The author of a book on the 1,400-year history of the other slave trade talks about the power of eunuchs, the Nation of Islam's falsehoods and the persistence of slavery today.

A historical look at some of the earliest known forms of singing, instruments and musical manuscripts

On this Juneteenth, we're reminded that we are still living with the consequences of American slavery

The competing economic visions of our two most famous presidents have big implications for the middle class today

"These people first had to undergo a racial transformation"

Urban inequality in the U.S. can be traced to unresolved issues and injustices lingering from the slave trade era

Hundreds of years of slave labor shaped western society, and it's still claiming new victims

The musician and one-time mentor to the Beatles was labeled "the godfather of world music" by George Harrison

Our roving connoisseur explores the Caribbean island's history and highlights.

The legendary sitarist is gone, but legions of Indian performers have taken up his torch as world music ambassadors

I've played CBGB and Carnegie Hall, with Talking Heads and solo, and learned that the venue always affects music

Though eventually & thankfully on the right side of history, the North wasn't immune to America's original sin.

A French physician working in Cayenne, envied the “numerous plant cures” known to “Indians and Negroes.”