In his two books on jazz at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, author Edward Allan Faine pulls back the curtain on the Nixon White House. Was Tricky Dick really a jazz fan? After all, he did give Duke Ellington the Medal of Freedom in 1969. And wait 'til you hear who was in the band, and who played the “after-party.” As always in politics, there’s a backstory and Faine fills us in on the behind-the-scene machinations in "Ellington At The White House."In his second book “The Best Gig In Town,” Faine focuses on the thirteen additional jazz-related performances Nixon would hold between 1969 and 1974. Hear the inside accounts of why Sinatra almost got canceled, and who that was playing piano behind some of Pearl Bailey’s set. Did Peggy Lee perform "Fever" at the White House? We’ll also touch on some of the more recent presidents and their bands of choice for “the best gig in town!”AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Just a few years after he almost died from a severe addiction to cocaine and alcohol, a clean and sober Stevie Ray Vaughan was riding high. His last album was his most critically lauded and commercially successful. He had fulfilled a lifelong dream by collaborating with his first and greatest musical hero, his brother Jimmie. His tumultuous marriage was over and he was in a new and healthy romantic relationship. Vaughan seemed poised for a new, limitless chapter of his life and career.Instead, it all came to a shocking and sudden end on August 27, 1990, when he was killed in a helicopter crash following a dynamic performance with Eric Clapton. Author Alan Paul gives us the unadulterated truth about legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

In April 1998, legendary southern jam band Widespread Panic held a free open-air record release show in downtown Athens, Georgia, its homebase. No one involved could have known that the predicted crowd of twenty thousand would prove to be nearly five times that size. Author Gordon Lamb talks about how the show, now known as “Panic in the Streets” was a decisive moment in Athens music history.Lamb also takes us back into the rich Athens musical history, discussing how the small Southern college town birthed a highly influential and diverse music scene, including The B-52s, R.E.M., Pylon, Flat Duo Jets, Drive By Truckers, and, of course, Widespread Panic.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Just what is "yacht rock," you ask? Is it AM gold? Soft, smooth 70s hits, come back to life? Perhaps the easiest description is music that would not sound out of place being played while carousing aboard a yacht back in "the good old days." Unsure if you've heard "yacht rock?" Well...if you've heard anything featuring Michael McDonald or members of Toto, you have! Author Greg Prato takes us through its birth in the early 70s (Seals & Croft, The Eagles, Steely Dan), its second act later in that decade (Player, Pablo Cruise, Firefall), as well as its current revival, which includes touring outfit The Yacht Rock Revue.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

"For You" Original Stories and Photographs by Bruce Springsteen's Legendary Fans" is a limited edition book first published in 2007. The book, published by Lawrence Kirsch, puts the fans front and center, focusing on the personal stories of a little-documented but essential segment of the world of popular music —the fans. It is packed with incredible photos taken by those fans.We spoke with Lawrence about this incredibly unique and beautiful book. It has been sold out since 2009, but there is a limited edition of 1100 copies available for a short time! Hear what Lawrence has to say about the book, the fans and their stories, Kirsch's first Bruce concert and favorite Bruce song, and much, much more!AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Were The Replacements one of the last great bands, or a bunch of drunken f*ckups? Depends on who you ask. Or could they have been both? Author Bob Mehr reveals the primal factors and forces that shaped the Minneapolis band, their troubled early years, and their rise — and their often self-inflicted falls — within the early '80s American underground. Join us as Mehr delves into the personalities, the albums, the war stories from the road, and whether The Replacements belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Of the many girl-groups that came out of the 1960s, none is more idiosyncratic and influential than The Shangri-Las. They were together only five years, but within that time they subverted pop standards and foreshadowed a generation of tough women in music.Author Ada Wolin examines the still-elusive validation of 1960s girl-groups as a whole, but also aims to free The Shangri-Las from that category, viewing them instead with the individuality traditionally afforded to rock groups. In fact, says Wolin, they were the “punkiest” of the girl-groups. Our conversation with Ada presents a fresh new look into “The Golden Age of The Shangri-Las.”AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

David Cantwell takes us on a revelatory journey through Merle Haggard’s music and the life and times out of which it came. Focusing on the music “the Hag” created, Cantwell breaks down albums, songs, and the growth of Haggard’s songwriting.Cantwell deftly weaves together Merle’s story and his songs, with the story of America — clearly in its growing pains stage — and how they fit together. If you’re a newcomer to “the Hag," or if you don’t think Merle Haggard is one of the bedrocks of American and country music, have a listen. David Cantwell will convince you otherwise.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

We set out to speak with David Cantwell on his Merle Haggard book "Merle Haggard: The Running Kind," but got tangled up in a lot of very cool stuff in our on-air intros and warm-ups, and thought it an episode unto itself!David dove into Ken Burns’ recent (and excellent!) PBS series “Country Music” in great and fascinating detail. He also talked about his recent piece in The New Yorker on Tanya Tucker’s new album and why she deserves to be in the company of women country artists who need no last name. Legendary singer Charley Pride, and the false ”war“ between “hat” and alt-country are also dissected.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

In January of 1979, Donny Hathaway fell fifteen stories from a window of Manhattan's Essex House Hotel in an alleged suicide. He was 33 years old and at the peak of his career. Hathaway was a composer, pianist, and soul singer committed to exploring “music in its totality,” whose influence on generations of singers and musicians.Author Emily Lordi breaks down his essential "Live" album — one of the all-time great live albums — and offers up the story of Hathaway's life, from his beginning in the church, to his numerous musical collaborations, his tragic death, and his uncanny ability to amplify the power and beauty of his songs in the moment of live performance. AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

In this episode, we talk to acclaimed journalist David De Sola about his comprehensive biography of Alice In Chains, one of the bands within the burgeoning Seattle scene that would forever change alternative and rock music.De Sola tells us how drugs nearly destroyed them and claimed the lives of singer Layne Staley and founding bassist Mike Starr. He tells us of guitarist Jerry Cantrell's solo career, and the incredible resurrection of the band nearly fifteen years later with new lead singer William DuVall.AllMusicBooks is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Explore the history of The Rolling Stones through the prism of New York City. Author Chris McKittrick takes us on a highly detailed tour of the dynamic and reciprocal relationship between the world’s greatest rock'n'roll band and the world’s greatest city. From The Ed Sullivan Show, to Madison Square Garden, to "Saturday Night Live", the Stones have often reflected the cultural changes of the city. McKittrick tells us the tales of the band that never sleeps and their adventures in turbulent “Fun City!”AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Michael Washburn talks about “Southern Accents,” Tom Petty’s deeply flawed concept album about the South, and its artistic failure and public controversy. Petty made extensive use of the iconography of the American Confederacy — something he soon came to regret. We’ll discuss how the record both grew out of, and reinforced enduring but flawed assumptions about Southern culture, and break the album down track by track. We'll also throw in our favorite and least favorite Tom Petty records.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Galadrielle Allman joins us to talk about her deeply personal, revealing, and lyrical portrait of her father, Duane Allman, who was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of twenty-four. She was two years old.Galadrielle shares some wonderful stories of her father and his music. At the heart of her book is her journey to understand the man millions idolized, but she never knew. It's a story every bit as compelling, beautiful, sad, and singular as her father's.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

We talk to author, noted music producer, and scholar Pat Thomas, who spent five years researching "Listen, Whitey!" We dig deep into how the movement affected the popular music of the day, including Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye and Motown, Gil Scott-Heron, Nina Simone and others.Thomas also talks about how bands like The Last Poets and The Watts Prophets foreshadowed and influenced rap music, as well as the musical and cultural world we live in today.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

The Beatles were not only pioneers in music and popular culture, they were also the progenitors of the music merchandise phenomenon. In fact, the Fab Four earned over $50 million in merchandise sales in 1965!Author and researcher Terry Crain joins us to talk about Beatles merch — everything from games, dolls, toys, wigs and bubble bath — and other interesting side treks surrounding this trendsetting and nostalgic era.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Tiny Tim represents one of the most phenomenal success stories in show business, rubbing shoulders with Bob Dylan and Lenny Bruce. The forty-something falsetto-voiced, ukulele-playing Tiny Tim landed a recording contract with Sinatra's Reprise label and regular appearances on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” and “Laugh In.” Author Justin Martell brings those stories and more to life on our podcast discussing one of the most fascinating yet misunderstood figures in popular music.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Podcast.

Equal parts myth and legend, the New Barbarians are one of the greatest bands many people have never heard — or heard of! Put together by Ron Wood, the band featured fellow Stone Keith Richards, the Faces’ Ian MacLagan, sax player Bobby Keys, and a legendary rhythm section of the Meters’ Ziggy Modeleste and jazz great Stanley Clarke.Author Rob Chapman details how the band came about, it’s singular tour, and how this unique ensemble of incredible talent played — both onstage and off!AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Author, musician, producer, manager, rock journalist, and indie label executive Bruce Duff talks “The Smell of Death.” A pre-cellphone indie punk rock van tour of Europe is the stage for music, hijinks, and hilarity, with a memorable and unique cast of characters. Take a trip back in time with Duff…you won’t be disappointed!AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

Author Greg Renoff reveals the untold story of how the legendary Van Halen began, playing backyard parties in Los Angeles, This unique pre-history takes you from those high school bashes to funky dive bars with wet t-shirt contests, and, finally, to the Sunset Strip and beyond.Renoff discusses the extraordinary talent and focus of Van Halen, and tells some incredible stories that include Gene Simmons of KISS, Rodney Bingenheimer, and those wild and crazy parties that launched the band.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

July, 1967: It seems the entire country stopped to listen to a husky voice steeped in the simmering secrets of the South tell a tragic tale of teenage suicide. So much for the Summer of Love.In our “Ode to Billie Joe” podcast, author Tara Murtha talks about the the real-life mysteries of that song, Bobbie Gentry's career and influence, and how —and perhaps why — she vanished from sight.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.

"Memory Songs" is a testament to music's power over the imagination, and the way it punctuates our past and shapes our future.Author and musician James Cook explores the role music has played in his — and in everyone's — lives, and the songs we all carry within us.AllMusicPodcasts is a proud member of the Pantheon Media Network.