The James Logan Courier

By Dan DeLuca
The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)

PHILADELPHIA — James Brown, 73, the dynamic performer and incomparable bandleader who changed the shape of popular music in America and the world, and was known the "Godfather of Soul" and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," died Monday.

Brown was admitted to Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta on Saturday to be treated for pneumonia, and he died there in the early hours of Christmas morning of congestive heart failure, according to his agent Frank Copsidas.

Read a Rolling Stone interview with James Brown.

By Jim Farber
New York Daily News(MCT)

NEW YORK — The cutting-edge world of digital downloads reacted instantly to the death of funky music legend James Brown. Less than 24 hours after the announcement of his passing, Amazon.com saw Brown's recordings become the company's fastest-selling downloads in the country.

By Katherine Cole
Washington, VOANews

American Roots music can be found any day of the week in the clubs of urban centers; at the many concerts performed on university campuses; and at hundreds of bluegrass festivals in towns large and small. Despite a devoted legion of fans, and albums that receive much critical acclaim, roots music rarely emerges at the top of the sales charts. That doesn't mean 2006 was a bad year for fans of American Roots music.

Sometimes called "Americana," American roots music can include blues, country, gospel, folk, bluegrass, zydeco and other homegrown music. The past year was filled with solid releases in all those styles. A few, like The Duhk's Grammy-nominated Migrations, seemed to blend them all on one disc.

By Ray McDonald
Washington, VOANews

2006 provided plenty of headlines: Rock greats fell out of trees while others simply produced some of the best music of their careers. Pop icons fell afoul of the law while audiences stayed away from concerts in droves - they were too busy downloading music at home. VOA's Ray McDonald takes a look at the year's pop music highlights.

The 2006 Record of the Year Grammy winner hinted at some of the surprises to come: Green Day, formerly known for its adolescent approach to punk rock, took home a pair of trophies for its ambitious concept album American Idiot and the single "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

By Bill Radford
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)(MCT)

Already dragging from the holidays? Looking for something to get you through those long nights of studying for finals?

If you down an energy drink in your need for some pep, you won't be alone. The energy-drink market has exploded into a $3.4 billion business in the United States, growing by 80 percent last year, according to Beverage Digest.