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NPR's Scott Simon and cultural commentator Murray Horowitz reflect on the impact of "Ol' Man River." It's the 75th anniversary of Paul Robeson's powerful recording of the hauntingly beautiful song from Show Boat.

A new study in the journal Sleep provides the strongest evidence yet that the unregulated dietary supplement melatonin helps people get a good night's sleep. Researchers found that it works as well as prescription sleep aids now on the market. Melatonin is available over the counter.

The Chinese oil company CNOOC says it has abandoned its controversial attempt to buy Unocal, a California-based oil producer. CNOOC says a hostile political environment doomed its bid. Chevron is expected to purchase Unocal next week.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says he was destined to help people with HIV and AIDS. His work at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is fueled by his belief in personal responsibility to humankind.

In the second of a two-part report marking the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, we profile the Gates of the Arctic National Park, north of the Arctic Circle in the Brooks Range of Alaska.

Watch a world premiere performance of choral songs built on texts from important Washington women, from Kamala Harris and Condoleezza Rice to Eleanor Roosevelt, Elena Kagan and Abigail Adams.

Roshunda Jones Koumba has taught musical theater to high school students in Houston, Texas, for nearly 20 years. She's receiving a Tony award for her years of dedication to the craft.

Almost 46,000 clear backpacks that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bought but decided not to use went up for auction Friday. Starting bid is $50,000.

On 1969's Kidney Stew Is Fine, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson crafts scooting, good-time shuffle-blues, spiced with the harmonic sophistication of bebop. Vinson was a master of the blend: His seamless mix of ingredients makes Kidney Stew a delicacy.

It's been five years since Postal Service released their one and only full-length CD Give Up, and since then fans have been jonesing for another album. With no new music from the band on the horizon, you can now safely fill the void with the Tucson, Ariz. duo ...music video?. ...music video? makes very organic electronic music that deftly mixes pop rhythms with glitches and guitar rock. The group is fronted by the cozy voice of singer and songwriter Paul Jenkins, with Wes McCanse taking care of the mixing and computer wizardry.

The standard canon for up-and-coming jazz pianists has traditionally included the likes of Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock. But Lafayette Gilchrist did not start playing the piano until college after a childhood listening to much more funk, hip hop and go-go than jazz.

Costco is a one stop shop for essentials like coffee, toilet paper and now name brand clothing. A growing community of Costco fans is sharing their favorite affordable fashion finds on social media.

The beats are undeniable in this two-disc compilation of adventurous dance music.

The Philly singer, once of the psych-folk band Espers, makes Sunday-morning music that sets her celestial voice against dreamy electric guitar.

Guitarist, actor and author Guy Davis; A radio tale from bluesman Dave Alvin; Seattle singer/songwriter Laura Veirs; Bach cantatas from Lorraine Lieberson and more.

Commentator Miles Hoffman offers a classical variation on a political theme: insults and endorsements among the great composers. Invectives hurled at their colleagues and competitors were effective means of shaping public opinion. Whether positive, negative or the all-too-common flip-flop, classical-music criticism, just like political commentary, is little more than biased opinion in time.

The Toronto rock band's third album is an exorcism of nervous energy at a time when it's direly needed.

Technology invades Emma-Lee Moss' acoustic, confessional songwriting on her new album, Second Love.

Like his friend and compatriot Dmitri Shostakovich, Soviet composer Vissarion Shebalin swayed with the dictates of the regime, from grand success to humiliating condemnation. A new album of orchestral suites puts the lighter side of Shebalin's music into focus.

Every defiant growl, jaded vocal fry and distorted guitar lick on Annie Clark's fourth album flirts with the avant garde, yet uses an accessible, if inventive, musical vocabulary to do so.