Gregory Porter's Popular Voices S01E03 - Truth Tellers

In this final episode of the series, Gregory examines how early 20th century blues growlers like Bessie Smith paved the way for the rhyme and flow of hip-hop; how truth became a quest of rock'n'roll's greatest poets, from Woody Guthrie and Gil Scott-Heron to Lou Reed and Suzanne Vega; and why great popular voices including Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Kurt Cobain don't have to be technically perfect to resonate so deeply and stir our souls.

Everybody loves a magnificent voice but not all great singing is about vocal perfection. For 100 years, fantastic singers have moaned, groaned, shouted and even talked their way to the top. At times the most important thing about the voice is the lyric and message it conveys, the truth that it tells and the style with which it tells it.

Contributors discussing this musical lineage with Gregory include Dave Grohl, Rufus Wainwright, Suzanne Vega, Barb Jungr, Annie Ross, Miche Braden, Lenny Kaye, Brian Jackson, Nelson George and KRS-One.