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Soundcheck

Monday, August 07, 2006
  • The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music
    The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music

    From Dylan to Springsteen, How One Producer Spotted Major Talent

    Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, and Bruce Springsteen are just a few of the names that the producer John Hammond helped discover and sign to record deals in a six-decade career. Journalist Dunstan Prial tells Hammond's story in the new book, "The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music," which he discusses today. Also: the young singer-songwriter Kelley McRae has just released "Never Be," her debut album that fuses gospel, country and blues. She joins us with a live performance. Finally, just as the Fulton Fish Market made its way to The Bronx, a traveling performance space known as Speigeltent has landed in its old home at South Street Seaport. Speigeltent's program director Tommy Kriegsmann tells us what to expect.

The Producer

Producer John Hammond signed Bob Dylan to Columbia Records and got Bruce Springsteen and Billie Holiday their first record contracts. Author Dunstan Prial tells his story.
» The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music

Kelley McRae

Mississippi-born, New York-based songwriter Kelley McRae performs live in the studio.
» Kelley McRae's Web site

Tent City

Speigeltent, a mobile performance space and beer garden has turned up near the former Fulton Fish Market. The tent's program director Tommy Kriegsmann tells us what to expect from this circus-like space.
» Speigeltent's Web site

Best Live Performances of 2008

Soundcheck

We revisit memorable in-studio performances from Toumani Diabaté, Cat Power, Regina Spektor, and others.

The Year in Music and Branding

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Pop music and advertising go together like peanut butter and jelly. Grey Group music director Josh Rabinowitz shares his picks for the best song picks and ad campaigns of 2008.

Critics Week

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Music writers look back at the year's best pop, rock, hip hop, classical, jazz, Latin and world albums. Plus: the worst music of the year and the best online music. Read our critics' lists here. And don't forget to cast your vote in our best-albums poll.

Noteworthy New York

Soundcheck

We have invited musicians and artists to help us select their favorite cultural destination in the neighborhood where they live. From parks and coffee shops to bowling alleys and museums, the options are as diverse as our group of contributors.