On this day, January 7, 1954, this blues legend recorded the hit song that would later inspire the booming genre of rock 'n' roll.

Mamie Smith set the tone for a new century of sound in global music. The Cincinnati native was the first singer to record the blues. It’s the foundational American music form upon which jazz, country, ...

Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie Records, crisscrossed the United States photographing and recording musicians where they played Joel Selvin - Co-author, Arhoolie Records Down Home Music: The ...

William G. "Bill" Hall did what he could to help launch musicians’ careers across the Gulf Coast region. He had a strong sense of what good music sounded like, helped artists record songs in his ...

A man of the people, the artist put his money where his mouth was by visiting prisons around the country and performing the song Raj Tawney - Freelance writer Johnny Cash chats with inmates and guests ...

Work songs and blues recorded, edited and annotated by the editor. Program notes by the editor on container and text ([14] l.) inserted. Performer(s): Composed and performed by various Negro prisoners ...