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The eagerly anticipated third opera from John Adams, Doctor Atomic, premiered Oct. 1 at the San Francisco Opera. Based on Richard Rhodes' book The Making of the Atomic Bomb, the new opera focuses on physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the project he led in creating the first atomic bomb.

DeFord Bailey was one of the first stars of the Grand Ole Opry, and was also one of its only black stars. In 1941, he was fired and went into the shoeshine business. This month, Bailey will finally be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Algerian and French musician Rachid Taha uses sounds from rock, hip-hop, dance and reggae to create unique dance tracks. That blend of musical cultures reflects Taha's own multinational background: born in the Gulf of Oran, he moved to France with his family as a child.

Grateful Dead fans can once again easily download their favorite concert recordings. The band initially asked the Web site to stop the practice, but backed down after fans' outrage. Commentator Jake Halpern wonders if he is the only fan who is disappointed by the news.

Shemekia Copeland is a young multi-award-winning blues singer who has just released her fourth album, The Soul Truth. Critics have fawned over her stunning vocals, which burst with energy and passion.

Seattle-based singer and songwriter Laura Veirs has released a new album, Year of Meteors. It's the follow-up to 2004's Carbon Glacier, which was hailed as a masterful blend of pop, folk and country.

Edmund Morris' new biography details Beethoven's life, from the cities of Bonn and Vienna where he lived into his professional friendships and rivalries with Haydn, Mozart, Goethe and Napoleon Bonaparte. The book also examines his often difficult relationships with his family and explores his ability to transcend his gathering deafness.

Rock journalist Bob Spitz's new biography of the Beatles is decidedly not prettified: venereal disease, drugs, and bad business are all part of the story of the Fab Four. The book is The Beatles: The Biography.

In the world of jam-band music, Steve Kimock is a legend — no less than Jerry Garcia has sung his praises. His band's first studio CD, Eudemonic, highlights Kimock's unique improvisational guitar style.

The always outrageous blueswoman Candye Kane is back with a new album, White Trash Girl. With a history that includes poverty, gang life, and working in the sex industry, she has earned the right to sing the blues.