Motown’s great songwriters were the foundations of the Great American Soulbook, an imaginary, but nonetheless awe-inspiring collection of songs written in the name of soul. But it did not come easy.
The legendary Muscle Shoals studio defined the sound of Southern soul before becoming one of the go-to studios for the biggest names in music.
A catchy hook, an infectious chant: an earworm is a simple thing. Writing one, however, is not. Here’s why earworms are so effective – and hard to create.
Everyone from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga has sung from The Great American Songbook – classic songs so familiar they are woven into our cultural fabric.
The origins of heavy metal are often disputed... We attempt to track down the history of the term and answer the question, Where does heavy metal come from?
The sophisticated sound of symphonic soul filled dancefloors and bedrooms in the 70s, thanks to the pioneering work of Barry White, Isaac Hayes, and more.
Hailed as the birthplace of both the blues and rock’n’roll, Memphis, Tennessee, is a must-visit city for music lovers around the world.
For every anthem and romantic ballad, female artists have also asserted their independence through empowering lyrics, challenging the constraints of gender stereotypes, bad relationships or the music industry itself.
With an emphasis on precision and speed, thrash metal emerged in the early 80s to become the dominant form of heavy metal throughout the decade.
It wasn’t easy for musicians to be openly feminist – or, indeed, to be openly women. But right from the start, they’ve been there...
Founded in 1939 by Alfred Lion, Blue Note is loved, respected, and revered as one of the most important record labels in the history of music.
Music and art will always go together, as artwork can be as much a part of a record as the sound. Music fans have always taken pleasure from looking again and again...
The history of recorded jazz is hard to pin down. So many conflicting stories make up a rich patchwork that guides us towards the truth of how jazz began.
The love song: some of these songs celebrate love and some dump on it, but they all have one thing in common... that love is the highest of human emotions.
Love makes the world go round, but love also goes round itself, in the grooves of the majority of the greatest pop songs ever made.
