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Q&A: The Victorious Secrets and Their Quest for Greatness
Detroit loves sports. We love winners. See: Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers. (We are humbled by football, so don't think we're all uppity around here.) To that end, I once again draw your attention to a...
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One to Watch: Jake Sigal and Detroit Radio
You know the question I'm actually getting tired of asking people? It goes something like this: “Why are you in (metro) Detroit?” At first, when this blog started, I made that question a staple. I...
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Get Some 'Rhythm, Roots & Rhyme'
If you have some time tonight – and some impressive rhyming skills – go check out the Detroit Jazz Fest's first poetry slam. In partnership with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History...
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A Small Victory for The Victorious Secrets
Remember this band called The Victorious Secrets? The blog featured them a month or so ago in their quest to play music, have fun and make something of themselves. Well, they have. And hopefully, it...
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Silicon Valley's Secret Rock Star
From our colleagues at Fortune, comes a story about James Williamson, who grew up in Detroit and became guitarist for legendary Detroit band the Stooges in the '70s. Williamson strayed away from music...
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A Struggling City -- and Symphony
Is classical music elitist? Is going to the orchestra only for the bourgeois? And who cares if a group of high-paid musicians are protesting a pay cut? These are the questions Detroiters must ask...
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Before Motown, Detroit Had Jazz
Get ready, Big City. The Detroit Jazz Fest is about to blast off. This annual Labor Day tradition is free, free, free and features top talent in a family-friendly setting. No excuses; this is a...
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Jay-Z/Eminem Show Lives Up to Hype
Anyone driving into Detroit Thursday evening could tell: The Eminem and Jay-Z show was going to be more than just a concert. Vendors greeted concert-goers on highways outside of Downtown, selling...
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Youth Orchestra Brings Classical Music Back to Orchestra Hall
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) has been on strike since its first scheduled rehearsal of the season on October 4. But Orchestra Hall is not sitting quiet. This Sunday, the DSO's Civic Youth...
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Speaking of (Jazz) Music...
Two more days...Can you stand it? To start your (last) Assignment: Detroit weekend... Moving Jazz (back) into the Main Stream By Lars Bjorn and Jim Gallert Once upon a time, long ago, Jazz was...
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Kurt Cobain: The Reluctant Rock Star
In commemoration of Kurt Cobain’s April 1994 death, LIFE Books recently released a tribute volume, Remembering Kurt Cobain: 20 Years Later. The book — which features photographs of Cobain, Nirvana,...
View ArticleElla and Friends: Portraits of the Queen of Jazz and Other Greats
In a January 1955 article titled “New Life for U.S. Jazz,” LIFE magazine noted that the genre’s popularity was growing faster than almost any other form of music (the Elvis-fueled rock and roll...
View ArticleDean Martin: Rare and Classic Photos of a Laid-Back Legend
In the early- to mid-1960s, Dean Martin emerged as one of the most popular entertainers on the planet, starring in major films, knocking the Beatles off the top of the charts with what would become...
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Elvis in the Beginning: ‘That’s All Right’ Lights the Rock ‘n’ Roll Spark
Sixty years ago a young, unknown musician and and singer from Tupelo, Miss., named Elvis Presley struck the spark that ignited the rock ’n’ roll revolution and fundamentally altered the direction of...
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‘Movement Itself’: Gorgeous Color Photos of Stravinsky-Inspired Ballets
The Russian-born composer, conductor and pianist Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) remains, five decades after his death, a towering figure in 20th century music. If he had written the music for only one...
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Learning Photography From Ansel Adams and Other Summertime Adventures
When most of us hear the phrase “summer camp,” it brings to mind images of boys and girls roasting marshmallows around fires, paddling canoes and swimming in lakes, sleeping in bunk beds in spare,...
View ArticleRay Charles: Rare and Classic Photos of an American Genius, 1966
In July 1966, LIFE magazine published a feature story on the man Frank Sinatra reportedly once called “the only true genius in show business”—Mr. Ray Charles. Whether or not he was the only genius in...
View ArticlePortrait of the Rolling Stones When They Were Young and Dangerous
Ask most anyone to name the longest-lived great band in the history of rock and roll—not the greatest band, because we all know that was Iggy and the Stooges, but the longest-lived great band—and...
View Article1964 in LIFE Magazine Covers: The World, 50 Years Ago
There’s something alluring about big, round anniversaries. People just can’t seem to get enough of them. On the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination, for example, virtually every media outlet in...
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LIFE With Dizzy Gillespie: Rare and Classic Portraits of a Playful Genius
John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, who would have celebrated his 97th birthday on Oct. 21, was the very model of the modern American musical genius: a brilliant instrumentalist and stylistic innovator, he...
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