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Before pursuing a career in music, Lee was a Philadelphia schoolteacher. Then he started going to open-mic nights with a car stereo full of classic R&B records. He recently brought his folky, soulful style to NPR headquarters for a solo performance.

Fresh Air's jazz critic has a listen to a re-issue of The Hawk Flies High, the 1957 album from tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins — who's often credited with legitimizing that instrument in the jazz world.

When he stood up in a South African courtroom during his treason trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela declared that he was "prepared to die" for his cause. As Mandela turns 90, a documentary studies the pivotal moment when he became a worldwide symbol of the struggle for freedom and democracy.

Fela Kuti fathered the musical movement Afrobeat and its crown prince, 25-year-old Seun Kuti. The Nigerian singer is leading his father's band, Egypt 80. On his self-titled debut album, he's added some American influences but kept his songs sharply pointed and political.

Triumph the Comic Insult Dog's bark may be worse than his bite: The canine puppet has been mocking Hollywood celebrities for over a decade now. Robert Smigel, Triumph's creator, talks about the furry late-night fixture and his other comedy projects.

As medal-winners step up to the podium in this year's Summer Olympics, commentator Miles Hoffman says, we're bound to hear quite a few national anthems, some of which come equipped with bad poetry and stilted music.

It's common to turn on the news and hear reports on the sputtering economy, rising fuel prices and people struggling to make ends meet. Those seeking a break from bad news might well turn on the country-music station — and hear the same story all over again in Brenn Hill's "Debt."

The genre-bending saxophonist with a ubiquitous tone has a new album out. Sanborn tells Scott Simon that the disc is partly a tribute to his early heroes of blues and soul: Ray Charles and his saxophonist, Hank Crawford.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Harps and Angels, Randy Newman's first album in nine years.

His sharp-tongued lyrics have skewered rednecks, kingpins and heartless politicians. Newman has riled a long list of people — and it's likely to grow with the release of his new CD, Harps and Angels. He may be the most misunderstood songwriter ever.