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Radio station owner Ralph Epperson kept the twangy sound of live bluegrass, old-time gospel and mountain music cruising over the airwaves from his North Carolina radio station WPAQ long after other broadcasters had stopped. Epperson died Wednesday at age 85.

We remember former All Things Considered commentator John McIlwraith, whose essays aired between 1990 and 2001. His deep Scottish accent and wit charmed listeners with essays that spanned from his childhood bout with TB to his lack of appreciation for the bagpipe.

For many music fans, it has been hard to hear the dramatic stories coming out of New Orleans and not consider the city's rich culture. The city is steeped in music, a heritage that folklorist Nick Spitzer, who evacuated the day before Katrina hit, continues to celebrate on the air.

Listener Harriet Bicksler of Mechanicsburg, Penn., plays the puzzle with puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Shannon Bond.

After more than 40 years in the music business, Bettye LaVette is finally getting the notice she deserves. Her new album of Southern soul songs, The Scene of the Crime, was nominated for a Grammy and is still getting rave reviews.

Jones and her band The Dap-Kings have been recording and touring together since 2005. On their third album, 100 Days, 100 Nights, they sound better than ever. Jones recently took a break to dish on her band and a few of her high-profile collaborators.

The band R.E.M. has released its first album in four years, Accelerate. Critics have been describing the disc as a "comeback," saying it's the band's best album in ages. Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills join Terry Gross for a conversation.

Old friends Mick Jones, former lead guitarist of The Clash, and Tony James, once of the Billy Idol-fronted Generation X, have teamed up in a band called Carbon/Silicon. They've been giving away songs for free on their Web site, but their new album, The Last Post, is an official hard-copy CD.

Inspired by Sinn Sisamouth and other Cambodian stars of the '60s and '70s, brothers Zac and Ethan Holzman created a fusion cover band — complete with a former Cambodian pop star who had recently moved to Los Angeles.

Clive Stafford Smith is one of just a few people who've had independent access to the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay. He says countless innocent men have been held there for years with no meaningful review of the accusations against them, often suffering terrible abuse. In Eight O'Clock Ferry to the Windward Side, he details life inside the camp.