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The steel drum musical instrument was first created in Trinidad, hammered from biscuit boxes, brake drums and oil barrels. One of the biggest "steel pan" bands of the 1960s was the Esso Trinidad Tripoli Steelband, who gained worldwide fame when an unlikely patron heard their act and took them on tour. Lost and Found Sound presents a story of calypso music, steel drums and flamboyant pianist Liberace.

Tom Verlaine's rock band Television came of age alongside peers like the Talking Heads and Patti Smith. But for years, Verlaine has been an elusive presence on the music scene — his recent release of two CDs is his first public work in 14 years.

For 60 years people living in Northwest Tennessee have been able to hear a radio program called Swap Shop. The format of the show is simple, harkening back to the days when radio was a predominently local medium. Listeners call or write in to buy or sell items, ranging from household items to farmyard implements. Producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister heard the program, and as part of an occasional series, they asked musician Kurt Wagner and his band Lambchop to use the show as inspiration for an original song.

OK Go's dance video for the song "A Million Ways" has become a sensation on the Internet... and it was never intended for public release. Robert Siegel talks with singer/guitarist Damian Kulash and his sister Trish Sie, who choreographed the dance.

Country music's Rose Maddox, who at age 11 embarked on a decades-long singing career, has died. Maddox became a big hit after World War II, touring with her four brothers. Their band was called, Maddox Brothers and Rose. She won a Grammy in 1996 for her CD, $35 And A Dream. Maddox died yesterday of kidney failure. She was 71 years old. NPR's Linda Wertheimer has this remembrance.

Southern Culture on the Skids brings the trailer park into your living room -- that is, unless your living room is already in a trailer park. NPR's John Ydstie speaks with members of the rock group about a new CD, Mojo Box.

Before going out on his own, he backed B.B. King and played with Ray Charles. He eventually became musical director for Charles' band and he credits what he learned about playing soulful music from Charles. His CD Hank Crawford: Memphis Ray and a Touch of Moody collects music from his previous recordings: More Soul, From the Heart, Soul of the Ballad, and Dig These Blues. (Rebroadcast from May 20, 1998.)

The Virginia Beach studio wizards known as the Neptunes have produced hit songs for everyone from Snoop Dogg to Britney Spears. But now the masters of the mixing board have hit the road with a real band and real instruments, calling themselves N.E.R.D. — for "no one ever really dies." NPR's Ben Gilbert reports.

He has written a new biography of blues legend Muddy Waters, who is credited with inventing electric blues and creating the template for the rock and roll band. The book is Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters (Little, Brown). Gordon also produced and directed an accompanying documentary of the same name, which will be shown as part of the PBS American Masters series next year. Gordon's other books are It Came From Memphis and The King on the Road. He also produced the Al Green box set, Anthology. This interview first aired October 3, 2002.

Noah Adams talks with members of The Sevens, who call themselves a "Celtic groove band." They play for dances and occasional concerts in New England. Members are Sarah Blair, Mark Roberts, Liza Constable, Mark Hellenberg, Stuart Kenney. They traveled to Vermont Public Radio's studio in Colchester for this interview. We hear a bit of contra dance music and complete versions of I Truly Understand, and Miss Otis Regrets. (22:00)The group's CD is The Sevens, on Newgrange Records, available at http://www.efolkmusic.com. You can e-mail the group at TheSevens@efolkmusic.com.