The history of Black radio -- indeed, the history of music radio generally -- is only partly understood, and poorly documented. Without any easy means of recording the broadcasts, listeners could only listen, and we're forced to use our imaginations, relying on chance recordings or the few in-studio tapes and acetates scattered about in the hands of private collectors. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a small corner devoted to the subject, with an amazing "radio" interface that allows you to "tune in" to local broadcasts from the golden age around the country -- but even on the Internet, that cornucopia of everything that has ever been thought or said, it's hard to find much of value, or get any historical context on what you do find.
Still, there are a few welcome discoveries out there for the dedicated searcher. YouTube, though supposedly a video archive, comes through as usual with some great audio. Jocko Henderson, whose 1950's-era radio intro had him flying in from outer space like Superman, recorded a novelty-song version of his patter ("Blast off to Love"), and lived long enough to cut a couple of rap records in the late 1970's, such as "Rhythm Talk" and "Everybody's Uptight."
Biographical information on a few major DJ's -- Dr. Hepcat, Dr. Daddy-O, Poppa Stoppa, Petey Greene, and Martha Jean "The Queen," can be found online, some with a soundbyte or two. A new site, The Masters of Ceremony, looks promising but has no content as of yet. Local sites that document the history of Black radio in cities such as Milwaukee, Detroit, and San Francisco are another good if limited source. There are also a couple of (expensive) books which hold some promise, though I can't vouch for them one way or another.
Biographical information on a few major DJ's -- Dr. Hepcat, Dr. Daddy-O, Poppa Stoppa, Petey Greene, and Martha Jean "The Queen," can be found online, some with a soundbyte or two. A new site, The Masters of Ceremony, looks promising but has no content as of yet. Local sites that document the history of Black radio in cities such as Milwaukee, Detroit, and San Francisco are another good if limited source. There are also a couple of (expensive) books which hold some promise, though I can't vouch for them one way or another.
It's also a great topic if anyone is interested in it for their paper -- maybe there are some histories closer to home that have yet to be uncovered?
Having worked for a rock radio station that was considered a "pioneer/niche" station during its early years I can see a lot of parallels between it and Black Radio. Both formats were only given a chance during the late and overnight time slots when the stakes, or advertising dollars, were considered low risk. It's interesting to see that as we can say that there was a racial barrier in radio, there was also a cultural barrier. DJ's like Wolfman Jack put on personas, as did Dr. Hepcat, to capture their audience. The break from what was considered "the norm" I beleive is what catapulted these persoanlities in their respective markets.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite interesting to see how many black radio entertainers from the 70s are still on the AM radio band and if they were given the opportunity to transition to internet streaming content for broadcasting, would their audience follow them or they will acquire a new listening audience taking into consideration new technology?
ReplyDeleteHere is a great link worth checking out! It deals with the "20 best black radio jockeys".
ReplyDeletehttp://newsone.com/1093115/top-20-radio-jockeys-of-all-time/
Cory P Kirk
The first black radio station voice ever heard was that of "Jack the Rapper". He played a huge role in not only the out-put of black music but also the role in the civil rights movement. Without the voice of "Jack the Rapper", we would not have heard the voice of Martin Luther King Jr. or any other members of the SCLC. The internet could be considered comparable as to being able to hear important information in real time. With radio you can reach a wide audience. You don't know who the people on the other end listening are, their skin color, their heritage, or even if they are male or female. The black radio voice of "Jack the Rapper" mad it possible for the oppressed to fight back and have their voice be heard.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.radioblack.com/hiphop_webcast.html These are some current forums that try to revitalize the old era of the black radio and the uniqueness of its broadcast. I feel as though this may have been mainstreamed by now into modern day radio, but the internet gives unlimited options and that there may be hints of this culture more prevalent on a limited marketing scheme. Jasons parallel to "Niche" radio stations is also an interesting concept.
ReplyDeleteThis blog hit close to home for me. I feel as though in the 21st century I find myself scrambling to be able to find out new good music that I like. Mostly from streaming sources my only prior experience has been through pandora, and I have to agree with our in class discussion that it is quite a cookie cutter selection. Leading us to songs believed to be popular in a particular genre. The problem with this is that I am looking for new up and coming to talent not what is necessarily popular. Maybe if we were able to take a step away from all these advances of streaming sounds that sound alike and revisit the days of the "black voices on the air" who were rightfully trained in their position, guiding us with their gifted ear.
ReplyDelete