8 Best Music History Podcasts of 2021

Updated: Oct 2022


All Songs Considered

By NPR  

Music  

300 Episodes

Started: Mar 2020

Latest: Few days ago

Hosts/nerds Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton are your friendly music buddies with the week's best new music discoveries, including conversations with emerging artists, icons and more. Hear songs that can completely change your day, with humor, heart and (sometimes) a whole lot of noise. Directions for use: Morning commute, the gym, or alone time. (If rash persists, discontinue use.)

Best Episodes of All Songs Considered:

The Best Music of September

Tyler Childers went to church, Makaya McCraven sampled himself, Sudan Archives got silly and sexy, Alex G distilled his production quirks and Björk stuck her toes in the earth. Featured Tracks and Art…

Popcast

By The New York Times  

Music Commentary  Music  Music Interviews  

374 Episodes

Started: Aug 2014

Latest: Week ago

The Popcast is hosted by Jon Caramanica, a pop music critic for The New York Times. It covers the latest in popular music criticism, trends and news.

Best Episodes of Popcast:

Popcast Live! The New Faces of 2022

Blondshell, Central Cee, Ethel Cain and more: a conversation about what’s breaking through, plus questions from the audience at our first live taping. Guests: Joe Coscarelli and Caryn Ganz.

The Music History Project

By NAMM Resource Center  

Music  

122 Episodes

Started: Jun 2017

Latest: Few days ago

NAMM’s resident Music Historian Dan Del Fiorentino and co-hosts examine the innovative creations, evolution of musical instruments, the changing world of music retail, music industry icons, and other topics covered in NAMM’s Oral History program. The NAMM Oral History program boasts over 4,500 interviews and is continually growing. For more information about NAMM’s Oral History program please visit https://www.namm.org/library.

Best Episodes of The Music History Project:

EP. 122 - R&B Pioneers Part 1

EP. 122 - R&B Pioneers Part 1 by NAMM Resource Center

Mogul

By Gimlet  

Music History  Music  Society & Culture  
0

Mogul is a show about hip hop’s most iconic moments, told by the people who lived them. In Season 3, we’re telling the story of DJ Screw, a reclusive genius who changed the sound of music forever. An auteur who created his own genre — Chopped and Screwed — Screw slowed music down until it sounded like syrup coming out of your speakers. It quickly became the soundtrack to the city of Houston, before influencing an entire generation of rappers. But the man behind the beats was a mystery to all but his closest collaborators, and to this day he remains one of hip-hop’s greatest enigmas.

Best Episodes of Mogul:

Celebration Rock

By Cumulus Media Minneapolis / KXXR-FM  

Music  

100 Episodes

Started: Sept 2016

Latest: Year ago

Rock Critic Steven Hyden ("Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me", "Twilight Of The Gods") talks with rock stars and the country’s biggest music writers about what’s happening in rock. Presented by 93X (www.93X.com) and Uproxx.com (http://uproxx.com/music/)

Best Episodes of Celebration Rock:

Celebration Rock: Best Albums of the Decade with Ian Cohen

Steve decided to take the podcast out of hibernation for this special one-off episode on the best albums of the 2010's, with special guest Ian Cohen. See [omnystudio.com/listener] (https://omnystudio.…

Song Exploder

By Hrishikesh Hirway  

Music  

259 Episodes

Started: Jan 2014

Latest: Few days ago

Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features an artist discussing a song of theirs, breaking down the sounds and ideas that went into the writing and recording. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway.

Best Episodes of Song Exploder:

Book Exploder: Tayari Jones - An American Marriage

[Tayari Jones ] (https://www.tayarijones.com/) is the author of four novels. She won the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Fine Arts from the Congressional B…

Questlove Supreme

By iHeartRadio  

Music  Society & Culture  

272 Episodes

Started: Nov 2019

Latest: Few days ago

Questlove Supreme is a fun, irreverent and educational weekly podcast that digs deep into the stories of musical legends and cultural icons in a way that only Questlove and Team Supreme can deliver. Led by Each episode is driven by conversation ranging from the guest’s origins (along with a few never-before-revealed secrets to their success) to their life passions and current projects. This is not your typical interview show. This is about legends and legends in the making bringing their legacy to life in their own words. Previous guests have included Usher, Michelle Obama, Chris Rock, Steve Miller, Maya Rudolph, Weird Al, Chaka Khan, Babyface and many more.

Best Episodes of Questlove Supreme:

QLS Classic: Philip Bailey

Seven-time Grammy award-winning musician Philip Bailey discusses his journey from Denver’s jazz clubs to playing with Earth, Wind & Fire to the Songwriter Hall of Fame. See [omnystudio.com/listener] (…

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