Record Producer Jerry Wexler

Stein, who died Sunday at 80, signed a wide range of pioneering artists: The Ramones, Madonna, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, k.d. lang and Ice-T. We'll listen back to two of his Fresh Air interviews.

Joe Henry has produced albums by Solomon Burke, Allan Toussaint, Hugh Laurie and others. The versatile singer, songwriter and producer has just released Reverie, his 12th album. It features acoustic performances from a three-day jam session in his basement.

McSweeney's contributor Dan Kennedy found what he thought was a dream job in the music industry: Director of Creative Development at Atlantic Records. Rock on: an Office Power Ballad is the tale of his time at the label — where he arrived just in time for what he describes as the collapse of the music business.