Search results for

Much of the world's cotton comes from Texas, even though it's not a particularly great place to grow the crop. Big subsidies and heavy technology and R&D spending have helped the United States dominate the global cotton trade for two centuries.

Ray Charles once said that blues sensation Louis Jordan was his biggest influence. This album covers Jordan's career from 1942 to 1951, when he had an unprecedented 57 hits on the R&B charts.

With flashes of lyricism, a young composer excels at weaving sound textures together to create distinct atmospheres. Hear the album, performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble.

Critics have compared the singer's voice to Marvin Gaye's, and the parallels become even sharper upon closer inspection. His new album, a two-disc compilation called Love and War MasterPeace, tackles themes of inner-city violence, war, unemployment and love.

The R&B trio, whose 2011 debut EP broke the Internet, finally follows it with an album of dreamy, idiosyncratic, self-produced soul music.

Listening to Theron Gafford and Darrell Buckner push their falsettos on the sweet soul ballad "I Was Made To Love Her," it feels almost too forced, too shrill. But that's the magic of the falsetto: The way it takes the human voice to unnatural limits is also what imbues it with its power.

Americans remember The Four Tops for "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)." But Italians may know it by a different name: "Piangono Gli Uomini." A new compilation spotlights the Italian, German, French and Spanish versions of classic R&B songs.

He was once America's longest-serving mayor. He led Providence, R.I., through a renaissance, but his terms in office — and personal life — were marred by corruption and scandal. He was 74.

North Carolina lawmakers want to make it easier for domestic violence victims to testify remotely, so they won’t have to encounter their abusers in a courtroom.

Government agencies, schools and universities would no longer be able to require COVID-19 vaccines under a bill that passed an N.C. House committee Tuesday.

Republicans failed to advance impeachment articles for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas but left open the possibility of revisiting the vote at a later date.

NPR's Daniel Estrin plays the puzzle with Weekend Edition puzzle master Will Shortz and this week's puzzle winner, Philip Spiro of Durham, N.C.

The Hispanic Caucus of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party has started a new initiative to recruit volunteers and get Latinos to vote.

The Trump administration on Friday sent a letter to all state Departments of Education, warning them to end “diversity, equity and inclusion” policies by the end of the month or lose federal funding.

Leaders of Gaston County Schools and members of the public will talk about the future of education in North Carolina at a legislative committee's public hearing Monday.

Lake Norman is expected to be lively this weekend as a festival celebrating the African diaspora and Juneteenth brings hundreds of boats to the water.

A few decades ago, finding blueberries in a grocery store out of season was a rarity. Not so much these days, due to an initiative in South America aimed at curtailing cocaine production.

President Trump signed an executive order invoking war time powers to help boost production of critical minerals and rare earth elements. There is a global race for those materials, but the U.S. lags behind its main competitor, China.

President Trump signed a "national energy emergency" that gives his administration new powers to boost fossil fuel development around the country.

AstraZeneca fell short of its vaccine promise and the EU isn't happy. The firm will provide another 9 million doses, which is good news for the EU but is still less than half of what was agreed to.