Ep. 6: Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles

They were on their way to dinner. In the early evening hours of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. stepped out onto the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis to gather his troops. Soon, they would be expected at the home of the Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles for dinner. The prominent pastor of Monumental Baptist Church in Memphis, Kyles had helped organize King’s visit to town. But as they gathered, a shot rang out. In this 2008 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kyles sat down to talk about King’s last hours and his influence. Part of a news project for the 40th anniversary of King’s death, Kyles was one of 13 people that The AJC sat down with to record their stories about the civil rights leader’s last days. We are re-releasing these interviews as a 13-part podcast hosted by Multimedia Journalist Ryon Horne. Along with Earl Caldwell, Andrew Young, Tyrone Brooks, Christine King Farris, Martin Luther King III, Xernona Clayton and Bernice King, and those who have left us — including Kyle, Juanita Abernathy, Ralph David Abernathy III, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, Congressman John Lewis, Kathryn Johnson — each gives us a glimpse, through their relationships with King, inside the making of history. Each episode will be made available through the Unapologetically ATL newsletter, but you can also subscribe to “The Voices of King” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices