NPR Music

Host Robin Young spoke with Brian Wilson back in 2002.

Marcus Brown toiled for 10 years before stumbling into indie stardom. On his thrilling new album, he hears music in every hour worked — day jobs included.

Toussaint was an important behind-the-scenes figure in New Orleans R&B during the '50s and '60s. He later became known for his own recordings. He died in 2015. Originally broadcast in 1988.

Dion, a former teen idol, was deeply influenced by blues and country music. He had his first hit, "I Wonder Why," in 1958, with the doo-wop group The Belmonts. Originally broadcast in 2000.

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Kelefa Sanneh, a music critic writing for The New Yorker, about his essay "How Music Criticism Lost Its Edge."

Aapo "The Angus" Rautio has won this year's Air Guitar World Championships in his hometown of Oulu, Finland. It's the first time since 2000 that a Finnish air guitarist has won the world title.

It's one of the most famous rock songs ever — Bohemian Rhapsody — and now, for the first time, it's been translated with Queen's blessing into Zulu.

Wexler produced hits for Atlantic Records by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, and is credited with coining the term "rhythm and blues." He died in 2008. Originally broadcast in 1993.

Leiber and Stoller met in LA when Leiber still was in high school. They went on to write and produce songs for artists like Elvis Presley, The Drifters and Ben E. King. Originally broadcast in 1991.

Ben E. King was the lead singer of The Drifters, and later went solo with such hits as "Stand By Me" and "Spanish Harlem." He died 2015. Originally broadcast in 1988.