• Barack Obama, David Cameron and Narendra Modi: Guessing at 6 World Leaders' Favorite Performers

    The favorite music of the world's most powerful people is often kept a secret, as one controversial faux pas could be the death of a political career. Things have started to warm up however, as the leaders of the free (and less than free) world have taken to filling the general public in on their Facebook favs. David Cameron told the world this week that he preferred Bryan Ferry over Jay Z, and even Vladimir Putin has warmed enough to inform his constituents that he was "a Russian man and I listen to Russian music." French President Francois Hollande used "Niggas in Paris" as part of a campaign commercial during 2012 (although we doubt he personally is a fan of Jay and Kanye).

  • No Offense to LL Cool J, but 5 Other Options for Grammy Hosting: Beyoncé, Steven Colbert, Blake Shelton and More

    Today the Recording Academy confirmed that LL Cool J will be the host at The Grammys when they go down on February 8. It was hardly a surprise to anyone who's paid attention in recent years: The emcee has hosted the event every year since 2012. That said, it's tough to blame the Academy and CBS for not wanting to shake things up: Although the performer will have now hosted 10 times, the recent results don't lie. The previous three years have featured, respectively, the no. 1, 3, and 2 highest viewerships since the '80s (the 2012 edition got a boost from those tuning in after Whitney Houston's death).

  • 10 Artists Whose Debut Singles Were Covers: Nirvana, Rush, And More

    Signing a brand new and therefore untested artist can be a risky move for most labels, so in order to get around this, some labels push their new artists to record cover songs for their debut singles as a sort of test run. Here are 10 artists who recorded cover songs for their debut singles.

  • The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" at 50: Ranking The Original (Bob Dylan) and Covers (Stevie Wonder, William Shatner, More)

    On this date 50 years ago The Byrds recorded "Mr. Tambourine Man." That band wasn't the first to do it—Bob Dylan wrote the original version of the song and recorded it just five days prior to The Byrds entering the studio with it—but it would end up that the latter ended up more famous than the first. The song reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been cited as the birthplace of "folk rock" (fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and everything to follow are thankful). Many acts have gone on to cover the track (aside from The Byrds) so Music Times gathered a few of the more famous versions and ranked them accordingly.

  • Misty Boyce Talks New Album 'The Life,' Touring With Sara Bareilles, Moving to L.A. & More [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

    Experimental singer-songwriter Misty Boyce got her start backing artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, The Naked Brothers Band and most recently, Sara Bareilles, on stage but now it's Boyce's turn to be front and center. A formally trained and highly versatile artist in her own right, Boyce followed up her debut album with her second full-length, 'The Life.' The album is out today on Bandcamp. Ahead of its release, we caught up with Boyce to talk about inspirations behind the album, her favorite memories on tour with Sara Bareilles, adjusting to life in L.A. after moving from New York, and more. Here's what she had to say:

  • Bob Dylan's 'Blood On The Tracks': 10 Songs Ranked For Its 40th Anniversary

    Today, Jan. 20, marks the 40th anniversary of Bob Dylan's classic album Blood On The Tracks, a highly emotional and devastating set of songs which was seen by many as a stellar return to form for the iconic singer-songwriter, and is arguably his last truly great album. In celebration of this incredible album, here are its 10 songs ranked, from weakest to best.

  • Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream Speech" and The Opening Acts: Mahalia Jackson, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and More

    Go to any concert, any music festival, and there will be scores of opening acts. They serve to get the crowd warmed up, get the crowd ready to rock with the headliners at the end of the night. This same thing used to happen at political events: Sometimes other political figures aside from the "headliner" would give speeches of their own for the cause and often musicians with sympathizing views would perform as well. This same thing happened at the conclusion of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which culminated in Martin Luther King's famous "I Have A Dream" Speech. There was no doubt that King was the "headliner," but he had a heck of an opening set from a series of iconic musicians. Here's a list of the esteemed performers who played at the same podium as Dr. King that did.

  • Martin Luther King Speeches Sampled in Popular Music: Gwen Stefani, Andre 3000, Common, Will.i.am and More

    No one was a better narrator or public speaker during the 20th Century than Martin Luther King Jr., and no speech was better than his landmark "I Have A Dream" speech, the work that best sums up the goals and ideals of the Civil Rights leader. Understandably, the hip-hop community and the rest of popular music respects the accomplishments of Dr. King and the impact he's had on the world, in entertainment and otherwise. Check out these six tracks that pay tribute to King as we celebrate martin Luther King Day at Music Times.

  • The Pretenders' Debut Album: 12 Songs Ranked For Its 35th Anniversary

    Today, Jan. 19, marks the 35th anniversary of the Pretenders' classic self-titled debut album, which bridged punk rock to new wave and set the course for many other guitar pop bands to come over the course of the '80s, including the Go-Gos, R.E.M., The Sugarcubes, and many more. In honor of this incredible album, here are its 12 tracks ranked, from weakest to best.
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