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'How Women Made Music'

How Women Made Music, a new book out now from NPR Music, was inspired by our Turning The Tables series.
Courtesy of Harper Collins
How Women Made Music, a new book out now from NPR Music, was inspired by our Turning The Tables series.

NPR Music has just put out its first book: How Women Made Music. It collects more than 50 years of essays and interviews from the network, inspired by our series Turning The Tables.

Launched in 2017, Turning The Tables considers how the canon of popular music would change if we centered women instead of men. What albums and songs would dominate conversations if women and other marginalized voices were the ones having them?

On this episode, NPR Music's Ann Powers and contributor Marissa Lorusso talk with host Robin Hilton about the new book and share some of the music that inspired it — Joni Mitchell's Blue, Beyoncé's Lemonade, Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog" and more, including Kate Bush, Tracy Chapman and Against Me!.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Ann Powers
Ann Powers is NPR Music's critic and correspondent. She writes for NPR.org and she can be heard on NPR's newsmagazines and music podcasts.
Marissa Lorusso
Robin Hilton
Robin Hilton is the Senior Podcast Producer for NPR Music. He also hosts the New Music Friday episodes of All Songs Considered.