Aural Robert

Over the past 40 years, R.E.M.'s 1983 full-length debut, Murmur, has come to seem ever more timeless. "There's something very special about that record that you can't put into words exactly," mused Don Dixon, who coproduced Murmur and its follow-up, Reckoning, in a recent interview.

Pittsburgh has played a very meaningful if largely ignored role in the history of jazz. Known more for steel and sports teams than for musical innovation, Pittsburgh is the birthplace and first musical incubator or home to bandleader-vocalist Billy Eckstine; pianists Erroll Garner, Earl "Fatha" Hines, and Ahmad Jamal; drummers Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, and Jeff "Tain" Watts; and bassist Ray Brown.

In October 2022, a notable group of accomplished musicians including Lyle Lovett, Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Steve Earle, Bob Weir, Valerie June, Dwight Yoakam, and others gathered at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to perform and record the soundtrack for the film You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine.