Ed Ward

On the occasion of what would have been the Beatle's 50th birthday, rock historian Ed Ward considers what bands and song may have influenced Lennon before he started his legendary group with Paul McCartney.

Rock historian Ed Ward remembers some country music-singing brother duos that preceded more famous siblings like the Everly Brothers.

Rock historian Ed Ward looks back on the career of the New Orleans-based musician. Bartholomew -- who's still playing today -- arranged songs for several other artists, and made many excellent novelty records of his own.

Rock historian Ed Ward is one of the privileged few who can vote for this year's inductees. He thinks the artists who really shaped rock and roll are underrepresented. Miles runs through the ballot, weighing each musician's merits, before choosing his top five.

In the 1950s, Elvis Presley encouraged Jackson to sing rockabilly. She was notable for writing and performing her own independent and forceful songs, says rock historian Ed Ward. Her sexual persona matched Presley's, but proved to be a detriment to her career -- so she returned to country music.

The early rock singer had a few big hits in 1957. By 1959, after a series of flops, he was washed up. What followed included jail time for a drug-related crimes and, eventually, death by a gunshot wound that may have been self-inflicted. Rock historian Ed Ward has this profile.

Rock historian Ed Ward talks about how the city's music scene in the late '70s and early '80s incorporated rockabilly with bands like X, and Mexican traditions with Los Lobos.

Chester Arthur Burnett didn't become a professional musician until he was 38, when he adopted the stage name Howlin' Wolf. Rock historian Ed Ward profiles the musician's move from the South to the North, and the development of his urban blues sound.

Rock historian Ed Ward recently returned from a trip to Hawaii, where he immersed himself in the local music traditions. He says that slide guitar became a staple in contemporary times, and became so distinctive that country musicians in the South imitated the style

Several bands that emerged from the 1970s punk scene -- including Television, the Talking Heads, the Ramones, and Blondie -- got their start at the Manhattan nightclub. Rock historian Ed Ward tells its story.