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Recent stories from The Current
December 27, 2019

Voted by entertainment staffers of the news cooperative, Lizzo dominated the pop, R&B and rap charts in 2019 with songs like 'Truth Hurts' and 'Good As Hell.'

Lizzo named The Associated Press' Entertainer of the Year

Lizzo named The Associated Press' Entertainer of the Year

Associated Press • Dec 27, 2019

Voted by entertainment staffers of the news cooperative, Lizzo dominated the pop, R&B and rap charts in 2019 with songs like 'Truth Hurts' and 'Good As Hell.'

In memoriam: Music greats we lost in 2019

In memoriam: Music greats we lost in 2019

Jay Gabler • Dec 27, 2019

The end of a year is a time to celebrate the best new music that hit our ears in the past 12 months — and also to remember the remarkable lives and storied careers of people on the music scene who passed on. For the Honey Do list this Saturday, Dec. 28 on The Current,…

Coffee Break: Stuck in the middle with you

Coffee Break: Stuck in the middle with you

Anna Weggel • Dec 27, 2019

We're right in the middle of so many holidays - Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, in that space right between Christmas and New Years Eve - so let's take a listen to some songs that mention the "middle" or "between" in the lyrics for today's 9:30 Coffee Break. Happy Holidays!

Henderson (‘That ain’t Lake Minnetonka’), Minnesota to unveil Prince statue

Henderson (‘That ain’t Lake Minnetonka’), Minnesota to unveil Prince statue

Jay Gabler • Dec 27, 2019

“That ain’t Lake Minnetonka,” Prince famously said to Apollonia after she “purified herself” in Purple Rain. He wasn’t lying: it was a section of the Minnesota River in the small town of Henderson, about 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis. For years, the exact spot where the iconic scene was filmed was hard to find. After talking…

Friday Five: FPA, Lydia Liza and Big Cats, and more new Minnesota music videos

Friday Five: FPA, Lydia Liza and Big Cats, and more new Minnesota music videos

Emma Manley • Dec 27, 2019

Happy holidays, and a big thank you to Cecilia Johnson for trusting me to take on this feature! She rounded up her favorite videos of the year in last week’s edition, and I’m stoked to be taking over just before the new year. Send videos to fridayfive@mpr.org if you’d like to be considered, and I’ll…

Grammy nominee J.S. Ondara talks about his ‘impossible career’

Grammy nominee J.S. Ondara talks about his ‘impossible career’

Jay Gabler • Dec 26, 2019

From the time he first appeared on the Minnesota music scene as Jay Smart, the artist now known as J.S. Ondara has captivated listeners both here and, increasingly, around the world. A native of Kenya, Ondara’s always had a global view — but his musical sights were set on the United States, and the Recording…

Coffee Break: Gibberish for Allee Willis

Coffee Break: Gibberish for Allee Willis

Anna Weggel • Dec 26, 2019

Songwriter Allee Willis passed away this week at the age of 72. She was known for writing the uber-famous songs "I'll Be There For You" for The Rembrandts and "September" and "Boogie Wonderland" for Earth, Wind & Fire among many other songs and scores. So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear with nonsense/gibberish words and phrases in them?

Official Prince website publishes interactive guide to Minneapolis

Official Prince website publishes interactive guide to Minneapolis

Jay Gabler • Dec 26, 2019

For Prince fans visiting the Twin Cities, it’s easy to find landmarks like Paisley Park, First Avenue, the Purple Rain house, and a growing number of murals. A new interactive guide on the Prince estate’s official website helps fans to zero in on the Minneapolis where Prince grew up: his homes, his schools, the venues where…

Coffee Break: Sleigh bells

Coffee Break: Sleigh bells

Anna Weggel • Dec 24, 2019

Last week we featured songs that have a mention of bells somewhere in the lyrics, and we want to take one dive deeper into this topic today. For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that feature the sound of sleigh bells? Bonus points if it's NOT a holiday song.

Today in Music History: Remembering Lemmy on his birthday

Today in Music History: Remembering Lemmy on his birthday

Dec 24, 2019

Lemmy was born today; The Eagles were at the top of the Billboard chart with their 'Hotel California' album; Nirvana started recording 'Bleach'; and The Beatles had the number one album in the U.S. for the third Christmas in a row, Today in Music History.

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