Like any self-governing group of people, the Recording Academy has made missteps over the years. Still, it has corrected course and done more to open its arms to the future than nearly any other industry...

In the ’60s, my father, Wally Amos, had been a talent agent and a personal manager before taking a major career detour in 1975, when he opened a store selling chocolate chip cookies.

The Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie was an unexpected, unplanned pop culture phenomena. My father went from star-maker to star.

We all love to sing along with our favorite songs. We sing in the car, in the shower, and at the karaoke bar. The problem is that half the time we don’t know what we’re...

At the height of his popularity in 1977, Cat Stevens converted to Islam and dedicated his life to educational and philanthropic causes.

Early 1900s Hollywood was full of farmers battling to hold onto their land against a new influx of filmmakers who dug Hollywood’s reliable weather and diverse landscape.

Social media is social. We’re looking to touch one heart at a time. With one great story at a time.

If I were a rock star, I’d design my own clothes. I’d do it because that’s the mark of a true rock star.

‘Morsel’ is a perfect word. Forming those six letters on the lips and tongue prompts an instantaneous physiological reaction. The mouth waters. The lips purse.

Memphis is the place where rock was born and Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed. It’s full of contradictions, abject poverty, and riches that only music can provide.

There is a difference between a hand out and a help up. Brothers need to help brothers. They don’t do it enough.

While my six-song EP is unlikely to set any sales records, it’s one of my biggest personal achievements – on par with starting my own company. On par with selling my own company.

Brands frantically tried to compete for users’ fragmented attention, spraying content on every platform in a 24/7 race to stay relevant.

Every major summer blockbuster that is released is essentially a product line being launched across multiple verticals. However, the centerpiece of the product launch is a big, beautiful story whose job is to entertain.

Black people cannot look to government to solve their problems.

In the world of celebrity, there is one universal law: if there’s a scandal or death, Al Sharpton will be there.

My stroller of choice is the Graco Classic. It’s the ’70s Buick of strollers, bulky with a complete absence of style. There are no good lines on the Graco. Yes, it has cup holders, like...

Music and philanthropy have a long, benevolent relationship with one another. Record bins are rife with charity singles, and concert history is filled with benefit shows for every imaginable cause. Musicians like to give back.

There’s a reason for Art Garfunkel’s oddly shaped hair. It hides a very big brain.

Chrissie Hynde is the blueprint for any teenage pop star wannabe looking to have some real cred.

Every single tune you know from the 1940s until the 1970s was written, arranged, and demoed in the Brill Building. OK, maybe not every song, but writers from Benny Goodman to Lieber & Stoller to...

Depending on your political orientation, the Dixie Chicks are either the great defenders of free speech or American traitors.

Just as many people flee Hollywood as those who flock to it. Hollywood can be an acquired taste.

Somewhere along the line, a concert became a variety show. It was no longer enough for four dudes to play together in front of some guitar amps. Costume changes, an army of dancers, and Broadway...

My father’s very public life as Famous Amos was the opposite of that of his ex-wife, my mother Shirley, who was fighting a very private, solitary battle with mental illness.

We all know the record biz don’t pay. All musicians have day jobs – no matter how big they are.

Chrissie Hynde is the coolest woman alive, and no man can have her.

For years, I’ve felt like the loneliest brother on the planet. I don’t play basketball, I can’t dance, and I’d rather listen to Harry Nilsson than hip hop.

Despite the sometimes sordid turns his life took, Michael Jackson always held my fascination, like he did for most of us.

Long before Wesley Snipes decided he didn’t need to pay the IRS, Willie Nelson was dodging the tax men.

Susan Boyle having a meltdown is not controversial. It’s human for a 48-year-old recluse to get a little wigged out when she finds herself on the world stage overnight.

Protest is patriotic. Since the beginning of musical time, American singers and songwriters have used their talent and bully pulpits to show us America’s strengths and shortcomings.

We are more than the work we perform. In fact, I’d say that our work is a mere representation of who we are underneath.