Officers of the 5th U.S. Cavalry near Washington, D.C., in 1865. Julia Ward Howe was inspired to write "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" after a visit with Union troops in the thick of the Civil War. Library of Congress hide caption
Music Features In-depth storytelling from the NPR Music team.
Richard Swift worked with everyone from The Shins to The Black Keys, but his earliest single signaled something special. Lance Troxel/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
After much searching, we found the perfect spot right outside their window. Or did it find us? Levon and Rick's yard. Woodstock, NY, '68 Elliott Landy/LandyVision, Inc hide caption
As hip-hop has become the most listened-to genre, Drake is perhaps its last true crossover artist: at home in pop and rap, radio and streaming. He will release his latest album, Scorpion, on June 29. Mike Windle/Getty Images hide caption
John Coltrane (right) with McCoy Tyner at New Jersey's Van Gelder studios in 1963, one day after the session that would become the newly unveiled Both Directions at Once. Joe Alper /Joe Alper Photo Collection LLC hide caption
Favorite Albums So Far Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption
Favorite Albums So Far Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption
Favorite Albums So Far Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption
Beyoncé and Jay-Z on stage in Glasgow during their On The Run II tour on June 9, one week before they released the collaborative album Everything Is Love. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Parkwood Entertainment hide caption
Jay-Z and Beyoncé shook up the music world with past weekend with a surprise release of their first collaborative album Everything Is Love. Christopher Polk/Getty Images hide caption
Falsettos. Ian Martin hide caption
Ms. Machine. Ian Martin hide caption
The hosts of Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning (left to right: Ebro Darden, Laura Stylez, Peter Rosenberg) in New York in 2015. Johnny Nunez/Getty Images hide caption
Dave Matthews Band performs in St Paul., Minn. in February. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for CBS Radio Inc. hide caption
Fatima Al Qadiri, as Shaneera. Fijia Nabeel/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Black Thought of The Roots is ready for his close-up with the release of Streams Of Thought, Vol. 1. Nickolai Hammar/NPR hide caption
"We proved to the world that a completely Spanish song can take over the world," J Balvin says. "This is just the beginning." Orli Arias/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
J Balvin Won't Settle For Anything Less Than World Domination
Saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in concert with the Cannonball Adderley Quintet in November 1960. Express/Getty Images hide caption