Hearing Ry Cooder talk is like listening to a musical history lesson. When he spoke to Here & Now's Robin Young, he talked about being influenced by Uncle Dave Macon, a pioneer in country music.

The 71-year-old raconteur returns to the old songs and inhabits the guises of death-haunted bluesmen to speak to the issues of the current era. Note: NPR's First Listen audio comes down after the ...

Ryland Peter Cooder, 15 March 1947, Los Angeles, California, USA. One of popular music's premier talents, Cooder mastered the rudiments of guitar while still a child. He learned the techniques of ...