Tangents Stories

Real Freaking History In Charlotte: Rock ’n’ Roll

When Elvis Presley first came to Charlotte in 1956, opening for another artist at the Carolina Theater, the roots of what became rock ’n’ roll were already in place in the Queen City and would continue to be for rock ’n’ roll’s first ten years. Nappy Brown had hit the national R&B charts in 1954 with “Don’t Be Angry,” and his arrangement of “The Night Time (Is the Right Time)” would later become a huge hit for Ray Charles. Wilbert Harrison came from a Charlotte family of 20 kids, most of whom

Regina Spektor: From Russia with love

This story originally appeared in the February 2017 edition of Tangents. Regina Spektor readily concedes that she has a somewhat unusual biography. Born in 1980 in what was then still the Soviet Union, Spektor emigrated to the United States at age 9; her Jewish family was fleeing discrimination in Russia. By that time, Spektor was already three years into her piano studies, but she was forced to leave her piano behind. After her family settled in the Bronx, she continued her classical studies,

Ann Moses: The groove goes on

This interview is reprinted from Daniel Coston’s blog The Coston Chronicles. From 1966 to 1972, Ann Moses had the job that millions of readers wanted and music fans now wish that they could’ve had. Moses wrote and edited Tiger Beat magazine, covering all of the teen idols and most popular musicians for many young readers. Along with writing for England’s New Musical Express, she was witness to some of the most amazing music events during that time. The Monterey Pop Festival, Elvis Presley’s