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RJ Smith photo

RJ Smith

RJ Smith is the author of Chuck Berry: An American Life. He edits for the Capital & Main website, and has written for GQ, the L.A. Times, Vogue, and Maggot Brain. His The One: The Life and Music of James Brown, was listed on the NY Times Book Review's "100 Notable Books of 2012," and his 2006 The Great Black Way won a California Book Award.

a stylized illustration of john fahey playing an acoustic guitar surrounded by quail and california poppies, evoking the mystical, nature infused spirit of his music.

Mystic Folk: 5 Essential Tracks

Try not to strum along.

Dec 19, 2025
folk, 5 essential artists

John Fahey’s Fretted-Fingerboard Followers

Meet five contemporary guitarists whose innovative solo work channels, evolves, and reimagines the timeless influence of John Fahey’s American Primitive style.

Dec 19, 2025
a stylized illustration of john fahey playing an acoustic guitar surrounded by quail and california poppies, evoking the mystical, nature infused spirit of his music.

Mystic Folk: The Ghost in the Guitar

Before the Laurel Canyon sound, there was John Fahey—a meditative player who forged a style all his own.

Dec 19, 2025
an amerikan family, the shakurs and the nation they created, santi elijah holley

Living History

In An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created, Santi Elijah Holley settles the score.

May 22, 2023
dan charnas, dilla time

Off the Beat

In Dilla Time, Dan Charnas examines J Dilla’s life and legacy.

Feb 21, 2022
collected poems of bob kaufman, edited by neeli cherkovski, raymond foye, and tate swindell foreword by devorah major city lights publishers, 234 pages, 1995

Bob Kaufman Returns

Collected Poems of Bob Kaufman brings back a neglected literary hero.

Mar 31, 2020
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