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Fresh Air's resident rock historian remembers soul singer Lorraine Ellison, who recorded a handful of albums and dozens of singles in the '60s and '70s; though she charted a few R&B hits, she never quite broke through to stardom. Her biggest success was with the string-saturated ballad "Stay With Me," which topped out at No. 11 on the R&B charts and has since been covered by everyone from Bette Midler to teenybopper idol Rex Smith.

Judi Dench has won major acting awards on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Oscar, the Tony and six Oliviers (England's top theatrical honor). The British actress is famous for Shakespearean roles, but she's also played spy chief M in James Bond films and currently appears in the Vin Diesel science fiction action flick The Chronicles of Riddick. NPR's Susan Stamberg interviews Dench about the art of acting.

Folk artist Mose Tolliver's subjects were nature, people and animals. His medium was house paint. His canvasses were cabinet doors and discarded table tops. His paintings put him at the forefront of the Outsider Art movement.

The newly released "positive experience index" of 138 countries finds that people in Paraguay had the rosiest outlook (again). The U.S. made the top 20 in the annual Gallup index.

The White House effort to replace Attorney General Eric Holder is happening largely in the shadows. But Labor Secretary Thomas Perez is emerging as a top candidate for the post.

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey's visit comes as the U.S. prepares to deploy 1,500 military advisors to Iraq.

More conservative federal judges and a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage top the agenda for President Bush's second term, according to a conservative author. NPR's Renee Montagne speaks to Richard Viguerie, co-author of America's Right Turn.

One of the best hip-hop acts to surface in recent years, Spank Rock lays fun, over-the-top raps atop a mix of '80s-influenced electronic beats. Street-smart but beach-friendly, "Sweet Talk" is one of the catchiest, most exhilarating songs released this year, hip-hop or otherwise.

Mo Donegal won the 154th Belmont Stakes, the third and final race of the Triple Crown series, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., on Saturday. The horse was a top contender coming into the race.

In 1959, jazz pianist Dave Brubeck topped the pop charts and shook up the notion of rhythm in jazz with an odd-metered song called "Take Five." On the occasion of its golden anniversary and a new reissue of Time Out, Brubeck explains why it was such a hit.