"Photo by Chris RamirezA few weeks ago I caught James Hunter as he tore through an absolutely smoldering set of his horn infused soul music at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia (listen here). With a sound reminiscient of people like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and Jackie Wilson, his live show..."

"On June 2nd, legendary rock performer Elias McDaniel, better known to the world as Bo Diddley, passed away in his home in Archer, Florida from heart failure. Diddley’s health had been waning in the last year and a half after a heart attack and stroke which severely crippled the musician...."

"He burst into pop music in 1955 with a song named after himself and topped the R&B charts shortly afterward. A few years later, he built his own rectangular Gretsch, nicknamed "The Twang Machine," which he would use to play thousands of concerts across decades of rousing performance. Along the..."

"NICK DERISO: John Lee Hooker, a hypnotically transfixing figure in the blues, made a series of money- and headline-making splashes beginning in 1989 by collaborating with younger artists, beginning with his celebrated record "The Healer."That one, for instance, included turns with Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards,..."

"My friend Jenn (who is the beer connoisseur of all beer connoisseurs) comes over to my desk this afternoon giddy as all hell and informs me that today marks the 75th anniversary of the end of prohibition. Now keep in mind that she’s so super stoked about telling me this..."