Kaye's collaboration with Smith began in 1971 and continues to this day. He says she taught him to trust his musical sensibilities — and to always keep evolving. Now 79, he has his first solo album.

Korean zithers, plumbing pipes, water glasses and singing saws — these are just some of the rare and unusual instruments you'll hear on this episode. Look for Tiny Desk Radio on your local NPR station.

Tyler's biggest hit is a perfect encapsulation of what made her a star in the 1980s: An epic power ballad surging with emotion, delivered in a voice that sounded like it might tear the singer apart.

The Maryland-raised rapper performs a homecoming set at the Desk, turning his complex beats into jazzy, full-band arrangements.

Max Clarke talks about recording Transmitter, the production tool he refuses to use and, as a lifelong Beatles fan, his chance meeting with Paul McCartney.

When Asher was a teen in the '60s, Paul McCartney lived with his family and wrote Beatles songs. Asher was part of the British Invasion before launching the careers of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.

The music of Motown Records was formative to a generation of Detroiters.

Philip Glass' newest symphony, an homage to Abraham Lincoln, was supposed to premiere at the Kennedy Center — until it didn't. And then, the Boston Symphony Orchestra stepped in.

Congo Square in New Orleans was one of the only places where, in the 18th and 19th centuries, enslaved Africans could gather. That legacy continues to shape the New Orleans — and its unique sound.

Superfans and sleuths appear to have their hunches confirmed on Friday, as dozens of black cars dropped off elegantly dressed guests outside of Madison Square Garden in New York City. The wedding bash is expected to last into Saturday morning.