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Every month we feature a page from the RBM archive. Browse the archive |
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Al Benson
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The year is 1950 – the time 4:00 pm...
Most radios in Bronzville are tuned to station WGES, where the voice of the most popular Black radio personality of the time entered the homes and cars of Black Chicago. The record "9 O'clock Beer" performed by the Barney Bigard Quintet begins. This was the musical sound that introduced the Godfather of Chicago Black Radio, Al Benson.
Over the music you would hear Al Benson saying, "Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your old Swingmaster, Al Benson bringing you 60 minutes of red hot, beat me down, swing tunes of the day, and that's for sure." That familiar voice flooded the homes of Black Chicago many times a day, in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening.
Comedian George Kirby recalled his first impression of hearing Benson's radio voice, "I couldn't understand a word he was saying. He sounded like someone from the islands."
There were several Black people broadcasting in radio before Al Benson. The most notable was Jack L. Cooper, the first Black Radio personality, broadcasting over WSBC in Cicero and later WHFC in Chicago for a period of over thirty years... read more
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