Robin Hilton
Robin Hilton is a host and senior producer for the All Songs Considered podcast and Tiny Desk, a series he helped create -- and named -- in 2008. He’s since produced performances at the Desk by Harry Styles, Chance The Rapper, Alana Springsteen, Steve Martin, and more.
Hilton got his first full-time job as a reporter at a member station when he was 19 years old. He went on to win more than two dozen awards for his work, as both a reporter and a newscaster, from The AP, the National Association Of Broadcasters, Public Media Journalists Association (then called PRNDI) and more. He eventually landed at Morning Edition, where he worked as a Production Assistant before starting as the Assistant Producer for All Songs Considered in 2001.
Along with Bob Boilen, Hilton helped turn All Songs Considered into one of the most popular and influential music programs in the country, officially becoming the co-host in 2008 and, after Boilen's retirement in 2023, the permanent host.
He is also a composer whose music has appeared in films, podcasts and radio, including his arrangement of NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered theme and NPR’s Elections theme.
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Death Cab for Cutie has a gift for making the ordinary feel breathtaking. The band splits this mostly acoustic set between new songs and fan favorites. -
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest places, if you look at it right. And if you get confused, just listen to the music play. This week, resident Deadheads Isabella Gomez Sarmiento and Felix Contreras help host Robin Hilton hear what he’s been missing in the music of the Grateful Dead. Are you a Deadhead? Share your memories about the Grateful Dead and we may include them in a big series about the band we're launching Aug. 1. Support the show with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org Featured songs: (00:00) Intro and “King Solomon’s Marbles” (08:54) “China Cat Sunflower / I Know You Rider” Alpine Valley, WI 7.17.89 (11:03) “Help On the Way / Slipknot / Franklin’s Tower” (16:39) “Ripple” (23:34) “Morning Dew (Europe ‘72)” (26:17) “I Shall Be Released (Live)” (30:05) “Black Muddy River” (31:34) “One More Saturday Night” (32:09) “Sunrise” (33:21) “Shady Grove” (39:14) “Birdsong” (41:45) “Uncle John’s Band” -
The 2026 Tiny Desk contest brought in thousands of entries, including several standouts in the rock and folk genres.
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Featuring new songs and beloved classics, the stadium-sized rock band shrinks down its outsized sound without losing any urgency or oomph. -
One of the Tiny Desk Contest judges introduces us to finalists Les Greene and the Swayzees, a group based in Miami, Fla.
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The British folk-rock band shares world-weary anthems to growing older, weathering the innumerable blows of life and coming out on the other side, hopefully a little wiser. -
Reports from late last year about the demise of MTV were overstated; but it got us thinking about the network’s legacy and most memorable moments. So, on this episode, we remember the best of MTV with a list of our top 20 videos from its golden era. -
NPR Music critics reflect on the lyrics that captured the year's mood, sparked emotions and stayed with them long after the music stopped.
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The All Songs Considered host had his mind blown by Rosalía's LUX and his heart broken by Patrick Watson's uh oh, and was taken for a wild ride by Geese.
