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Robert Randolph

Robert Randolph And The Family Band: Raucous Rock Meets The Gospel Tradition

Robert Randolph performing live at the AmericanaFest Day Stage presented by NPR Music, WMOT and World Cafe. Val Hoeppner/WMOT hide caption

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Val Hoeppner/WMOT

World Cafe

Robert Randolph And The Family Band: Raucous Rock Meets The Gospel Tradition

XPN

Hear a joyous and uplifting set, recorded live at the 20th annual Americana Music Festival & Conference in Nashville.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band On World Cafe

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5 Dream-Team Grammy Collaborations We'd Love To See Sunday Night
Danny Clinch/Courtesy of the artists

World Cafe

5 Dream-Team Grammy Collaborations We'd Love To See Sunday Night

XPN

Drawn from this year's list of nominees, these are the live performances we'd program if we were in charge of Sunday night's award show.

Laura Marling On World Cafe

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Robert Randolph On World Cafe

Robert Randolph's latest album with The Family Band is called Got Soul. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

Robert Randolph On World Cafe

XPN

The steel guitarist digs into the history of sacred steel music, from its pioneers to his mentors.

Robert Randolph On World Cafe

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The Slide Brothers On Mountain Stage

The Slide Brothers performing live on Mountain Stage. Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage hide caption

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Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage

Mountain Stage

The Slide Brothers On Mountain Stage

The vocal style of steel guitar playing reached peak popularity with the Brothers' protégé, Robert Randolph, who produced the group's most recent album. Hear their blend of gospel and blues rock.

The Slide Brothers On Mountain Stage

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Robert Randolph Ushers In Steel-Guitar Soul With 'Lickety Split'

Robert Randolph & The Family Band's new album, Lickety Split, is out Tuesday. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Music Interviews

Robert Randolph Ushers In Steel-Guitar Soul With 'Lickety Split'

As a kid, Randolph always saw himself as a steel-guitar rock star. Now, the 33-year-old frontman has released a soulful new album with a twist on gospel music.

Robert Randolph Ushers In Steel-Guitar Soul With 'Lickety Split'

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Robert Randolph And The Family Band In Concert
courtesy of the artist

Concerts

Robert Randolph And The Family Band In Concert

XPN

Randolph is a true master of the pedal steel guitar. Listen to his band run through blues, funk and gospel during a World Cafe Live show at WXPN in Philadelphia.

Robert Randolph And The Family Band In Concert

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Robert Randolph And The Family Band In Concert

Robert Randolph and The Family Band capped a weekend of great performances at WXPN's XPoNential Music Festival. Dave Simchock hide caption

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Dave Simchock

Concerts

Robert Randolph And The Family Band In Concert

XPN

The virtuoso pedal-steel guitarist recently brought his God-fearing funk to WXPN's XPoNential Music Festival. Hear Randolph and his band bring the house down during a rousing set that capped a remarkable weekend of music in Philadelphia.

Hear Robert Randolph And The Family Band In Concert

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Robert Randolph: A Gospel Guitarist's Secular 'Road'

The funk and soul band led by Robert Randolph (center) also includes bassist Danyel Morgan (left) and drummer Marcus Randolph. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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courtesy of the artist

Review

Music Reviews

Robert Randolph: A Gospel Guitarist's Secular 'Road'

Fresh Air

Randolph emerged from a gospel music tradition, playing steel guitar in the so-called "sacred steel" style of some African-American Pentecostal churches. Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews his new album, We Walk This Road, which features original tunes and covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Prince and John Lennon.

Robert Randolph: A Gospel Guitarist's Secular 'Road'

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Robert Randolph Performs Live In NPR's Studio 4A

Robert Randolph and the Family Band came to NPR to play and discuss their latest album of blues-rock-infused gospel music, We Walk This Road. Felix Contreras hide caption

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Felix Contreras

Music Interviews

Robert Randolph Performs Live In NPR's Studio 4A

The pedal steel guitarist started playing in his neighborhood church. But as his band developed its amped-up blues-rock take on gospel, his musical career took off quickly. Robert Randolph and the Family Band recently stopped by NPR to perform and discuss songs from their latest album, We Walk This Road.

Robert Randolph Performs Live In NPR's Studio 4A

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Songs We Love: The Rolling Stones' 'Exile On Main Street'

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during the 1971 recording sessions for Exile on Main Street. Dominique Tarl hide caption

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Dominique Tarl

Music Lists

Songs We Love: The Rolling Stones' 'Exile On Main Street'

A newly reissued Exile on Main Street features unreleased outtakes, remastered originals and alternate versions of the songs. So NPR Music's staff asked musicians to pick their favorite songs and expound on the many ways Exile on Main Street has influenced them.

Concerts

The Word, Recorded Live in Concert

XPN

The Word features some of jam-rock's biggest names, including pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph, keyboardist John Medeski and the members of North Mississippi Allstars. Hear The Word perform a concert from WXPN and the Electric Factory in Philadelphia.

The Word, Recorded Live in Concert

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Music Interviews

Heavenly 'Sacred Steel'

Liane Hansen visits pedal-steel player Robert Randolph in the House of God Church in Orange, New Jersey. The 23-year-old guitar prodigy is part of a little-known group of church musicians playing "sacred steel", and he's now playing more and more on the club circuit. The Word, on Ropeadope Records, with Randolph, keyboardist John Medeski and the North Mississippi Allstars has just been released on CD.

Heavenly 'Sacred Steel'

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