Cindy Blackman became Lenny Kravitz’s drummer after a lifetime of jazz drumming. In this wide-ranging interview she discusses being visited by the spirits of the jazz greats she befriended during her time in New York City, and how she and husband Carlos Santana stay in harmony, onstage and off.

Kira Roessler played bass in Black Flag for two years, during which time the legendary hardcore band put out seven records. Now, at the age of 60, she’s an Emmy- and Oscar-winning dialogue editor and promoting her solo debut.

Arooj Aftab began getting notice with a viral cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” more than 15 years ago, but with two Grammy nominations, she has finally arrived. Her “Vulture Prince” album is a stunning work that frequently reaches transcendence.

Bruce Sudano has written songs that have been sung by Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, and his late wife, Donna Summer, including the disco hit “Bad Girls.”

​​José González used to have difficulty writing lyrics, but with his new studio album, “Local Valley,” he has tapped into new sources of inspiration.

Colin Blunstone started singing with the Zombies at the age of 16. They broke up shortly after releasing their 1968 masterpiece, “Odessey and Oracle,” but reformed in 2000, and have been going strong ever since.

Don Letts introduced punks in the 1970s UK scene to reggae, kind of. He was a good friend of Bob Marley, sort of. He is the embodiment of punk’s ethos of empowerment, freedom, and individuality, totally!

You know Butch Vig as the drummer and producer of Garbage, or the producer of mammoth 1990s recordings from Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. But there is a lot more to him than that. For one, he has been playing with most of the people he makes music with for nearly 40 years.

If you’ve heard any reggae music in your entire life then you’ve heard Sly Dunbar’s drumming, or at the very least, his influence. As one half of Sly and Robbie, Sly says he’s probably played on a million songs.