Shelley’s Plumbline

Send us Fan Mail Today, Shelley continues his search for the truth on the topic of selling. It is often an occupation that is looked on with disdain, yet nothing can happen without it. Whether it’s an idea or a product, we are all selling something. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail Today, Shelley shares an interview from 1991 with George Sarris. Mr. Sarris was an immigrant from Greece who eventually developed a small empire of seafood restaurants in and around the Birmingham, Alabama, area. He discusses how the Greek community worked together to help each other grow and prosper. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Shelley once again shines the light on the importance of education as he shares a recording from 1991 of a speech given by Charles Gray on the Re-Education of our Children. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail As election week finally rolls around, Shelley recalls the ultimate sacrifice that was made by his bother Jerome in Korea. He also talks about Georgia Price and others who, in the late 50s and mid-60s, paved the way for the movement toward equality and human rights in the United States. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedI...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode, Shelley explains the real meaning behind equality. Plus, he shares some stores from early in his career, including an encounter with the Ku Klux Klan. Stay tuned. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail Today, Shelley continues sharing anecdotes from his life. This week, he tells us about the time he was arrested when he took a job in Jackson, Mississippi. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode, Shelley recalls how he evolved from his role beyond an on-air personality, developing the key relationships that set the foundation for his future as a businessman. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail This week, Shelley expands on the story of his growing popularity as a radio personality. He fought for equality in access and pay at the radio stations where he worked. And he shares stories about meeting and working with Dr King well before he was well-known. Stay tuned and learn more about Shelley’s ongoing struggle for equality and human rights. Support the show Follow us and...

Send us Fan Mail Shelley's popularity is growing in strength and numbers as his fresh style and approach pays off as begins to dominate the airwaves in Birmingham, Alabama in the mid-1950s. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail As we celebrate Shelley’s 90th birthday this week, Shelley shares an episode in his life that marks the birth of Shelley “The Playboy.” It was while he was in the Air Force that Shelley first began to develop his well-known radio persona. Stay tuned. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode, Shelley talks about a daring escape where Shelley recused his brothers Sam and Dave from a plantation in Mississippi. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail As we continue our march towards Shelley’s 90th birthday, Shelley shares some stories about his first experience with journalism, public speaking and broadcasting. He shares how he ran into some trouble with one of the gangs at high school and how he had a second reunion with his oldest brother, Bubba. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagra...

Send us Fan Mail As we enter September and get closer to Shelley’s 90th birthday celebration, we explore the ironic challenges Shelley faced. He lived with an aunt and uncle who continually tried to discourage him from getting an education. Stay tuned and learn how he persevered. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail Did you know when Shelley was growing up, he thought his name was Shurley? Stay tuned and learn how Shelley learned his name was Shelley. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail We continue sharing the story of Shelley’s life as we get closer to the celebration of his 90th birthday in September. In this week’s episode, Shelley describes life after he is taken back to his Aunt Mamie and Uncle Henry’s house. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail So far, we’ve followed Shelley from living on a screened-in porch to living in a horse stable with his brother Bubba and then to the basement of Clyde Smith’s home. In today’s episode, Shelley talks about the year 1947 and how it changed everything. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode, Shelley discusses how there were two curriculums. The one he was taught in the negro school, and the one he shared with Mary Sue Smith, Clyde Smith’s daughter. Even though she was a polio victim she somehow got a hold of books and magazines from the white school and shared them with Shelley. Listen to find out how Shelley learned about both black and white...

Send us Fan Mail Hey, Plumbliners. Yes, we received all your texts and emails telling us that we missed an episode last Wednesday. Thanks for noticing. You’re right. We didn’t publish last Wednesday, but that’s because we held off this week’s episode to release a very special edition of Shelley’s Plumbline. Today is Sunday, August 4, 2024. It is exactly 85 years to the day that Mattie C Stewart pa...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Shelley continues sharing the profound influence that Clyde Smith had on his life while he was growing up in segregated Birmingham. Mr. Smith, a white man, took Shelley into his home when he was a young child.  Mr. Smith taught Shelley some key secrets to life and that to be respected, one had to give respect first.  Support the show Follow us and continue the con...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode, we continue sharing Shelley’s life story a decade at a time leading up to his 90th birthday.  Today, Shelley tells us about his life with the Smith family, how he lived in a basement and continued his studies at Irondale Elementary. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail Today we continue telling Shelley’s life story, one decade at a time. Let’s head out to the back porch and head back to the 1930s and 40s in Birmingham, Alabama and talk about Shelley’s life with the Smith family. Support the show Follow us and continue the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn .

Send us Fan Mail Hello, Plumbliners, and welcome to Season 7 of Shelley’s Plumbline.  So Shelley and I looked at the calendar, and we realized that by the time we finish this season, we will be close to Shelley’s 90th birthday. So, in season seven, we will take you to the back porch and take you through Shelley’s life, one decade at a time. Today, we’ll look at Shelley’s life in the 30s.  Support...

Send us Fan Mail Hey, Plumbliners. In the year 2000, Shelley gave a speech at AH Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama, on the occasion of the school’s 100th anniversary. This is the very same school that Shelley graduated from. This is the school where Shelley began his career in journalism, broadcasting, and performing. Today we feature a recording of that speech. Support the show Follow us...

Send us Fan Mail In 1993, Shelley hosted the Shelley Stewart Show, Survival in the 90s. It was a talk show on television that ran for 13 episodes. Today, we feature the audio from an extraordinary episode that featured a conversation with three very different people on the same stage. The discussion featured Lamarse Washington , Executive Director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews,...

Send us Fan Mail Hey, Plumbliners. This is Mark Jamroz, producer of Sheley’s Plumbline. Today, Shelley and I sit down for another edition of the “Back Porch.” Think of it as “Shelley Unplugged” as we discuss a few of our experiences learning about race and racism. Then we touch upon the topic of happiness. Stayed tuned. I think you’re really going to like it. Support the show Follow us and continu...