Peter Guralnick has written biographies of Elvis and Sam Cooke. He could kick back and write fiction or teach. But forget that. He’d still rather sit around waiting for a Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland horn rehearsal in the middle of the night—even if it never happened.
A composer with an interest in scary biology is on the run from Homeland Security in this new novel from the brainy Richard Powers.
As World War II loomed and the Great Depression left its mark, two great songwriters, Irving Berlin and Woody Guthrie, composed anthems that echo today. A new book charts their birth.