Sounds

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Inspired by a young friend who died from leukemia, singer Rihanna is working to get help for those who suffer from the disease.

Local Artist of the Week

The Used will kick off the spring concert season next month at Northern Illinois University’s Convocation Center. Atreyu opens the show, scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Monday.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Beyonce became the most decorated female on a Grammy night as she collected six trophies, including song of the year for her anthem “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” but it was another diva – Taylor Swift – who nabbed the top honor, album of the year, for her best-selling “Fearless.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Neil Young sat in the audience as 20 of his best known songs were performed on stage.

NEW YORK – It all started in a bedroom in Manchester, England. Undeterred by the sound of nearby construction wafting through the window, Katie White and Jules de Martino were poised to make a DIY record, not knowing, or caring, what would come of their sonic potential.

This time, it will take a force greater than Kanye West to stop Taylor Swift.

NEW YORK – In the relatively short time Katharine McPhee has been on the scene she's had a variety of different personas.

Robin Thicke's new CD is called "Sex Therapy," but the sensual singer says guys have to think beyond the bedroom if they want to keep a woman happy.

NEW YORK – Although the Dave Matthews Band's many achievements include a Grammy Award, getting a trophy has never been the focus of the group, which has blazed an independent path from pop's mainstream.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.

WASHINGTON (AP) – On the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth, the Smithsonian Institution is showcasing the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s ubiquitous image through exhibits opening today in Washington and Los Angeles.

WASHINGTON – On the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth, the Smithsonian Institution is showcasing the King of Rock 'n' Roll through exhibits opening in Washington and Los Angeles.

Almost immediately after she deposited herself in a corner booth at L'Espalier, the restaurant at Boston's Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the December afternoon after the first American date of her Monster Ball tour, Lady Gaga made a confounding statement.

Stephen King is a master at creating characters, but when Shooter Jennings came calling, the best-selling author decided to become one, playing a central figure in the musician's upcoming concept album, "Black Ribbons."

If you listen to some of the biggest hits of 2009, they’ll seem familiar. That’s because they came from albums released in 2008. That Beyonce smash? From “I Am ... Sasha Fierce,” released last year. “Poker Face”? It was on Lady Gaga’s 2008 debut. It’s the same with the Kings of Leon and Taylor Swift.

The year's best songs include.

To sum up 2009, we take a look at some of the year's most prominent soundtracks and scores.

The first decade of the new millennium produced some amazing albums, CDs that should go down with the best works of art. You might not find those albums on this list – which doesn't mean this list isn't the best of the decade.

NEW YORK – All the single ladies – Shakira is looking out for you!

LOS ANGELES – Tom Petty has grown up, but not too much.

Is there a superfan on your gift list?

NEW YORK – Sting and his wife Trudie keep with tradition on Christmas Eve: They go to a local church, sing along to carols, then head back home to their English estate to open presents with their family.

The Washington Post

Wherever she goes, violinist Rachel Barton Pine tries to turn people into classical music lovers.

NEW YORK (AP) – The shimmering, white glove that Michael Jackson wore when he premiered his trademark moonwalk dance in 1983 was auctioned off Saturday for $350,000 – plus tax.

NEW YORK – Indie-rock producer Jacquire King had long been an admirer of Norah Jones' smoky, seductive voice, but the man behind acclaimed albums from Kings of Leon to Tom Waits never thought the two would ever inhabit the same musical orbit, let alone work together on a CD.

HOLLYWOOD – Kicking off another typical seven-day work week in the offices of his management company, 19 Entertainment, Adam Lambert fixed his gaze on his own pretty face. Scattered across his publicist's desk were proof sheets from a photo session with the singer, who will release his debut album on RCA Records, "For Your Entertainment" on  Monday. The shots captured Lambert in typical glam-god poses: Peacock, street tough, space oddity, freaky adventurer in the boudoir of the damned.

LOS ANGELES – Kris Allen knows he's not garnering as much attention as Adam Lambert – and that's OK with him.

NEW YORK – Marianne Faithfull has never been much for nostalgia throughout a roller-coaster career that's found her constantly reinventing herself. But when her band played "As Tears Go By" on her fall U.S. concert tour, she found herself flashing back to where her wild ride all began.