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20:41

Soprano and Cultural Ambassador Barbara Hendricks

The opera soprano and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Barbara Hendricks has appeared on over fifty recordings and has won critical acclaim in performances with all the major opera companies in the world--but she remains a relatively obscure figure in the United States. This is her seventh year with the UN Commission and she says through her music, she has been able "to get people to listen in a way they wouldn't listen to a diplomat or bureaucrat."

Interview
18:50

Soul and Blues Singer Wallace Johnson

Fifty-eight year old Johnson's new CD is "Whoever's Thrilling You." It's his first full-length album and marks his return to the music scene after a 20-year absence. He gave up his music career for steadier work as a longshoreman in 1972 in order to take care of his wife and five children. Friends convinced him to return to performing around the New Orleans area in 1993 and this year he appeared at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Interview
15:34

Broadway Singer John Raitt.

Broadway singer John Raitt. He's the father of singer Bonnie Raitt. The two have collaborated on a new album of show tunes, "The Broadway Legend," (Angel). Raitt made his Broadway debut as Billy Bigelow in the original production of "Carousel." He also was in the original Broadway cast and film of "The Pajama Game." He's performed in many other musicals including "Oklahoma," and "South Pacific."

Interview
15:20

Gospel and R&B Singer Fontella Bass

Bass has a new gospel album, "No Ways Tired." Her R&B hit "Rescue Me" came out in 1965. She was given no credits and no royalties for the song. Soon after, disenchanted with the industry, she retired to raise a family. In recent years, she has been on a comeback while getting back to her roots as a gospel singer.

Interview
22:17

Opera Singer Dawn Upshaw Crosses Over to Broadway

From the Metropolitan Opera, soprano Dawn Upshaw. She has a new recording of Broadway showtunes, called "I Wish It So." It includes lesser known works by Marc Blitzstein and Kurt Weill as well as songs by Sondheim and Bernstein. Upshaw has played more then 20 roles at the Met, including the current "The Marriage of Figaro" and the recently completed "Idomeneo," both by Mozart.

Interview
20:42

Martha Reeves on Polishing Her Motown Image

Martha Reeves is the lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas, the Motown group which made it big in the 60's with such hits as "Nowhere to Run," "Heat Wave," and "Dancing in the Street." Her new autobiography, "Dancing in the Street: Confessions of a Motown Diva," is about her career, her conflicts with other Motown singers and managers, and her experiences touring during the height of the Civil Rights movement.

Interview
21:59

R&B and Gospel Singer Etta James

James was a teenager when she was discovered by bandleader/talent scout Johnny Otis, who helped her record her first single, "Dance with Me Henry." Her career took off in the sixties, until she battled a drug addiction at the end of that decade. Although James mostly sang R&B, she has just released "Mystery Lady," featuring songs by her favorite jazz singer, Billie Holiday.

Interview
15:26

The "Amazing Grace" of Gospel Singer Marion Williams

Williams died on Saturday at the age of 66. Her trademark, a long-lasting high A-flat "whooo," has been adopted by most gospel singers and soul singers like Little Richard and Aretha Franklin. A pioneer of gospel music, she started singing with the Clara Ward Singers, the first gospel group to perform outside the church. A self- proclaimed "Holy Roller", in 1993 WILLIAMS received the MacArthur Foundation grant and the Kennedy Center Honars Award in Washington for her lifetime achievement in the arts.We replay out 1993 interview with her.

Obituary
16:38

Jazz Singer Jimmy Scott Is Back in the Public Eye

Scott sang with Lionel Hampton's band in the late 1940s early 50s, and influenced such singers as Nancy Wilson, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. Despite his talent, Scott has had a sporadic career marked by long periods of obscurity. His distinctive voice reaches into high registers, which many listeners early on mistook for a woman's. His new album is called "All the Way."

Interview
15:09

Singer Judy Niemack's Move from Classical to Jazz

The Village Voice says classically trained Niemack is like "Barbra Streisand without the hysterics....She combines the best of both worlds; a cabaret singer's respect for melody as written and a jazz singer's eagerness to have a go at it." Her new album is called "Heart's Desire."

Interview
16:28

Singer Angelina Réaux.

Singer Angelina Réaux. She's gained international recognition for her interpretation of Kurt Weill music. She performed in a one-woman show, "Stranger Here Myself," a collection of Weill music, dramatically linked. (A recording of the show is on the Koch Classics International label). Réaux also performs in Opera and Concert engagements and collaborated with Leonard Bernstein in a some of his final projects: recordings of "West Side Story" and "A Quiet Place." She began her career in Broadway musicals.

Interview
20:33

Soul-Turned-Gospel Singer Al Green

Green is one of the greats of soul and gospel music. He's probably best known for his hit, "Let's Stay Together." He'll talk about his secular musical career in light of being a born again Christian.

Interview
22:12

The Return of R&B Singer LaVern Baker

Baker had a series of hits in the 50s, among them "Bumblebee," and "Jim Dandy to the Rescue." During her hiatus from performing in the United States, she lived in the Philippines and booked concerts for American soldiers.

Interview
06:42

Doo-Wop's History of Racial Integration

Rock historian Ed Ward looks at some of the early integrated doo-wop groups. He says unlike today's white acts which appropriate black styles, those early groups truly mixed black and white performers and black and white musical styles.

Commentary
06:58

Soul Singer Laura Lee Tells It Like It Is

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles Laura Lee, a gospel singer who in the late 60s and early 70s switched to soul. She became known for her feminist songs "Wedlock is a Padlock," and "Women's Love Rights." After a string of hits she went back to gospel music, recording with Al Green.

Commentary
07:11

The Songwriting of Percy Mayfield

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles the influential musician, who had a string of hits in the early 1950s. An automobile accident scarred his face, and he stayed out of the public eye for several years. But Mayfield still made a living from music, with song for other artists -- like the Ray Charles hit, "Hit the Road, Jack."

Commentary
06:37

A Curtis Mayfield Retrospective

Rock historian Ed Ward begins a two-part profile of the influential singer, songwriter, and guitar player. Mayfield was recently injured during a performance, and is now paralyzed.

Commentary

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