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Ed Ward Ed Ward is the rock-and-roll historian on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
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Ed Ward

The 'Complete Mythology' Of Syl Johnson

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Biz 3

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The 'Complete Mythology' Of Syl Johnson

Fresh Air

Al Green wrote "Take Me to the River," but it was his labelmate Syl Johnson who first made it famous. Rock historian Ed Ward traces Johnson's early career, which started in Chicago blues clubs in the 1950s.

The 'Complete Mythology' Of Syl Johnson

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Sly Stone: The Early Days In The East Bay
Ace Records

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Sly Stone: The Early Days In The East Bay

Fresh Air

Stone is known to millions from the records he made with Sly and the Family Stone. But his early days, and the recordings he produced for his own Stone Flower label, add another dimension to the career of this enigmatic character, rock historian Ed Ward said.

Sly Stone: The Early Days In The East Bay

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Ace Records: New Orleans Hits, Made In Mississippi

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Ace UK Records

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Ace Records: New Orleans Hits, Made In Mississippi

Fresh Air

New Orleans went decades without a homegrown label to document its riches. Rock critic Ed Ward says this explains why many 1950s New Orleans classics were released by Ace Records in Jackson, Miss.

Ace Records: New Orleans Hits, Made In Mississippi

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Neil Diamond: The Earliest Days Of A 'Solitary Man'

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Ron Frehm/AP Photo

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Neil Diamond: The Earliest Days Of A 'Solitary Man'

Fresh Air

Diamond has sold 128 million records and written and recorded 37 Top 40 songs. But in the early 1960s, rock historian Ed Ward says, Diamond was writing songs for other musicians while struggling to get his own career off the ground.

Neil Diamond: The Earliest Days Of A 'Solitary Man'

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Roy Orbison: A 'Monument' To A Pop Legend

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Sony Music

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Roy Orbison: A 'Monument' To A Pop Legend

Fresh Air

Roy Orbison didn't really find his identity until he signed with a small Nashville label, Monument, in 1959. Ed Ward looks at the 17 singles that put him, and the Monument label, on the map.

Roy Orbison: A 'Monument' To A Pop Legend

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How The Bristol Sessions Changed Country Music

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Bear Family Records

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How The Bristol Sessions Changed Country Music

Fresh Air

In 1927 and '28, Ralph Peer, a talent scout for the Victor Talking Machine Company, set up recording sessions in a town straddling the Tennessee-Virginia border. The resulting sessions, rock critic Ed Ward says, laid the framework for all of country music.

How The Bristol Sessions Changed Country Music

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The Vagrants: A Hot '60s Band, For Exactly Four Years
Tiny Human

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The Vagrants: A Hot '60s Band, For Exactly Four Years

Fresh Air

The Vagrants, one of New York City's most popular bands in the 1960s, recorded only 30 minutes' worth of music. Rock historian Ed Ward explains what happened to the band and why its music is worth hearing today.

The Vagrants: A Hot '60s Band, For Exactly Four Years

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A Reissue Of Nick Lowe's 'Labour Of Lust' Is 'So Fine'

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Dan Burn-Forti/Shore Fire

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A Reissue Of Nick Lowe's 'Labour Of Lust' Is 'So Fine'

Fresh Air

It's hard to believe that Nick Lowe's second album, Labour of Lust, was out of of print for over 20 years. But a new reissue by Yep Roc has remedied that situation. Rock historian Ed Ward says that it's good to have the album — featuring the tracks "Without Love" and "Cruel to Be Kind" — back on shelves.

A Reissue Of Nick Lowe's 'Labour Of Lust' Is 'So Fine'

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When A Rock Historian Loves Soul Singer Percy Sledge

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Atlantic Records

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When A Rock Historian Loves Soul Singer Percy Sledge

Fresh Air

The master of country soul, Percy Sledge crooned some of the genre's greatest hits, like "When a Man Loves a Woman." Rock historian Ed Ward says a new box set featuring all of Sledge's Atlantic recordings is certainly worth a listen.

When A Rock Historian Loves Soul Singer Percy Sledge

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Ella Mae Morse: The Voice Of Capitol's First Hits

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courtesy of Bear Family Records

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Ella Mae Morse: The Voice Of Capitol's First Hits

Fresh Air

In 1942, the founders of Capitol Records were in urgent need of a hit. It came from a most unlikely place: a young woman named Ella Mae Morse, whose place in pop-music history has never really been given its due. Rock historian Ed Ward shares her story.

Ella Mae Morse: The Voice Of Capitol's First Hits

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'Next Stop Is Vietnam': The War In Music

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'Next Stop Is Vietnam': The War In Music

Fresh Air

A recent 13-CD box set called Next Stop Is Vietnam: The War on Record 1961-2008 documents the music that dominated the airwaves during the Vietnam War. Rock historian Ed Ward says the compilation could have used some "conscientious curation."

'Next Stop Is Vietnam': The War In Music

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Goldwax Records: A History Of '60s Memphis Soul

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Courtesy of Ace Records

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Goldwax Records: A History Of '60s Memphis Soul

Fresh Air

Goldwax, a label which issued some of the greatest soul records ever made in Memphis, is almost completely unknown. Given the quality of what it released, it had very few hits, but its legend has lived on. Ed Ward reports on the label's impressive run from 1963 to '70.

Goldwax Records: A History Of '60s Memphis Soul

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Jimi Hendrix, Before He Was Famous

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Jimi Hendrix, Before He Was Famous

Fresh Air

Hendrix spent years recording with whomever he could before being discovered and whisked off to London. A new Legacy box set, West Coast Seattle Boy, showcases Jimi Hendrix as sideman to a number of musician. Rock historian Ed Ward takes a look at it today.

Jimi Hendrix, Before He Was Famous

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Praise For Songwriters P.F. Sloan And Steve Barri

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Praise For Songwriters P.F. Sloan And Steve Barri

Fresh Air

Sloan and Barri were the songwriters behind "Eve of Destruction" and wrote hits for Herman's Hermits, The Mamas and the Papas and The Turtles. Critic Ed Ward examines their career and their many successful songs.

Praise For Songwriters P.F. Sloan And Steve Barri

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The Best Of Apple Records' Albums: Beyond The Beatles

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The Best Of Apple Records' Albums: Beyond The Beatles

Fresh Air

The Beatles' Apple Records put out the Fab Four's own singles and albums, as well as music by other performers the individual Beatles liked. Critic Ed Ward takes a look behind the scenes at Apple Records, and at the full albums the label released.

The Best Of Apple Records' Albums: Beyond The Beatles

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