its twisted, woozy tones to the Tiny Desk.

New York's Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan. Famed conductor James Levine, its music director emeritus and former conductor, was suspended by the company while allegations of sexual misconduct are investigated.

Music & Culture

After Assault Allegations, Classical Institutions Rush To Distance From James Levine

9:40pm December 05, 2017

by Andrew Flanagan

The conductor, trailed by "scurrilous rumors" for years, has now been publicly accused by four former proteges of sexual assault when they were either teenagers or young adults.

Tarriona "Tank" Ball closes out the night at NPR Music's 10th Anniversary Concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.

Music & Culture

Watch Tank And The Bangas Celebrate 10 Years Of NPR Music

8:08pm December 05, 2017

by Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey

At our 10th Anniversary Concert, Tank and the Bangas brought their characteristic joy out in full force.