Terry Gross

Texas singer-songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore brings together country, folk, blues and rock in his 2005 album Come On Back. The album is a touching tribute to the artist's father, who died of ALS in 2000.

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis has jazz in his genes. His father is pianist Ellis Marsalis, and all three of his brothers — trumpeter Wynton among them — are jazz musicians. On Fresh Air, he recalls growing up surrounded by music.

Ta-Nehisi Coates' pays tribute to his father in his Memoir.

In 2005, Nashville singer and songwriter Darrell Scott inspired his father to record his own album of original songs. The elder Scott was 71 when his debut album, This Weary Way, was released.

Stand-up comedian and Seinfeld writer Carol Leifer recounts her experiences in love and comedy in her new memoir, When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win.

Chip Berlet has studied extremism, conspiracy theories and hate groups for more than 25 years. He says that the recent murders of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller and Holocaust Museum guard Stephen T. Johns exemplify the potential for violence that often lurks within extremist groups.

Singer, songwriter and performer Janelle Monae earned a Grammy nomination for her 2007 album Metropolis, and caught the eye of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who signed her to his Bad Boy roster.

Seven years after being discharged from the U.S. Army under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," openly gay veteran Alex Nicholson is the executive director of Servicemembers United, an advocacy organization he founded.

Intended as a productive if imperfect compromise, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has resulted in thousands of discharges — many of them involving service members with critical skills. Historian Nathaniel Frank says it's time the ban was ended.

Academy Award-winning writer and director Woody Allen discusses his life and his films — and why audiences shouldn't confuse the two. His latest movie, Whatever Works, tells the story of a "genius" professor in New York who marries a much younger woman.