For the last fifteen years of her colossal and regal existence, I had the great fortune of knowing, listening to, talking to, and spending time with the one and only Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Her … Read the article
In 1914, the hot ticket on Broadway was On Trial, a play that employed the daring film technique of the “flashback.” You could catch the moody John Barrymore in Kick In, Douglas Fairbanks in He Comes Up … Read the article
The book behind the Apple TV+ docu-series, Never a Dull Moment offers a rollicking look at 1971, rock’s golden year, the year that saw the release of the indelible recordings of Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, the Who, … Read the article
When the swirling crosscurrents of music and politics collide, a powerful social maelstrom is often left in its wake. In 1969, American rock ‘n’ roll staggered towards the end of an era which the literary critic … Read the article
Author Mariah Fredericks sets the scene for her latest novel, Death of an American Beauty, as she traces the rise of ragtime in New York City in the early 1900s. … Read the article
Jessica Fellowes discusses the history behind her recently released novel, The Mitford Scandal, focusing on the birth of jazz in America and its cultural impact on post-WWI London. … Read the article
More than half a century ago, friendly rivalry between musicians turned 1965 into the year rock evolved into the premier art form of its time and accelerated the drive for personal freedom throughout the Western world.… Read the article
Between that first concert on 17 April 1838 and the end of July, Johann Strauss and his orchestra gave a total of seventy-nine performances in London alone, and the list … Read the article