Bob Collins
For a man with a Texas accent, Johnny Gimble sure screamed ‘Minnesota’ to a lot of people.
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MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Arts & Culture
I’ll be with you in a moment, I’m just checking ‘post a Prince concert without getting served with a court order’ off my bucket list. Read more →
Minnesota Orchestra’s appearance in Cuba has gotten plenty of well-deserved attention. But another facet of the concert tour in the Communist nation is getting some attention today. How is it that a certain public radio outlet is able to broadcast from the closed country?
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Just in time for Mother’s Day, writer Chad Prevost is doing his part for dads. Prevost is a stay-at-home dad who, like many fathers, didn’t notice how poorly fathers are portrayed in pop culture until he became one. Read more →
The news that blues great B.B. King is now in hospice is a painful reminder that when you have a chance to see a legend, don’t miss it.
I’ve been a B.B. King fans for decades, which puts me in the minority of most people in the radio business, judging by the refusal of radio stations to play the blues with any regularity. For some reason, it doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Read more →
Stick a fork in the Labor Day telethon for Muscular Dystrophy. Read more →
Cyndi Lauper was at the Capitol in Washington today, testifying to a subcommittee about youth homelessness. I know what you’re thinking: Another Hollywood or pop star trying to trade stardom for some political traction, and, it’s true, she’s doing that. But her story is an amazing one, especially if we can set aside politics long Read more →
More high school dance team coaches have been disciplined for their part in a demonstration against the Faribault girls who won the state high school tournament in February with a routine the coaches said was cribbed from a Colorado school. Read more →
The Washington Post reports today that a recent study from a credit card company revealed that the average prom costs $919 a couple, with $324 going toward the ‘promposal.’ Read more →
It’s very nearly drive-in movie season again, another opportunity to reflect on what we’ve lost.
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Mary Doyle Keefe of Simsbury, Conn., has died. She was 92. Read more →
Alice Barker was a chorus line dancer during the Harlem Renaissance of the the 1930s and 40s. She danced at clubs such as The Apollo, Cotton Club, and Zanzibar Club, with legends including Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson. Until recently, she’d never seen video of herself dancing. She’s 102 now. Read more →
Minnesota classical music fans, you cough too much. Just ask Hilary Hahn, the one-time child prodigy who’d had it with your hacks at a concert at the Ordway last week. Read more →
Twin Cities writer David Brauer has been processing his past since the death of New York Times columnist David Carr, with whom Brauer worked. He poured it out in Minnesota Monthly. Read more →
A civil war in the country music world this week is highlighting what happens when people aren’t interested in things like facts and details. Read more →