Karen Olson is a classical music prodigy. Her latest work is “Divine Echoes,” a spiritual album that features the song “Pilgrimage Prayer,” a modern adaptation of the “Prayer of St. Francis.” The record blends religious and spiritual songs with a New Age sensibility, while admittedly drawing on her vast musical experiences and deep-rooted Christian faith.
Canadian singer, songwriter, poet, and author Leonard Cohen’s iconic ballad Hallelujah” has been recorded by hundreds of artists since it was first released as a track on his 1984 album “Various Positions.”
With the passing of Harry Belafonte at 96 years old, America has lost one of its most unique and important voices in the civil rights movement.
While many legendary musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Celia Cruz, have appeared on U.S. postage stamps, only one, Ellington, has ever been honored on a U.S. coin.
Ten years ago, Sophie Nsougan had just immigrated to the United States from Togo in West Africa. While looking to find work, Nsougan took the opportunity to help introduce and integrate the unique sounds of her native country into the Mass at St. Joseph’s Church in Jamaica, Queens.
It took over two months for the music industry to address the horrific attacks that occurred on 9/11. People were confused, angry, and still in shock over what occurred on that fateful day, until a country singer from Newnan, Ga., helped put it all into perspective for us with a song that resonated throughout the country and the world.
There are mile stones that are embedded in the minds of people of a certain generation. Everyone knows where they were when they learned that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated, everyone was glued to their television when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and everyone remembers how they felt on August 16, 1977, when Elvis Presley passed away at just 42 years old.
While there have been hundreds of songs written about fathers through the years, some have left a lasting impression because of how powerfully their lyrics honor the family patriarch.
Who would have ever imagined that a young barber from Canonsburg, a rural town in west-central Pennsylvania located about 20 miles from Pittsburgh, would ultimately become one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century?
Johnny Cash’s faith would always take precedence over fame throughout his career. When he approached Sam Phillips at Sun Records in 1954, he introduced himself as “Johnny Cash, Gospel Singer…”
