Aaron Cohen

Fifty years ago, Jamaica celebrated its independence. Around the same time, a teenage singer named Frederick "Toots" Hibbert who had left his hometown in the country formed The Maytals in...

Fred Wesley never set out to be a star. For starters, his choice of instrument — trombone — has not usually been considered charismatic. And Wesley's easygoing personality sometimes set...

Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara has a gentle voice that complements her lyrical melodies. And she says that's she's been smiling since birth, which is why she began performing as a...

About 37 years ago, Bebel Gilberto debuted at New York's Carnegie Hall. Her mother, Brazilian singer Miucha, was performing alongside saxophonist Stan Getz. Gilberto had not planned on being there....

When singer Sam Moore mentions his duo with Dave Prater, internationally known as Sam and Dave, he says, "Dave and I didn't harmonize; we blended." Their performances showed the difference....

Benin during the 1970s may have seemed an unlikely home for one of the world's funkiest bands. This country lacked nearby Nigeria's large population, and local musicians did not benefit...

Producer, songwriter and vocalist Lee "Scratch" Perry created or anticipated almost every Jamaican musical movement for more than 45 years. And maybe its Perry's artistry with studio frequencies that has...

Fela Kuti created a dynamic Nigerian musical genre known as Afrobeat, and his theatrical entrances during shows were equally exciting. His concerts began with an extended set from his large...

Not much can shock Millie Jackson. For 40 years, her songs have described sex, infidelity and, sometimes, politics in terms that made even the late comedian Richard Pryor seem restrained....