WFUV Essential Artists

Longevity, impact, influence, history: we celebrate the musicians who have shaped our cultural soundtrack.

Dave Matthews (Photo By Moses Namkung, Dave Matthews 3, CC BY 2.0)

Dave Matthews Band

July 17, 2019|Kara Manning
If rock bands were seasons, DMB would be summertime. [Playlist]
NYC Pride

NYC Pride Playlist

June 27, 2019|Rita Houston
Rita Houston's Spotify playlist: LGBTQ+ stories through music.
Dan Auerbach (original photo by Neil Swanson for WFUV)

Dan Auerbach

May 14, 2019|Kara Manning
Singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, studio owner, label exec, modern bluesman. [Playlist]
Al Green (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Al Green

May 02, 2019|Kara Manning
For his enduring voice and his embrace of both the spiritual and the secular.
Warren Zevon in 1989 (AP Photo/Alan Greth)

Warren Zevon

January 24, 2019|Kara Manning
Essential for his uncanny way with words, wit, intensity, and final legacy. [Playlist]
Essential debuts (collage of album covers by Laura Fedele, WFUV)

Debuts

January 10, 2019|Kara Manning
The culmination of years of hard work, lucky breaks, missteps, epiphanies, and dreams. [Playlist]
Tom Waits (AP Photo via Marketwired)

Tom Waits

December 06, 2018|Darren DeVivo
A musician of endless vision, invention, and reinvention. [Playlist]
Paul Weller (photo courtesy of the artist)

Paul Weller

November 01, 2018|Kara Manning
Some songwriters never get the international due they deserve. [Playlist]
Jimi Hendrix (image from promotional photo of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, via Wikimedia Commons)

Jimi Hendrix

October 08, 2018|Kara Manning
On earth for a fleeting moment in time, he left a legacy of volcanic grace and brilliance. [Playlist]
1968 (Collage compiled by Laura Fedele, WFUV)

The Essential Music of 1968

September 20, 2018|Dennis Elsas
Essay and playlist from Dennis Elsas