Topix — She was 89. Before and after marrying the famed singer and piano player, Maria Cole had her own long singing career, performing with greats such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington. more info

USA Today Music — Maria Hawkins Cole, widow of Nat "King" Cole and mother of Natalie Cole, has died. more info

Guardian Music — 'I'm quite against chart music. I can't stand all that Lady Gaga or Rihanna'A lot of athletes listen to music just before they compete. I used to do that but I don't anymore. I felt I would get very pumped up and then you turn the music off and your ... more info

Guardian Music — 1952: This was the very first No 1, though it's hard to understand why it was so bigThe best No 1 of 1952 was Here In My Heart, by dint of its being the only No 1 of 1952. Had the first hit parade been published a few months earlier, Al Martino could... more info

Guardian Music — Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney were among the stars who learned their skills using musician's Play in a Day books Bert Weedon, the English guitarist credited with inspiring millions to pick up and get to grips with the instrument using his Play in a... more info

ContactMusic — Singer, songwriter and all round stage icon Natalie Cole was spotted by paparazzi while leaving a doctors' surgery in Beverley Hills. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole may have thought her oversized sunglasses could hide her identity, but her... more info

Guardian Music — A hologram of the late rapper duets with Snoop Dogg on stage – prompting the question: which other pop stars would like to see similarly resurrected?It's not the first time it's been done: Gorillaz pulled a similar stunt at the MTV awards in Lisbon... more info

Guardian Music — Super-producers Trevor Horn and Steve Lipson on the subtle art of coaxing an outstanding performance from a singerWhen technology companies say artists should view recorded music as a promotional tool and make their living by touring, they forget tha... more info

Guardian Music — (Babel)Her voice may be soft and light, but there is nothing limp or vague about Emilia Martensson's singing. In her gentle way, she is among the most incisive of today's crop of impressive young vocalists. She also has a dauntingly wide and adventur... more info

Guardian Music — (Motema)Rising singing star Gregory Porter's exciting recent live shows in London balanced plenty of fizzing, fast music and jazz acrobatics with the honeyed tones of Nat King Cole he learned to imitate at his mother's knee. Much of this largely se... more info