Part cabaret, part hip-ified rock 'n' roll, the iconic husband-and-wife duo Sonny & Cher were household favorites for much of the late '60s and early '70s. She was smart and sassy, he was dumb and dork …

The deep, dark heart beating inside "Black Heart," the long, lonesome road stretching out beneath "The Ride, Pt. 2," the breathtaking feast of mariachi trumpets that is "El Picador": Calexico is the so …

Most of Roger Miller's success as a performer came from so-called "novelty" songs, which were warmly embraced by his country fan base and frequently crossed over to the Pop charts. For instance, when t …

If the burning monk on the cover of Rage Against the Machine's debut wasn't a clear enough indication of their revolutionary ideals, the music's incendiary rap/rock aesthetic and coup-d'etat content sc …

In the realm of tragic beauty, few pop bands can match the Carpenters. During their first incarnation, as two-thirds of a jazz-pop trio, brother and sister Richard and Karen Carpenter won a battle of t …

Yes, it's true: Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full" rides a drum break so beloved Milli Vanilli lifted it, while Coldcut composed a lose-your-shirt club extension. As for its impact on hip-hop, the duo's  …

It's a testament to the enduring legacy of Patsy Cline that these tracks include many of the great standards of country music itself. Such classics may have been recorded many times over, by many diffe …

They called him the Hillbilly Shakespeare, so prolific and progressive was his songwriting ability. Hank warbled mournful ballads, kick-up-your-heels romps, and redemptive spirituals as he packed a who …

From 1947 to 1952, when Williams ruled the hillbilly hit parade, Hank clicked with the country faithful nearly every single time out. These aren't quite as well known as his biggest hits, but they're e …