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Host Tavis Smiley talks with Tony award-winning singer and actress Heather Headley, about her new album, This Is Who I Am.

Seattle percussionist and composer Bonnie Whiting speaks to the importance of independence and the close bond between voice and percussion.

Scott Simon talks with Panamanian singer-songwriter Ruben Blades about his new album, Mundo, which melds Celtic, Middle Eastern, African, Afro-Cuban, flamenco and jazz music. Blades is also a stage and film actor and was a candidate for president in Panama in 1994.

Hot Tuna began as a side project for Jefferson Airplane musicians Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen. Long after the band that made them famous broke up, Hot Tuna is still touring. Casady and Kaukonen talk with Morning Edition host Bob Edwards and play their signature folk-and-blues tunes. Exclusive to npr.org, hear full-length cuts of three songs, recorded live in Studio 4A.

Tavis Smiley interviews Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter, two of the Blind Boys of Alabama, about their CD Higher Ground.

Talking Heads' 1980 song pays homage to early rap techniques and The Velvet Underground.

Rock historian Ed Ward remembers the band The Lovin' Spoonful.

The 12-voice male a capella group Chanticleer performs holiday selections for us in NPR's Studio 4A. Their CD Christmas with Chanticleer, featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw, was released to critical acclaim last year. Their newest CD is Our American Journey.

He got his start with the seventies rock group Roxy Music. He has a solo career now. His most recent album is "Frantic." For more info, go to www.bryanferry.com. [This interview continues into the second half of the show.]

He's the head archivist for the Ralph Rinzler folklife archives and collections of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Place is featured on the upcoming History Channel special Save Our History: Save Our Sounds. It's a documentary about the great range of audio recordings made over the years and the changing audio technology. Save Our Sounds premieres Thursday Dec. 26.