How Billy Branch bought a harmonica, found the blues and changed his life
Chicago blues great Billy Branch says a concert in Grant Park got him hooked on the music many decades ago. His latest album is “The Blues is My Biography."
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Column: Nearing age 100, it’s springtime for Mel Brooks in new Judd Apatow documentary
Mel Brooks is the centerpiece of a thoughtfully thrilling documentary on HBO Max.
Column: His books bring us stories from the quiltwork of America. His latest is ‘Coyotes and Stars’
Author Robert Wolf aims to create what he calls an 'autobiography of America.'
Column: Returning again to the Scopes ‘monkey trial,’ and what I learned
We've reached the 100th anniversary of the court case about teaching evolution in the classroom. Did you know that Scopes passed up offers of riches and instead came to the...
Column: Of fighting and surviving, ‘Baddest Man’ is a soaring biography of Mike Tyson
“Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson,” moves from the boxer’s birth in 1966 to 1988.
Amelia Earhart soars back into the headlines in new book ‘The Aviator and the Showman’
“The Aviator and the Showman” by Laurie Gwen Shapiro is an exciting new book about Amelia Earhart that has already created buzz.
Column: ‘Rise Above’ is about the surprisingly upbeat life of a Masters caddie for more than 50 years
It's the inspiring story of Carl Jackson, who helped golfer Ben Crenshaw win the tournament twice.
Column: Filmmaker Errol Morris returns to the Manson murders in new Netflix documentary
“Chaos: The Manson Murders” is a new documentary on Netflix.
Column: ‘A Complete Unknown’ focuses on Bob Dylan, but let’s not forget Michael Bloomfield
There were two Chicagoans who were important to Bob Dylan in his early years: manager Al Grossman and guitarist Michael Bloomfield.
Column: To bet or not to bet? A Chicago sportswriter talks of the dangers of gambling
Lester Munson, a journalist and attorney, is among the most passionate anti-gambling voices in this increasingly wagering country.