“Crying”   ROY ORBISON  Roy Orbison’s ultimate aria of love and loss had its roots in a real-life episode. “I was dating this girl and we broke up,” the singer recalled. “Two or three years later, I went to the barber shop to get a haircut and looked across the street, and there was the girl I had split up with. I wanted to go over and say, ‘Let’s forget about what happened and carry on.’ But I was very stubborn. So I got in... 

NORMAN SEEFF HAD RECENTLY MOVED TO NEW YORK from South Africa—with dreams of becoming a photographer—when he shot this session for the Band’s 1970 album, Stage Fright. “I bought six rolls of film, borrowed a car and a strobe, and set out for Big Pink—their house in Woodstock,” he recalls. “But I got lost and arrived more than two hours late. The guys were furious.” Seeff tried to make the best of the situation. “I rearranged the... 

URBAN LEGEND With his own brand of hip-hop soul, John Legend aims to make R&B cool again By Russell Hall ven as a child John Legend always knew exactly what he wanted. “I’d watch Star Search and imagine one day meeting Ed McMahon, and getting four stars,” he chuckles. “Shows like American Idol and The X Factor probably have the same effect on kids today—the belief that you can get discovered, and out of nowhere your talent can suddenly... 

DARNAA HOMETOWN: Sacramento, Calif. INFLUENCES: Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Destiny’s Child ALBUM: Album due out 2014 WEBSITE: darnaamusic.com As one of nine siblings, Darnaa was determined to stand up and be heard. “I grew up singing a lot to princesses in cartoons like The Little Mermaid,” she says. “In our neighborhood there was a rock, and I’d get on the rock and pretend I was her.” Inspired by Lauryn Hill’s performance in Sister... 

IRINA HOMETOWN: Moscow, Russia INFLUENCES: influences: Abba, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand ALBUM: Album due out 2014 WEBSITE: irinaglobal.com “I was always involved in theater when I was in school,” says Irina, who was born and raised in Moscow. “I was singing in the choir as a mezzo-soprano when I was 6.” Later, Irina earned degrees in psychology and economics—but she eventually returned to her first love. She began writing songs... 

YONAS MICHAEL HOMETOWN: Seattle, Wash. INFLUENCES: Michael Jackson, the Roots, Wu-Tang Clan ALBUM: The Black Swan Theory, out 2014 WEBSITE: yonasmichael.com Enamored of his grandmother’s extensive vinyl collection, Yonas Michael spent his early years practicing Michael Jackson’s signature dance moves. When he was a teenager, Michael’s family moved to the L.A. suburbs and he immersed himself in the world of hip-hop. After performing in talent... 

DAUGHTRY    The former Idol rocker picks up the pace on his latest set  When the band’s namesake and frontman Chris Daughtry set out to write his fourth album, Baptized, he wasn’t expecting it to come together so quickly. “I started in January with the idea of writing these songs, doing the demos, and maybe getting the record out by the end of 2014,” says Daughtry, 33. “Which would have meant we’d be in the studio right now, still... 

GAVIN DEGRAW The platinum pop-rocker learns to enjoy the art of collaboration    Since his million-selling debut album, Chariot—which spawned three hits, “I Don’t Want to Be,” “Follow Through,” and the title track—Gavin DeGraw has served up a steady balance of radio-friendly hits with darker, more introspective material. On his new album, Make a Move, he steps even further outside his comfort zone, with a diverse collection of songs... 

SLEEPER AGENT Their second effort showcases broader themes and a bigger band  To beat the sophomore slump, the first step for Sleeper Agent was to retreat. “In the summer of 2012, we spent a week in a cabin in the mountains of Kentucky and recorded,” says guitarist Tony Smith. “We cut ourselves off like Thoreau—no internet, no cellphones. We cooked dinner every night and just had a great time. Actual recording in the studio started in November,... 

LINDI ORTEGA A move to Music City results in a burst of creative energy  What a difference a move can make—just ask singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega. “When I was living in Toronto, I’d come off tour, get into my onesie, watch reruns and eat Cheerios,” says the Canadian native. “Now, living in Nashville, I come home, see what people are up to, and that kicks my butt into being more productive and less complacent musically.” That late 2011... 

JAMES BLUNT A mega-selling artist recaptures his past to move forward “What I’m about is not trying to write songs that get played on the radio or become hit singles,” says James Blunt, “because that would be a hollow inspiration for making music. A desperately hollow inspiration.” To most who know his music or his name, Blunt is the pop star who sold around 20 million records over the past decade, powered by the megahit “You’re Beautiful.” More... 

WILLIE NELSON The projects keep coming for the Red Headed Stranger      Willie Nelson knows how to throw a party. He marked his 80th birthday last April with the release of two albums: Let’s Face the Music and Dance, covering material from the Great American Songbook and gypsy jazz pioneer Django Reinhardt, and To All the Girls, a collection of duets with female artists. Over the course of his career, Nelson has recorded more than 60 studio... 

SWITCHFOOT The surfing rockers travel the world in search of waves—and inspiration    After 17 years and seven studio records, Grammy-winning Switchfoot looked to shake things up for their new album, Fading West. The longtime surfers—the band’s name is a surfing term—traveled to exotic global destinations to ride waves and compose. “The concept was, ‘What if we went to these spots around the planet to find that place between danger... 

KELLIE PICKLER When it comes to country music, the reality star keeps it real   Kellie Pickler knows well the serious nature of reality television competition: She gained fame on American Idol in 2005 and won the Dancing With the Stars trophy last year. But the North Carolina native hit a new level of serious on her fourth studio album, The Woman I Am. “I’ll fight for my creative freedom,” she says. “I’m not going to be stuck in a box.”... 

REBECCA PIDGEON This singer-songwriter thrives straddling the worlds of theater and music  Few artists have the talent to sustain two successful careers at once. So credit Rebecca Pidgeon for doing just that,  gaining fame as a well-respected singer-songwriter and as an acclaimed actress. “It really was quite accidental,” says Pidgeon, who was born in Cambridge, Mass., but raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. Soon after graduating London’s Royal... 

THE CRSYTAL METHOD Celebrating 20 years together with TV, radio and recording projects   Electronic music duo the Crystal Method—Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan—is hitting a series of milestones at once. They’ve been together 20 years, they’re about to release their fifth studio album, their weekly SiriusXM radio show, Community Service, is approaching its 100th episode—and they’re the musical masterminds behind the score of J.J. Abrams’... 

ROSANNE CASH                           Her latest album captures the heart and soul of the South in song   Though Rosanne Cash leads a richly textured urban life in New York, the South has always haunted her. Born in Memphis but reared in Southern California, at 58, she realizes that there is no such thing as separating yourself from something that is part of you. From her earliest recordings, she has always been at once part of the... 

LINDA RONSTADT  One of music’s most versatile voices reflects on her genre-defying career By Jeff Tamarkin Linda Ronstadt will never sing again. That’s the unfortunate reality the superstar vocalist has had to come to terms with since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. “I know I’d still be singing, because I’ve sung my whole life,” she says. “I’d at least be singing in the shower or in my car or harmonizing with somebody.... 

T BONE BURNETT The innovative uberproducer helms another stellar roots-rich soundtrack By Michael Gallant With fistfuls of hit records and more than a dozen Grammys under his belt, T Bone Burnett is one of music’s most accomplished producers. His credits run the gamut from Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison and Robert Plant to B.B. King, Elton John and Alison Krauss. But the big names only scratch the surface of his talent. Burnett toured as a guitarist... 

EARL KLUGH Going it alone with an inventive take on the music he loves  By Jeff Tamarkin Earl Klugh has worked in many formats in more than four decades, playing in duos, trios, even with orchestras, but he always returns to the solo album. Alone with his acoustic guitar is how the jazz master feels he can best express himself. “There’s a definite focus on the instrument itself,” he says. “I’ve adapted my playing so that I play bass, chords...