Fresh Air
By
Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs.
Sponsored
Episodes
-
After years of avoiding the ER, Noah Wyle feels 'right at home' in 'The Pitt'
Wyle spent 11 seasons on the drama ER. When it was time prep for the HBO series The Pitt, he went to medical boot camp to learn how health care had changed. Originally broadcast April 21, 2025.
-
Marking the centennial of Art Pepper, a jazz saxophonist who played with heart
Sept. 1 marks what would have been Pepper's 100th birthday. Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation of the jazz saxophonist, who started on clarinet at age 9. Pepper died in 1982.
-
'Task' is a new, compelling crime drama from the creator of 'Mare of Easttown'
Mark Ruffalo stars as a former priest turned FBI agent in Brad Ingelsby's new HBO miniseries. Set in small-town Pennsylvania, Task is packed with action and conflict, but it also has a lot of heart.
-
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s impact on Americans' health
New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg discusses how Kennedy's cuts to government staff and expert groups will impact everyday Americans. A vaccine skeptic, he fired the CDC director last week.
-
'Butterfly' is a frustrating spy thriller with a few too many twists
Daniel Dae Kim stars in a thriller about a spy who comes out of hiding to save his long-lost daughter. But instead of personal revelations, the series gets mired in plot twists and shoot-outs.
-
'We have to speak, we have to shout': Jane Fonda is still an activist at 87
Earlier this year, Fonda made headlines for delivering a fiery critique of the Trump administration during a SAG-AFTRA award acceptance speech. "This is not the time to go inward," Fonda says.
-
Roots of Rock: Pop hitmaker Dion
Dion, a former teen idol, was deeply influenced by blues and country music. He had his first hit, "I Wonder Why," in 1958, with the doo-wop group The Belmonts. Originally broadcast in 2000.
-
Roots of R&B: New Orleans songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint
Toussaint was an important behind-the-scenes figure in New Orleans R&B during the '50s and '60s. He later became known for his own recordings. He died in 2015. Originally broadcast in 1988.
-
Fresh Air Weekend: R&B singer and pianist Charles Brown; Ray Charles
Brown created an expressive style of music that blended rough Texas blues with the soft glamour of Hollywood. Charles shaped American music since the 1950s with hits like "Georgia on My Mind."
-
Roots of R&B: Record producer Jerry Wexler
Wexler produced hits for Atlantic Records by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, and is credited with coining the term "rhythm and blues." He died in 2008. Originally broadcast in 1993.
-
Roots of Rock: Lyricist Jerry Leiber and composer Mike Stoller
Leiber and Stoller met in LA when Leiber still was in high school. They went on to write and produce songs for artists like Elvis Presley, The Drifters and Ben E. King. Originally broadcast in 1991.
-
Roots of R&B: Singer Ben E. King
Ben E. King was the lead singer of The Drifters, and later went solo with such hits as "Stand By Me" and "Spanish Harlem." He died 2015. Originally broadcast in 1988.
