Audio Antiques

Did you ever wonder why a legal copyright disclaimer is always played during baseball games? It's probably because of Gordon Barton McLendon, a radio broadcaster known as the Old Scotchman. After serving in the military during World War Two, McLendon created the Liberty Broadcasting System, a nationwide radio network that broadcast Major League Baseball games from 1948 to 1953. Those broadcast...

Willie Howard Mays Jr., also known as "the Say Hey Kid", is widely regarded as the greatest all-round baseball player in American history. The African-American center fielder spent 23 seasons in the major leagues. Mays started his outstanding career with the New York Giants in 1951, quickly becoming rookie of the year. In 1954, he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award, and h...

On this edition of Audio Antiques we again salute Cleveland, Ohio USA. The 54th largest city in the United States. However, during radio's golden age, Cleveland was one of the 10 largest cities in the U.S.and was a center of entertainment, the arts, manufacturing, and technology. But there was also also crime. So First up, we hear a newspaper story from the Cleveland News going coast to coast...

On this edition of Audio Antiques we are celebrating Cleveland, Ohio USA. During radio's golden age, Cleveland was one of the 10 largest cities in the United States. During it's heyday, Cleveland was a center of manufacturing , innovation, business, arts & culture, and crime, as you will hear in some of the law & order shows of the day. We begin with President Franklin Roosevelt gi...

Many experts believe André Watts was one of the greatest classical pianist of all time. Over the six decades of his career, this celebrated African-American musician performed as soloist with every major orchestra in the United States, and most of the world's finest orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Watts record...

Portia May White was a operatic contralto, known for becoming the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame. Born in 1911, White's formative years were spent performing in her father's church choir in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She competed in local singing competitions as a teenager and later trained at the Halifax Conservatory of Music. One of her most popular recordin...

We are examining women's fight for democracy in the United States. In 1939, NBC and the federal government teamed up to produce a series of programs called Gallant American Women. These shows outlined their struggle for equality beginning with the nation's founding. We're going to hear two episodes. The first entitled These Freedoms, about women's fight for freedom of speech, worsh...

Sidney Poitier was a trailblazing actor, film director, and diplomat who achieved numerous significant accomplishments throughout his career. As the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, he made history with his powerful performances in films such as "Lilies of the Field" and the 1967 classic, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." Poitier's impact ex...

An interview with a true Christmas Grinch, plus an exploration of ways to beat the Holiday blues. More at KRobCollection.com

In 1960, WBAI Radio in New York City hosted a historic debate between two prominent civil rights leaders, Malcolm X and Bayard Rustin. The discussion centered around the best approach to achieving racial equality and justice in America. Malcolm X, a fiery advocate for black nationalism and self-defense, argued for a more radical and militant approach to combating systemic racism. On the other hand...

Ken Robinson explores ways to have a trouble free Christmas Season.  More at KRobCollection.com

Muhammad Ali, was an African-American boxer, activist, entertainer, and philanthropist. Many experts regard Ali has the best heavyweight boxer of all time, and the greatest sportsman of the 20th Century. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. he became the heavyweight champ in 1964, and retired in 1981. Ali was an early performer of spoken word poetry and rap music. In 1963 his album "I Am The Great...

This edition explores one of the worst incidents of racial hatred in U.S. history. It happened to Army Sgt. Isaac Woodard in 1946, as the African-American veteran was returning home from World War Two, where he earned a battle star, Good Conduct Medal, and the Service medal. When traveling through Batesburg, South Carolina, Woodard was removed from the Greyhound bus he was riding on, by the police...

How to keep from going broke during the Holiday Giving Season. Also, why society gangs up on fathers.  More at KRobCollection.com

Comedy Teams have a long history in the world of entertainment, beginning in British music halls, and then in vaudeville in America. They were also popular during the golden age of radio. Among the many comedy teams on the air at the start of commercial broadcasting were George Burns and his wife Gracie Allen. They got married in Cleveland, Ohio in 1926 and never looked back, performing in early t...

In this edition, we learn about the woman who was named one of the most important people of the 20th Century. Helen Keller was an American author, disability rights advocate, feminist, political activist and humanitarian. The Alabama native, lost her sight and her hearing due to illness when she was just 19 months old. However, Keller later learned to speak and write with the help of her first tea...

How to find a good mate, and how to get rid of a bad one.  More at http://krobcollection.com

Duke Ellington was a major influence on music during the jazz age. Edward Kennedy Ellington was born in 1899, and in 1927 had his first international hit with Creole Love Call. The African-American composer, pianist, and orchestra leader would remain popular for this rest of his life, touring the world, while based at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York. Ellington was given many awards, including...

Ken interviews Gerome Warcloud of the American Indian Center, and the American Indian Movement on the struggles and concerns of North America's indigenous people. (1981) More at http://krobcollection.com

This podcast focuses on the contributions made during the times of Jim Crow segregation, to promote racial harmony during World War Two, in two episodes of the show New World A-Comin', both aired during the war on New York Radio Station WMCA. First, we'll hear a 1944 play about one of the 125,000 African Americans who fought in World War Two, all in segregated units. Then we'll hear a...

Superman first appeared in comic books in 1938, and quickly became one of America's most famous fictional heroes. In 1940, The Adventures of Superman appeared as a radio serial that appealed to kids, it was an instant success. The serial continued until 1951, with more than 2,000 original episodes produced. In 1946 the producers began focusing on racial and ethnic issues to fight the rising po...

Fear of Public Speaking, Divorce, and Sick Buildings. For details visit http://krobcollection.com

An interview with Jerry Johnson of the rehabilitation center Orca House, and Beverly Bell of the Urban Minority Alcoholism Outreach Program. He reveals how alcohol can affect African-American families.  More at http://krobcollection.com

On this podcast we take examine of two historic and legendary African-American educators. First, there's the story of philanthropist, humanitarian, and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune who was an advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt. She was the founder of what would become Bethune-Cookman University in Florida. Bethune will also speak to us in her own words. Then, the story of Boo...

Josh White was a rock star, before there were rock stars. Joshua Daniel White was born in 1914, and overcame tremendous odds to become a world famous musical powerhouse. By mastering the guitar, he took the world of folk, blues, and pop music by storm. Growing up as a young African-American child prodigy, he was forced to perform under involuntary servitude. As a young man, White was able to break...