MUSIC HISTORY

Band of Brothers: An Oral History of Hanson's 'MMMBop' and Their Debut Album

Taylor Hanson and the team behind the band's hit song and breakthrough album reflect on just what made their brand of introspective bubblegum pop so irresistible.

Musik Animal via Wikipedia//CC BY-SA 4.0

Cool Job Alert: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is Hiring a Librarian

Trade your cardigan in for a leather jacket.

Finish These Band Names

Can you pick the missing middle word from these bands that begin with 'The'?

12 Scholarly Takes on Whether or Not the 13th Century Song "Sumer is Icumen in" Is About Deer Farts

Some scholars debate big, thorny questions: the ethics of human gene editing, the mind-body problem, God. Others rock the boat by probing more esoteric subjects, like the meaning of medieval song lyrics. Especially lyrics that may reference deer farts.

How Ella Fitzgerald's Career Began on a Dare

When the audience at Amateur Night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater crammed into their seats on November 21, 1934, they didn’t realize they’d be there to witness jazz history.

Wilhelm Hensel via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Forgotten Female Composer Finally Gets Credit for Her Famous Sonata

For decades, the long-lost “Easter Sonata” was thought to be the work of composer Felix Mendelssohn. In fact, it was his sister's creation.

When Chuck Berry Became a Beach Boy

If you think the wholesale pilfering of songs began when Vanilla Ice swiped the bass line from David Bowie and Queen’s song “Under Pressure” for “Ice, Ice Baby,” think again.

On This Day in 1957, Elvis Bought Graceland

He bought the mansion for his parents to live in.

25 Surprising Facts About Nirvana

On April 5, 1994, the music world mourned the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who died by suicide at the age of 27.

Al Capone's Hobby: Rewriting Songs

There weren’t many constants in Al Capone’s rocky life, but the crime boss had a love of music, and it never wavered.

katleho Seisa/iStock via Getty Images Plus

12 Educational Facts About the Recorder

The recorder doesn’t have a reputation for being the coolest instrument in the world, but everyone from William Shakespeare to Paul McCartney has turned to it for inspiration.

Don’t Stop The Music: The Smiths Fan Who Plotted to Hijack A Radio Station

In 1987, one teenage fan in Denver, Colorado took his love of the English rockers a bit too far.

Read the Beautiful Letter Frank Sinatra Wrote to George Michael

"Dust off those gossamer wings and fly yourself to the moon of your choice and be grateful to carry the baggage we've all had to carry since those lean nights of sleeping on buses and helping the driver unload the instruments."

The Story of Ethel Smyth, Breaker of Operatic Glass Ceilings

On December 1, 2016, the Metropolitan Opera premiered an opera composed by a woman. The last time that happened, it was 1903.

Beethoven: How the World's First Rock Star Changed Music Forever

Thumbing his nose at authority and whipping crowds into a frenzy, he changed music forever.

Concert of Long-Lost Stravinsky Work to Stream for Free

This will mark the second-ever performance of the piece.

The Brutal Letter John Lennon Wrote to Paul McCartney Post-Breakup

The cringeworthy artifact sold for $30,000.

Raymond Scott, Avant-Garde Creator of Classic Cartoon Music

The man who gave Looney Tunes their sound was an eccentric electronic music pioneer.

Johnny Cash's Tennessee Ranch Has Been Turned Into a Museum

Cash called the retreat “the center of my universe.”

6 Jazzy Facts About Charlie Parker

The musical icon would have turned 96 years old today.

10 Facts About Pearl Jam's Ten

Part of the album's appeal might just be a fire extinguisher and a pepper shaker.

Bastoszak, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Miles Davis’s Childhood Home to Become a Museum

Think of it as the birthplace of the 'Birth of Cool.'

The Accidental Origins of ‘American Woman’

The song would not have been written if not for a broken string.

The Time a U.S. Army Helicopter Dropped Snacks on Woodstock

It’s hard to say exactly how many concert-goers attended Woodstock, but some low counts estimate at least 400,000 were there—which is great when it comes to peace and love, but a little less so when it comes to adequate food and drink for the masses.

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