Balancing romance and realism, celebrating love and friendship in uncertain times, Carole King connected with a vast audience in the '70s. Her music hasn't lost its resonance with the passing decades - …

In the early '70s, Waylon did something that shook country to its core: He negotiated a deal giving himself complete creative control of his music. Extending a stiff middle finger to Nashville's establ …

Jerry Reed met the world with a face-value attitude, but his was a complex talent. His country-boy charm earned him scores of TV and film roles. As a world-class guitarist, he played with everyone from …

Jerry Reed hit the upper reaches of the country charts dozens of times, but he never lost the gritty, greasy quality at the heart of his music, and with his distinctive blend of C&W and R&B, he was an  …

Patti Smith had already made a name for herself as a poet and rock writer when, in the mid-'70s, she took the New York City scene by storm, setting her potent, stream-of-consciousness lyrics to down-an …

Only a true musical artist like Patti Smith could approach a perfect pop tune like Prince's "When Doves Cry" or make with a left-field take on Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and s …

"Lean on Me" is the once-in-a-lifetime kind of tune that most songwriters dream of crafting, if they're lucky. Covered by Club Nouveau, Al Green, Tom Jones, Ike & Tina Turner, Anne Murray, and scads of …

Now that Justin Timberlake's truly brought sexy back, along with the dearly missed moonwalk moves of Michael Jackson ("Cry Me a River," "Rock Your Body"), we're suddenly - and rightfully - nostalgic fo …

Schooled at Julliard, then apprenticed to Tex Beneke (leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra) easy listening legend Henry Mancini conquered the world of movie and TV soundtracks by marrying dramatic punc …