1960's Pop singer Bobby Vee has released a new tribute recording to the late Buddy Holly. This February 3rd marks the 40th Anniversary of Holly's death. Vee was chosen at the last minute to perform at the show Holly was scheduled to appear at. His tribute is "Down The Line" on Rock House Productions. Also a new re-issue on EMI records features his greatest hits.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews three new thrillers. Basilica by William Montalbano (Putnam), Archangel by Robert Harris (Random House), The Second Angel by Philip Kerr (Henry Holt).
Vee, who died Monday, had 38 hit singles including, "Take Good Care of My Baby." During a 1999 Fresh Air interview, Vee explained how the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly got him started in music.
Actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Institute, Robert Redford. He discusses his work in films, and his work promoting independent films, with the festival he founded, the Sundance Film Festival. The Park City, Utah based festival runs Jan 21-31. Stations, This was originally broadcast before last year's festival on 1/12/98.
Commentator Milo Miles introduces us to England's reggae artist and record company owner Linton Kwesi Johnson. He lyrics are a mix of poetry and politics. A new two-cd set called "Independent Intavenshan" features Johnson's music in the 1980's. It is available by Island Records.
Film director Nancy Savoca and actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste talk with Terry Gross on-stage at the Sundance Film Festival. Savoca's film "The 24 Hour Woman" received its world premiere at the film festival. Actress Jean-Baptiste stars in the film.
Historian Ian Kershaw. He's written volume one of a new biography of Hitler, "Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris" (W.W. Norton). It's being said that the new book will "become the standard Hitler biography for the next generation." In it, Kershaw blends biography with social history to understand how Hitler was able to obtain power over the German people. The book draws on new sources: a new edition of Hitler's speeches and writings, and the recently discovered diaries of Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels.
Photographer Fazal Sheikh. (Fuz-ill) (Shake) In his new book "The Victor Weeps: Afghanistan" published by Scalo, Sheikh weaves portraits and stories together to document their experience. His 1996 book "A Sense of Common Ground,"(Scalo) presented a series of photographs taken of African refugees.
Jonathan Kellerman is a child psychologist and best-selling writer. He's best known his character psychologist Alex Delaware. In his latest novel, his 14th book, Delaware is on hiatus. In "Billy Straight" published by Random House, his star is Billy, a 12 year old runaway, who witnesses a murder. Kellerman is a clinical professor of pediatrics and psychology at University of Southern California School of Medicine. His wife Faye Kellerman is also an accomplished mystery writer.
Guitarist Salman Ahmad (Sol-MAHN AH-MAHD) and bassist Brian O'Connell, from the Pakistani rock band Junoon (Ju-NOON). They are Pakistani's best-selling band, with four albums, and 2-million sales. They've gained an international following thanks to the Internet and MTV. The band also includes lead singer, Ali Azmat. The group is currently on tour.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two new reissues of composer Igor Stravinsky conducting his own music: "Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: The Mono Years" (Sony) and "Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky: The American Recordings" (Pearl).
Pulitzer Prize winning author, David Halberstam has turned his attention to Michael Jordan's impact on American culture in his new book "Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and The World He Made." (Random House) His other books include: "The Best and the Brightest," "The Powers that Be," "Summer of 49," and "The Amateurs." Halberstam says Jordan is the most popular human being in the world.
Poet Seamus Heaney has released a new collection of his poems called "Opened Ground: Selected Poems 1966-1996. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. He resides in Dublin, Ireland and in Boston where he teaches at Harvard University.
