Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)
The recent deep freeze across much of the U.S. has created the best opportunity in decades to sail ice boats across frozen bays and rivers — including Chesapeake Bay.
This week the Ghanian musician Ebo Taylor died at 90 years old. While he was not well known in the U.S. he was a star in Africa, and a defining force in highlife music.