Benny Goodman was one of 12 children and when he was little, his father took him to a synagogue where he learned to play the clarinet. Ross Firestone's book, "Swing, Swing, Swing: The Life and Times of Benny Goodman" is full of information about the musician. Goodman was a perfectionist, always wanting to better at his craft. According to Firestone, as a band leader, Goodman never thanked any musicians that played for him or with him.

Ralph Ellison, winner of the National Book Award for Fiction for his book "Invisible Man," discusses his early life and education and his life as a writer and lifetime scholar. He speaks on being a musician (trumpet), the joy of music and the Church and how they fit into the lives of African Americans.

Terkel comments and presents a recorded performance of Shay Duffin

Part 3. Alec Wilder and Harry Bouras discuss Wilder's book "American popular songs", published in 1972.

Studs interviews Harry Chapin about his music and career. They discuss Chapin’s style of writing songs. Chapin describes some of his songs such as “Cats In the Cradle,” “Sniper,” “WOLD,” and “Mr. Tanner.” He stresses that his songs tell stories and often are influenced by real-life events. For example, “30,000 Bananas Pounds of Bananas” came from a trip he took on a Greyhound bus through Pennsylvania where there was a truck accident.

E.Y. (Yip) Harburg and Studs Terkel read from the book "At This Point in Rhyme". E.Y. Harburg also discusses his thoughts on humanity, how to properly write a song, and the importance of light verse and humor as a basis for everything he creates. Excerpts of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" by the Weavers, and a Broadway recording of "How Are Things in Glocca Morra" are played in the original airing but have been removed from this version for copyright reasons.

Scientists, women, birth control, religion and ethics are among the topics covered in Bernard Asbell's book, "The Pill: A Biography of the Drug that Changed the World"