Illustration: “Titanic Sinking," by Willy Stöwer, 1912. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Music from Tragedy: ‘Titanic’ Songs

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on April 15, 2020

Gena Philibert-Ortega presents a way of understanding the tragedy of the Titanic’s sinking: sheet music written shortly after the maritime disaster... (Read More)

Photo: Aretha Franklin performing at the Nokia Theater in Dallas, Texas, on 21 April 2007. Credit: Ryan Arrowsmith; Wikimedia Commons.

Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul and So Much More

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on August 21, 2018

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to learn more about the amazing life of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul... (Read More)

Photo: Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, Memphis, Tennessee. Credit: Joseph Novak; Wikimedia Commons.

Elvis Fans Rejoice: Graceland Opened to the Public

By Tony Pettinato on June 7, 2018

An article about Elvis Presley’s home “Graceland” being opened for public tours for the first time on 7 June 1982... (Read More)

Photo: Ella Fitzgerald, November 1946. Credit: William P. Gottlieb; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Women’s History Month: Women of Jazz

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on March 3, 2017

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to learn more about some of the women pioneers in jazz... (Read More)

What’s the Back Story of Those Familiar Thanksgiving Hymns?

By Thomas Jay Kemp on November 14, 2016

An article about music editor Sigmund Spaeth commenting on some favorite old Thanksgiving songs... (Read More)

Photo: Florence Foster Jenkins program for a concert at Carnegie Hall on 25 October 1944. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

A Most Unusual Singer: Florence Foster Jenkins

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on October 13, 2016

An article about Florence Foster Jenkins, an opera singer who couldn’t sing, yet once gave a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall... (Read More)

Photo: Janis Joplin & Big Brother and the Holding Company. L-R: David Getz, Janis Joplin, Sam Andrew, James Gurley and Peter Albin, c. 1967. Credit: Grossman Glotzer Management Corporation; Wikimedia Commons.

Janis Joplin’s Overdose Tragically Reported in 1970 Newspapers

By Tony Pettinato on October 4, 2016

An article about the death of rock singer Janis Joplin at the age of 27 on 4 October 1970... (Read More)

Photo: Elvis Presley performing live at the Mississippi-Alabama Fairgrounds in Tupelo, Mississippi, 26 September 1956. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

The ‘King’ Is Gone: Elvis Presley Dies at Age 42

By Tony Pettinato on August 16, 2016

An article about the death of Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock ’n’ Roll,” who died at the age of 42 on the morning of 16 August 1977... (Read More)

Photo: Louis Armstrong, 1955. Credit: Herbert Behrens / Anefo; Wikimedia Commons.

Anniversary of the Birth of Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on August 4, 2016

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to learn more about the legendary jazz trumpeter Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong... (Read More)

Category: Music & Musicians