Music & Culture

For the Church of the Living God in Toccopola, Miss., the lap steel guitar channels the voice of God through hymns and improvised solos that mix gospel, blues and country.

The British musician is a fast-rising newcomer who's drawn both high praise and vicious pans in his home country. His debut album, Long Way Down, will likely draw similar reactions in the U.S., but the 22-year-old has considerable potential.

Now that YouTube runs advertising on videos of cover songs, musicians like Tyler Ward are working with agencies to negotiate higher shares of that revenue.

The jazz pianist's powerful 1976 album I Remember Bessie conveys a profound sense of loss.

The songwriter and guitarist Sidi Touré is a superstar in Mali. But in the last 18 months, a violent insurgency from the country's northern regions made life very difficult — especially for artists. Now, he's set to release a new album, Alafia, recorded while rebels occupied his home town.

When it comes to heavy metal, one group has claimed the title of "world's heaviest metal band." The humans tinkering with the robots say the goal isn't to replace human musicians.

Inspired by an ethnomusicologist, musician Dan Kaufman revives forgotten melodies on Bella Ciao.

Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" as doo-wop? Scott Bradlee imagines pop music in a time machine.

Dolby, who invented some of the technologies that revolutionized film and sound recording, was instrumental in developing surround sound technology. Dolby had been living with Alzheimer's and was diagnosed with leukemia this summer.

We all know what's most often excavated: Nirvana's roar, Biggie's cool murmur, the futuristic sigh of Aaliyah. But there's more to the decade than those obvious landmarks.