Audio Antiques

Daniel Robert Bankhead was the first African American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. He had played for the Negro leagues starting in 1940, where is was also a powerful hitter. Bankhead served in the Marine Corps Reserve during World War Two, and achieved the rank of sergeant. He was signed by the same man who signed Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey. Even though Robinson was the first Black man to pl...

From it's early days in the 1920's news was an important part of radio. The first newscasts were little more than announcers reading press releases and police reports. In the 1930s and 40s, network newscasts evolved into audio versions of newspaper columns. During the World War Two and into the 1950s there was the arrival of the radio news anchor, who presented reporters on the scene, with commentary confined to the people actually...

From 1955 it's the NBC Radio show Best of All. This episode featuring a salute to the National Association of Negro Musicians. Honoring African-Americans involved in classical music. The program is hosted by Marian Anderson, the famous contralto, who performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals, with renowned orchestras throughout the United States and Europe, between 1925 and 1965. 

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The Great Gildersleeve was a radio situation comedy broadcast from 1941 to 1957. The series was built around the character of Throckmorton Gildersleeve, a small town water commissioner and his family. One of the co-stars was Lillian Randolph, an African-American actress and singer. However, later in the series her actress sister Amanda Randolph took the role. Both Randolphs were active during radio's golden age and were often mista...

From the 1940's, it's the bar-room situation comedy series Duffy's Tavern, starring Ed Gardner as Archie the manager of the tavern. Co-starring on the show was Eddie Green, an actor, film director, and composer, who was one of the most influential African-American artists on radio during the golden age. Green got into the entertainment business as a boy magician in Baltimore, and later transitioned to Broadway, and the silver scree...

From the 1940s, this is the popular and influential Wings Over Jordan program. It was a Sunday morning show, named for the prominent African American choir that performed on it during the 1930s and 1940s. The choir was founded in 1935 by Rev. Glen Settle pastor of Gethsemane Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio. The show originated on local station WGAR, but was picked up nationwide by the CBS Network. Wings Over Jordan used sermons a...

This is one of the few classic radio programs hosted by a female. From the 1940s, The Judy Canova Show centered on the life of an entertainer from the country, who becomes a hit in the big city. 

The show co-stars Ruby Dandridge as Judy's sidekick Geranium. The African-American actress had a career that included the stage, radio, films, and television. She's also the mother of celebrated actress, singer, and dancer Dorothy Dand...

From 1948, this is an NBC Radio interview show called Author Meets the Critics. The special Guest is Walter White, who led the NAACP from 1929 to 1955. He joined the organization in 1918 investigating race riots and lynchings. White developed legal challenges to fight segregation and voting restrictions aimed at minorities.  Walter White tells his story, and talks about his autobiography. 

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One of the wackiest programs during the golden age of radio was the Danny Kaye Show. The actor, singer, dancer, comedian, musician, and philanthropist, had one of the highest rated shows in 1946, and his co-star was Butterfly McQueen. The African-American actress was best known for her appearance in the movie, Gone with the Wind. Often typecast as a maid, she said: "I didn't mind playing a maid the  first time, because I thoug...

From 1944, it's the program New World A Coming. This episode is called the Negro in Entertainment, and features 24 year old Hazel Scott. A prominent movie actress, dazzling pianist, jazz singer, and civil rights activist throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Scott is in the history books as the first black American to host her own network TV show. Scott's career in America was sabotaged after she was forced to testify before the ...

The Jack Benny Program was one of the most popular shows during radio's classic era. And one of the most popular characters on that program was Benny's trusty valet Rochester, as played by Eddie Anderson. He was the first African American to have a regular role on a network show, and became one of radio's highest paid entertainers during the golden age. Thanks to smart business investments, Anderson was one of the nation's wealthie...

Dick Gregory (October 12, 1932 – August 19, 2017) was an American comedian, civil rights activist, and author whose pioneering stand-up routines broke through racial barriers in the 1960s, making him a prominent voice in both entertainment and social justice. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Gregory rose to national fame after his breakthrough performance at Chicago’s Playboy Club, where his sharp, satirical takes on race a...