LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reactions from some of the nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards:
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“I leaned into Sam Cooke’s signature confidence and signature swagger to make this believable....
“The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Minari,” “Da 5 Bloods” and “One Night in Miami” are among the films AARP is honoring at its annual Movies for Grownups Awards, the nonprofit organization...
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir may not be a household name yet, but that’s poised to change with his scene-stealing performance as Malcolm X in Regina King’s “One Night in Miami....” The film,...
The potential pitfalls of a movie that brings together Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown for a night on February 25, 1964, seem so numerous, so prone to falling into caricature,...
NEW YORK (AP) — A good way to hear what we’ve missed this year is to listen to Sam Cooke’s landmark live album, “Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963.” On a warm January night in downtown Miami,...
NEW YORK (AP) — Grammy-nominated gifted lyricist Rapsody has written “maybe 15 verses this year to reflect the times” — as she put it — about the Black experience. So when Disney asked the rapper...
ATLANTA (AP) — Kneeling is a powerful gesture. T-shirts send a meaningful message. Locking arms is a mighty symbol of unity in these troubled times.
Dion, “Blues with Friends” (Keeping the Blues Alive Records)
“Blues with Friends” sets up rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Dion with a distinguished set of guitarists, from Joe Bonamassa to Bruce...
Teddy Thompson, “Heartbreaker Please” (Thirty Tigers)
Teddy Thompson's roots are showing, and that's nothing new.
The New York-based singer-songwriter is the son of British folk-rock...
ASBURY PARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey rock royalty was onstage Sunday night in the state's musical cradle as rocker Jon Bon Jovi brought soulful crooner Southside Johnny Lyon with him into the New...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Denzel Washington was the man of the hour Thursday night with everyone from Julia Roberts to Spike Lee turning out to celebrate him as this year's recipient of the AFI Life...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Session drummer Hal Blaine, who died Monday at age 90 , played on thousands of records in the 1960s and '70s. He was best known for the opening solo on the Ronettes' "Be My...
NEW YORK (AP) — Elvis, Whitney, Prince, Biggie and, now, Aretha: The funerals and public memorials of music royalty have been as varied as the work they created, from small family affairs to days of tributes as huge in death as they lived their lives.
One Aretha Franklin fan said it best as she made her way to the front of a Detroit museum Tuesday to pay her respects.
NEW YORK (AP) — Edwin Hawkins, the gospel star best known for the crossover hit "Oh Happy Day" and as a major force for contemporary inspirational music, died Monday at age 74.
Hawkins died at his home in Pleasanton, California. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer, publicist Bill Carpenter told The Associated Press.
Boyz II Men, "Under the Streetlight" (Sony Masterworks)
The guys who gave us "Motownphilly" in 1991 are making fun of themselves these days in a Geico ad in which they harmonize gross digestive side effects at a pharmacy. "If you're Boyz II Men," you make anything sound good," says the announcer. On a new CD, they also prove they can make already good songs sound very good indeed.
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago blues musician Lonnie Brooks, whose relationship with his adopted hometown was cemented by his hit recording of Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago," has died at age 83.
A prolific musician known for his intense guitar solos and raspy but strong voice, Brooks died on Saturday night, his son Ronnie Baker Brooks said Sunday.
Paul Shaffer & The World's Most Dangerous Band, "Paul Shaffer & The World's Most Dangerous Band" (Rhino)
Paul Shaffer, David Letterman's long-time nutty bandleader, recaptures some of the old TV magic on his new album with The World's Most Dangerous Band and help from Bill Murray, Shaggy, Jenny Lewis and Dion.
Van Morrison, "Keep Me Singing" (Caroline Records)
When Van Morrison's fiercest critic likes his work it's easy to tell. There's an audible murmur of approval, and it comes from the man himself.
It's the sound Morrison makes when he's into the music. He does it a few bars into "Let It Rhyme," the opener to "Keep Me Singing" — an early hint that this might be his best album since "The Healing Game" nearly two decades ago.
NEW YORK (AP) — Cheyenne Jackson would like to get something off his chest: He's proudly old-fashioned when it comes to music.
The Broadway star, whose credits include "All Shook Up" and "Finian's Rainbow," has recorded cast albums and his own pop records, but his heart is in the classics — less Sarah McLachlan and more Sarah Vaughan.
He's showing his true colors on "Renaissance," a new studio album adapted from his one-man show, "Music of the Mad Men Era." The...