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Atlanta's piano-pounding, head-shaking Hovie Lister put Indiana farm boy Bill Gaither on the gospel road in the 1950s.It has been a good trip for Gaither, whose shelves bend under the weight of five Grammy Awards, 29 Dove Awards (from the gospel music industry0 and other recognitions for the songs and lyrics he has written and recorded with his wife, Gloria.

In 1985, the young R&B singer made her solo debut with a remake of Prince's "Do Me Baby." Since then, she's recorded a half dozen albums.

While the range of Texas musical styles is immense, there is a shared identity among Lone Star artists.

Johnny Mercer’s song “I’m Old Fashioned” describes Atlanta-based trumpeter Joe Gransden, perfectly. He has been mesmerized by the trumpet and big-band music since age 14. On Saturday, the 38-year-old, straight-ahead trumpeter performs at the “Johnny Mercer Centennial Celebration Event” at the Rialto Center for the Arts.

A drummer for an Athens indie-rock band fell to his death early Sunday when he tried to jump from a freight elevator at a Brooklyn fundraiser.Jerry Fuchs, 34, was the drummer for the psychedelic instrumental ensemble Maserati, as well as other bands.

Matthew Sweet and Bangles vocalist/guitarist Susanna Hoffs have created a ’70s theme-party soundtrack.

Monsters of Folk is the indie-rock super group of the moment, joining together My Morning Jacket front man Jim James, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and singer/songwriter M. Ward.The Monsters’ self-titled debut was released in September. And since October, they’ve been on the road, playing as many as 35 songs during a sprawling set that runs nearly three hours and includes material from each of the members’ back catalogs.

Want to put down the ear buds and MP3 player and kick it naturally? Consider the following spots for an Atlanta live music experience.

Soul singers new and old gather Thursday at benefit concert in memory of Macon soul singer.

Getting a consistent definition of Afro-punk isn't easy. Everyone seems to have their own take on it. For purists, it refers to blacks in the punk rock subculture. For broader thinkers, it is a cultural movement and haven for any urban kid who has ever felt like an outsider.

Johnny Mercer, the Savannah songwriter with the gap-toothed smile, wrote songs with everyone from Duke Ellington to Sadie Vimmerstedt.Ellington you’ve heard of. Vimmerstedt, his unlikeliest partner, was a 58-year-old grandmother who sold cosmetics in Youngstown, Ohio.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus seems to have been created by God especially to sing the Brahms "German Requiem." This fact has not gone unnoticed, and ASO has even recorded the work twice. This week, Donald Runnicles put his own distinctive stamp on things, and the results were mostly splendid.

He’s braved the metallic chill of the planet Hoth, dodged Imperial fire and survived enslavement by the slimy Jabba the Hutt. So actor Anthony Daniels’ trip to the Arena at Gwinnett Center should be a relative walk in the intergalactic park.Instead of dressing as android C-3PO, the “Star Wars” alum gets an easier gig this time.

The news isn't as sweet and clear as the moonlight through the pines in "Georgia on My Mind," but the Georgia Music Hall of Fame at least has been given enough breathing room to continue operating through the end of the year.This summer, the state authority board that oversees the Macon attraction imposed a deadline of Tuesday for the museum to raise $225,000 to address a budget shortfall or face possible closure.

With “Speak No Evil,” Tinsley Ellis delivers a scorching, stripped-down and amped-up affair in which the guitarist attacks and crunches his chords on songs such as “Slip and Fall” and “Grow a Pair.” The 52-year-old Southern rocker and favorite Atlanta son took some time out from his tour to discuss this hard turn.

Michael Jackson fans never can say goodbye, and they won't have to with upcoming releases that promise to keep his legacy alive."This is It," a film directed by Kenny Ortega, hits theaters next week. It promises to show viewers behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson preparing for what may have been his last concert tour.

In 2008, Dead Confederate opened for R.E.M. at SXSW and was quickly blessed with the kind of good notices every young band dreams about.

David Foster is not a household name, but the songs he has produced or written over three decades are deeply embedded in the love-song vernacular: “I Swear.” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.” “Power of Love.” “Un-Break My Heart.”And the artists he has worked with? Celine Dion, Chicago, Toni Braxton and Whitney Houston, to name a few.

Interview: KISS founder tells why the band's latest stage show is like 'KISS on steroids.'

Her musical proclivities fueled and forged by the literary academic setting of Oxford, Miss., and the rich musical community in Austin, Texas, folksinger Caroline Herring has discovered the best of both worlds — albeit on a smaller scale — in Decatur.

At 75, Leonard Cohen, who appears in a rare concert at the Fox Theatre on Tuesday, is still winning new fans and influencing generations of musicians — which is remarkable when you consider he stopped touring in 1993. But after spending five years in a Zen Buddhist monastery near Los Angeles, Cohen went back on the road in May 2008, prompted in large measure by the sudden realization that while he was living as a monk, his former business manager had stolen all his money.

American soprano Christine Brewer and pianist Craig Rutenberg will perform Wednesday at New York’s musical jewel, Carnegie Hall. As a warm-up, Saturday night, the duo played metro Atlanta’s own regal space, Spivey Hall in Morrow. The recital opened Spivey’s 19th season with what it does best: present international artists performing music of uncompromising value in an intimate setting.

The ASO and cellist Yo-Yo Ma will premiere a new concerto by Angel Lam on Thursday.

Atlanta rapper Soulja Boy was arrested in Henry County on Wednesday night after he ran from police,  Capt. Jason Bolton said.The singer was part of a video shoot at a house in McDonough, Bolton said. He took off running as a police officer walked up to the house -- and was nabbed after he came back moments later, Bolton said.

The late journalist Daniel Pearl, murdered by al-Qaeda terrorists seven years ago, would have been 46 on Saturday. On his birthday he probably would have been doing what he loved most – making music.There will be plenty of music made in his honor, however, courtesy of a network of friends and admirers that now extends around the globe.