Rock ‘n Roll legend Elvis Presley had a deep and abiding love for gospel music.
He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis
Music .
0
0
In Performance at the White House: Red, White & Blues
President and Mrs. Obama host a PBS music special in the East Room of the White House. The evening is an all-star celebration of the blues, the musical form that sprang from the Mississippi Delta and the west side of Chicago. With deep roots in Africa and slavery, the music has influenced modern American music from soul to rock ‘n’ roll. Leading popular artists’ performances trace that migratory path and pay homage to the great figures of the blues genre, from John Lee Hooker to Muddy Waters, and the songs they made famous.
Watch In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues Monday, February 27, 2012 at 8pm.
Watch Red White and Blues on PBS. See more from In Performance at The White House.
0
Great Performances: Memphis
Winner of the 2010 Tony Award for Best New Musical, “Memphis” turns the radio dial back to the 1950s to tell the story of a white DJ, named Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball), whose love of music transcends race lines and airwaves. His romantic interest is Felicia Farrell (Montego Glover), a young black singer whose career is on the rise but who can’t make the break out of segregated clubs on her own. When the two collaborate, her soulful music reaches radio audiences everywhere, and the golden era of early rock ‘n’ roll takes flight. But as things heat up, whether the world is really ready for their music — or their love — is put to a test. With an original story by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change) and a new score with music by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan, the production is directed by Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys).
Watch Friday, February 24, 2012 at 9pm.
Watch Memphis on PBS. See more from Great Performances.
0
Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook
This episode examines the allure of musical nightlife, from Mississippi juke joints, where Feinstein dazzles the crowd with some impromptu boogie-woogie blues, to the neon of Las Vegas, where he gets a private tour of the now-closed Liberace Museum — and gets to play one of the rhinestone encrusted pianos. While keeping up his own busy schedule of live performances, Feinstein delves into the history of nightclub entertainment, from the Cotton Club in Harlem to Sinatra’s Rat Pack, and talks to some pioneers of the form, such as Rose Marie (she “opened” Las Vegas in the 1940s) and the poet and author Maya Angelou, who once made her living doing a calypso club act in San Francisco.
Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook: Saloon Singers
Watch Friday, February 17, 2012 at 9pm.
