Marian Anderson from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

2009 marked the 70th anniversary of Marian Anderson's historic performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Today, we look at her legacy -- as a civil rights figure and as a singer -- with African American opera star Denyce Graves and Raymond Arsenault, author of the book The Sound of Freedom. The podcast will be posted on this WNYC webpage, shortly.

Vocal Economy from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

2010 ended with a most audible of shifts, and it came from the throats of Katy Perry, Ke$ha and Lady Gaga. All three pop stars have at least one thing in common: they stay away from the trilling vocal effect known as melisma. Music journalist and author David Browne joins us to explain why the overpowering oooh has gone out of style.

Doubling Back on the Fantasy from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s album “Double Fantasy” heralded Lennon’s renewed interest in making music after a five-year hiatus from the public eye. But that potential was never fulfilled. Three weeks after it was released, Lennon was killed. Today: the legacy of the last album Lennon released in his lifetime. Guests include the album’s producer, Jack Douglas, and Ken Sharp, author of the new book “Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy.”

Check the webpage out, for this show, here. See also: Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy, John Lennon: The Life, John Lennon: Life is What Happens

Illuminating the Crazy Diamond from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

The myths surrounding Pink Floyd co-founder and infamous recluse Syd Barrett have been as enduring as his music. Today, author Rob Chapman talks about separating rumor from reality in his new Barrett biography, “A Very Irregular Head.”

Download, listen to the full podcast of the WNYC radio show here. See also: An Introduction to Syd Barrett, A Very Irregular Head: The Life of Syd Barrett, The Madcap Laughs, Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me

Hip-Hop in Atlanta from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

New York may be the birthplace of hip-hop, but the latest sounds are coming from further south. Today on Soundcheck: a new photography book on the Atlanta hip-hop scene. And: English singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy plays live in the studio.

See the webpage of the podcast here. See also: Atlanta: Hip-Hop and the South, Charlie Rose - Michael Jackson / Roger Cohen / Kathryn Bigelow (June 26, 2009), Early Morning [Explicit]

Sting: Coal v. Barley from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

He’s the co-founder of The Police, a tireless advocate for human rights and one of the handsomest men in rock. He also did that lute album. As Sting revisits his hits with a new live album recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, we debate this divisive artist. Guests include Steve Almond, author of "Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life," and Allison Stewart, music writer for The Washington Post’s "Click Track." Tell us: Do you stop acknowledging Mr. Sumner at Ten Summoner's Tales? Or have his fields of gold stretched past the '90s into the present? Please leave a comment below.

Download the podcast of the WNYC show here. See also: Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life: A Book by and for the Fanatics Among Us, (Not That You Asked): Rants, Exploits, and Obsessions, My Life in Heavy Metal, Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America (Harvest Book), The Evil B.B. Chow and Other Stories

Cage Completely from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

Composer John Cage's experiments with noise and silence divided critics and listeners, but a new biography focuses on the facts of his life. Today, guest host Elliott Forrest of WQXR is joined by the book's author to discuss the details of this 20th century icon. Plus: A look at the long-awaited Broadway debut of "Spider-Man." Also: The band Warpaint has roots in sunny Southern California, but plays a distinctly cool brand of indie rock live in the studio.

Check the webpage out for this particular radio show out, here. See also: The Roaring Silence: John Cage: A Life, John Cage: Composed in America, Merce Cunningham - A Lifetime of Dance

Beyond 4'33" from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

“Begin Again,” a new biography of John Cage, takes a comprehensive look at the experimental artist. Instead of critiquing his music, author Kenneth Silverman recounts the composer’s life, work ethic and personal relationships. Silverman joins guest host Elliott Forrest to talk about this in-depth excavation.

Download the podcast here. See also: Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance, Houdini!!!: The Career of Ehrich Weiss, The Life and Times of Cotton Mather

Vanished Venues - Gone But Not Forgotten from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

The idea for our Vanished Venues series came from the new Max’s Kansas City book, which got me thinking about all the great old music clubs that dotted the landscape here in NY and are with us no more. It’s not that I’m nostalgic – no venue was more important to my teenage self than CBGB’s, but by the time of the club’s much-covered demise, its heyday was long past and it was surviving on tourists and its old reputation. But remembering these places is useful for a number of reasons. Places that became centers of live music were cultural markers of New York, reflecting the city’s evolving population, politics, and economy; and besides, it’s a great excuse for each of us to remember why and how we fell in love with live music to begin with.

Listen to the show here. Read the full feature here.

This Song Will Be Right Back, After This Pause from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

Yesterday on the show, author Jennifer Egan was talking about her new novel, A Visit From the Goon Squad, where music and the music business are the connecting thread among the various different characters whose stories are unfolding in different decades. One of those characters becomes obsessed with pauses in music – what they mean, why they can be so powerful, etc.- and she compiles a list of pop music’s greatest pauses. There are lots of examples of very pregnant pauses in music. Classical music is full of them, from the beginning of Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture (and the old Perry Mason TV show theme that seems to have been, um, “inspired” by it) to the three oddly-spaced pauses that end Sibelius’s Symphony #5. But rock and pop have their share as well. Egan’s book lists some classics: “Foxey Lady” by Jimi Hendrix, “Young Americans” by David Bowie (who actually used pauses even more effectively in songs like “Time,” and his cover of “Let’s Spend The Night Together”), “Time of the Season” by the Zombies, and “Roxanne” by the Police – notable because its pause is not a “false ending,” as so many pauses in pop music are. I’ve been trying to think of other great pauses, where the pause really makes the whole song better. There’s “Mahna Mahna,” the song associated with the Muppets show; that song is nothing without its pauses. (Producer Joel Meyer’s reply: “that song is nothing without its puppets.”) I think the pause in The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life,” just before the final chord, would also make the cut. But as fans of the Rocky Horror Picture Show know, there is probably no song more dependent on its pauses than the one I’m about to list next.

Listen to the podcast here.

The Beatles, After the Breakup from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

Complex friendships formed the core of the Fab Four. After the group split up, those personal and business relationships grew competitive and even antagonistic. Today, author Peter Doggett joins us for a look at their post-Beatles careers, the subject his book You Never Give Me Your Money.

Download the podcast here. See also: The Beatles: After the Break-Up 1970-2000 : A Day-By-Day Diary (Kalmus Edition), Mystical One: George Harrison: After the Breakup of the Beatles (Essay series), The Winding Road: The Real Story Behind the Breakup of the Beatles

Behind the public face of John Lennon (Soundcheck: Monday, 17 November 2008) from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio)

Writing a book about the Beatles is to enter a crowded market. But Philip Norman’s new 851-page biography, “John Lennon: The Life” is getting much buzz this fall for the unprecedented access provided by Lennon’s friends and relatives, including Yoko Ono. We talk with Norman about why Lennon remains such a fascinating and troubled figure.

Download the podcast here. See also: John Lennon: Life is What Happens

Oh, Yoko (Soundcheck: Monday, 29 January 2007) from WNYC's Soundcheck by listenerservices@wnyc.org

Few women in the history of music have inspired as much controversy as Yoko Ono. Some say she broke up The Beatles. Others say she saved John Lennon. Joining us is Larry Kane, the journalist whose latest book is "Lennon Revealed," and Allan Kozinn, New York Times classical music critic and Beatles authority.

Download the podcast here. See also: A Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles' 1964 Tour That Changed the World, The People Vs. Larry Flynt