Curated playlist

21st-century American pianists

Lady GagaLady Gaga's name may have come from a phone typo. Producer Rob Fusari said autocorrect turned "Radio Ga Ga" into "Lady".
Bruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen threw the first acetate of his own album Born to Run into the swimming pool of his hotel in 1975. The record was being mastered while the band toured, and he was furious at what he heard. He briefly considered scrapping…
Aretha FranklinOtis Redding said Aretha Franklin took his song "Respect" away from him. Her version hit number one in 1967.
Little RichardLittle Richard walked away from rock and roll to study theology. A fireball over Sydney in 1957 shook him.
Brian WilsonOn a flight to Houston in 1964, Brian Wilson broke down sobbing. He then quit touring with the Beach Boys.
Fiona AppleOn the 8th of March 2020, Fiona Apple posted a video of herself spelling out a sentence with her fingers: M-Y-R-E-C-O-R-D-I-S-D-O-N-E. Fans had waited years for any sign of that sentence. Apple is an American singer-songwriter, born Fiona…
Trent ReznorTrent Reznor once worked at Right Track Studio in Cleveland as an assistant engineer and janitor. Studio owner Bart Koster remembered his employee this way: "He is so focused in everything he does. When that guy waxed the floor, it looked…
Neil DiamondNeil Diamond, born on the 24th of January 1941, once stretched his food budget to just 35 cents a day. Decades later, the American singer-songwriter had sold more than 56.5 million records in the United States alone. That total places him…
Jackson BrowneJackson Browne stood on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stage in 2004 while Bruce Springsteen paid him a compliment that cut two ways. Springsteen reminded the room that the Eagles had been inducted first, then told Browne, "You wrote the…
Carole KingCarole King wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that reached the Billboard Hot 100 during the second half of the 20th century. Another 61 of her songs reached the UK charts. From 1962 to 2005, no woman had more success as a songwriter on the UK…
Charlie PuthCharlie Puth was a sixth-grader when he went door to door selling a Christmas album that he had recorded and produced himself. The album was called Have a Very Charlie Christmas, and it brought in $600. That early venture previews a career…
Keith UrbanKeith Urban has charted 37 singles on the US Hot Country Songs chart, and 18 of them reached number one. That tally counts a duet with Brad Paisley and a song that was first released in 2008. The man behind those numbers was born Keith…
Amy LeeAmy Lee was thirteen in 1994 when she sat down at a piano at a Christian youth camp while the other campers played sports. Nearby, a guitarist named Ben Moody picked up an acoustic guitar, and Lee thought the two of them could make music…
Jeff GoldblumIn July 2018, a statue of Jeff Goldblum stood 25 feet tall beside London's Tower Bridge. It was a temporary installation, built to mark 25 years since the release of Jurassic Park. Goldblum, born Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum on the 22nd of…