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Presents a history of musical group Aerosmith. How the band was formed; Importance of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts; Guitarist Joe Perry's temporary departure from the group; Aerosmith's record deals; Collaborations with various producers and musicians; Hit singles; The band's most recent recorded performance, which consists of several songs on the soundtrack to the motion picture `Armageddon.'

Presents an interview with rhythm and blues and jazz vocalist Etta James about her career in popular music. Different musical styles she has used during her career; What she looks for in a song; Her favorite songwriters; Her approach to songwriting; Others.

Focuses on the African-American band Earth, Wind & Fire. Formation of the group in the 1960s; Focus on Maurice White and his prominent role in the band; Hit songs of the group in the United States; Members of the group as of 2001; What became of the original members.

Presents the stories behind the surprise success of six songs. `Help Me,' by Willie Dixon, Ralph Bass and Sonny Boy Williamson and recorded in 1963; `Some Other Guy,' written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Richard Barrett; Chuck Berry's `You Never Can Tell'; Others.

Profiles musician Ray Charles. Biographical information; Diverse talents, including songwriting, singing, playing piano and being the only artist to have a top-10 Billboard hit in five different musical categories, despite being blind; Impact of his 1954 fusion of gospel and blues, 'I've Got a Woman' on R& B and rock and pop music; Reputation among others in the music industry; Charitable contributions, including creating the Ray Charles Robinson Foundation.

Focuses on the career of singer Brian McKnight as a popular music songwriter on the occasion of his tenth anniversary in the industry. Comments from colleagues about his writing abilities; Success of his song 'Back at One,' which was rerecorded by country singer Mark Wills; Details of other recordings of his songs by such artists as Boyz II Men, Kirk Whalum and others.

Interviews the founders of Philadelphia International Records (PIR) Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff. Includes the songwriting partnership between the two men; Sociopolitical messages of their songs; Securing of the company's future by owning most of the master recordings produced by PIR.

Focuses on Atlanta, Georgia-based record company LaFace Records. Founders and co-presidents; Song credits; Stable of musical artists and groups; Growth targets and strategies.

Looks at some of the varied music labels owned by Allegro Corp. and presents comments by executives at the labels about their relationship with the company. Phil Melita, sales and marketing manager of Nimbus Records; Angel Romero, chief executive officer (CEO) of Alula Records & Lektonic Soundscapes; Achim Newman, president of 1201 Music; David Drozen, president of Uproar Entertainment; Others.

Interviews five independent music label executives to determine the effect of retail and distribution consolidation. Question of whether independents are finding it harder to get distributed; Alligator president Bruce Iglauer; Compass co-founder Garry West; Casey Conroy, director of sales and marketing for Hearts Of Space; Flydaddy co-owner Kevin O'Leary; Bongload owner Tom Rothrock.

Discusses the involvement of musician Herbie Hancock in jazz education. Work with Monk Institute and Rhythm of Life Foundation; Role in the creation of the Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Reports on the efforts of the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization, to honor and promote blues artists. The categories in the foundation's W.C. Handy Awards; The foundation's work in providing grassroots organizations with logistical, media, and funding assistance; Involvement in music education. INSET: W.C. Handy awards nominees.

Profiles the rags-to-riches career of singer Tony Bennett. Biographical information; Start in singing; Signing with Columbia Records in 1950; Famous songs; Bennett as a role model of cool; Quote from Elvis Costello.

Provides a listing of recent and forthcoming reissued music recordings for August through November, 1997, from various labels. Albums from Burton Cummings, Tony Bennett, Art Blakey, Judas Priest, Psychodelic Furs, Elton John, Kiss, John Denver, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, B.J. Thomas, Andy Williams and others; Music from television programs; The songs of Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern; K-Tel's collections, featuring 1980s glam rock and funk bands of the 1970s.

The article presents an obituary for legendary musician and performer James Brown.

Reports on the state of the contemporary independent sound recording industry as of May, 2003. Operations of independent (indie) record labels during a period of corporate reorganization at major labels; Comments of executives at Vanguard Records, TVT records and other indies; Benefits of being an artist contracted to an indie, including the amount of attention one receives from label resources.

Talks about the challenges facing the record industry in the U.S. marketing products to consumers. Several digital video disc (DVD)-audio titles; Components of DVD-Video equipment; Several independent recording labels that are releasing titles in SACD format; Lists of titles to be released by Sony Legacy to the market.

Deals with the album reissues of the rock band Chicago. Difference between the discs and previous Chicago reissues; Information on Chicago's 35th anniversary tours; Plan of Warner Strategic Marketing in promoting Chicago.

Highlights the variety of blues albums scheduled to be released in 2002. Coco Montoya's 'Can't Look Back'; Releases from Mighty Joe Young and Shemekia Copeland; Release of the album 'Snake Eyes,' by Eddie Burns; Others.

Focuses on recommended recordings of music by rhythm & blues and jazz vocalist Etta James. 'R&B Dynamite,' a retrospective collection of her Modern and Kent recordings; 'The Chess Box,' which spans her career with Chess Records; 'Etta James Rocks the House,' a live recording of a concert in 1963; Others.

Profiles blues musician John Lee Hooker. How he got his start after learning guitar from his stepfather William Moore; First album `Boogie Chillen'; Hooker's recording for various labels under pseudonyms; His recordings for Vee Jay Records; Appearances at the Newport Folk Festival; Awards and honors received.

Profiles Ralph Sharon, a pianist with singer Tony Bennett since 1956. His view of Bennett as an inspired person; His playing the song `I Left My Heart In San Francisco'; Assertion that being Bennett's accompanist is not an inferior role; More.