Returning as an expanded reissue, ‘Songbook’ found Allen Toussaint explaining America to itself, one song at a time.

The songs sold millions, but he was often left off lists of great songwriters. ‘You Can’t Hip a Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos’ finally changes that.

Passed over as an A-side, “Thank You Girl” illustrated the foundational role the blues, R&B, and early rock ‘n’ roll played in the Beatles’ early sound.

One might think that the Everly Brothers would try to make their show into a living jukebox, but almost the opposite occurred.

“See, it takes two of us to make an Everly Brothers record,” Don Everly once told me, “and there’s just no way around it.”

Richard Sterban of Oak Ridge Boys and J.D. Sumner’s Stamps fame joined Ross Boissoneau to discuss career-shaping moments – and what he’s listening to now.

‘Two Yanks in England’ finds the Hollies working with the Everly Brothers, one of their key influences. Two future Led Zeppelin members, were there, too.

As a kid in the ’60s, Elvis Presley’s hit-making era was dim and distant. Blame the Beatles. Blame Oswald. Blame television. But it was true.

I did not know Chuck Berry was a black man until he stepped on that Des Moines stage.

“Devil in Her Heart” exemplifies the early Beatles, representing their eclectic song selection, willingness to take risks and ability to transform a cover.