Covering the Rise of Tracy Chapman

The country superstar Luke Combs sits down with Joe and Jon ahead of the release of his sixth album, “The Way I Am.” Combs opens up about his journey to Nashville success (including “healthy competition” with Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan) and his mission to make huge hits again a ... Show More

On Sunday night, Bad Bunny performed a detail-packed Super Bowl halftime show that celebrated Latino heritage and featured appearances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. Immediately after the show, Jon and Joe went live on YouTube to share their real-time reactions and answer questio ... Show More

As the Grammys came to a close, Joe and Jon couldn’t wait to discuss the night’s biggest moments. On this special episode, recorded live on Instagram immediately after the ceremony, Popcast breaks down Bad Bunny’s album of the year win, Justin Bieber’s striking performance, polit ... Show More

'Fast Car' is one of Tracy Chapman's biggest hits, with listeners from around the world finding striking connections with their own lives in the song's story. It was released in April 1988, and that summer, the American singer-songwriter performed it to a global audience of 600 m ... Show More

The singer-songwriter on fast cars, football and her “more meaningful” new album. 

Allison Ponthier knows the hardest part of making anything is getting started. When she was young, she “always wanted to write songs,” fanatically scribbling rhymes in a diary, but gave it up — the prevailing narratives of natural talent, artistic genius, and spontaneous inspirat ... Show More

Our latest chapter covered David Bowie’s creative renaissance in the ‘90s and early 2000s. The records that he made in this period are often overlooked but rank among the most experimental of his career, as he rejoined formative ‘70s collaborators like Brian Eno and Tony Visconti ... Show More

The Pitchfork Review is off this week so we're sharing an episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour featuring Dolly Parton talking about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and her one-of-a-kind career. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices 

Porter Wagoner led the most successful country music television show of its time, and in 1967 he needed a new “girl singer.” He turned to a 21 year old songwriter named Dolly Parton, who’d just recorded her first hit “Dumb Blonde.” So began a nearly decade-long partnership that, ... Show More