Terry Gross

We pay tribute to ragtime composer and performer Eubie Blake.He was born on February 7,1883 in Baltimore, Md. He wrote the songs for the Broadway hit Shuffle Along. African American ragtime musicians of the day sought out Eubie to write their songs. Two of Eubie Blake's best known songs are "I'm Just Wild About Harry" and "Love Will Find A Way." Just over one hundred years after his life began, on February 12, 1983, Eubie Blake died in Brooklyn, New York.

Blake's music is featured in the Broadway revival, Shuffle Along. Our tribute features live performances of his songs and interviews with pianist Dick Hyman, among others. Originally broadcast in '98.

U.S. Peace negotiator Richard Holbrooke. He was the chief architect of the Dayton Peace Accord that ended the war in the former Yugoslavia. He has just returned from the region. His new book will be published in June "To End A War." (Random House)

Gospel singer Cissy Houston has released her biography titled "Cissy Houston, How Sweet The Sound: My Life with God and Gospel." (Doubleday) Cissy Houston won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel album for "Face to Face." She is the minister of music at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey and lives in Fort Lee, NJ. Her daughter is the singer Whitney Houston.

Writer Ron Chernow has written a new biography one of America's most powerful men. His book is "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr." (Random House) Chernow has also written: "The House of Morgan," "The Warburgs," and "The Death of the Banker." The New York Times this month called Titan "a triumph of the art of biography."

Also performing, Rufus Thomas, the self-proclaimed world’s oldest teenager. He played an integral role in the success of major record labels in the nineteen-fifties, Sun Records and Stax Records. He celebrated his 80th birthday at the festival by playing with his son, Marvell. (REBROADCAST from 7/3/97)

Singer Syl Johnson had hits in the nineteen-sixties and seventies such as Come on Sock it to Me and Take Me to the River. Rappers including TLC and Hammer have sampled his early tunes. Johnson will perform, backed up by a fourpiece band. (REBROADCAST from 7/3/97)

A presentation of blues music and interviews with performers at the world-famous Chicago Blues Festival recorded on June 8, 1997. Featuring Dan Penn, a master of nineteen-sixties soul and the writer of hits such as Cry Like a Baby and Sweet Inspiration. His songs have been recorded by artists including Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. Penn is joined by his long-time songwriting partner Spooner Oldham, a talented keyboard player, who has recorded with Arthur Alexander and Box Tops and has toured with Bob Dylan and Neil Young. (REBROADCAST from 7/3/97)

A concert with songwriter and pianist Dave Frishberg. His music draws its inspiration from jazz classics, but his lyrics are quirky modern originals about neurosis, and the oddities of contemporary life. A Grammy nominee, Frishberg's latest CD is "Dave Frishberg: by Himself." (Arbors Records) His other recordings include "The Dave Frishberg Songbooks," "Live at Vine Street," "Can't Take You Nowhere," and "Quality Time" (Originally aired 12/27/95)

Novelist Richard Price talks about his latest book "Freedomland". (Broadway Books) It's a story that examines race relations in a fictional urban New Jersey town. Inspired by the real life Susan Smith incident in which she alleged a black man carjacked her and took her two children. Price's story follows a similar theme and how the events affect the community. Price's earlier novel "Clockers" about life in the inner city world of drug dealing was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award.