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That Time Studs Terkel Introduced Big Bill Broonzy and Pete Seeger (c. 1952)

August 20, 2021, 11:00 pm

Studs Terkel

Tonight we remember an auspicious beginning and the time Studs Terkel brought together two legendary American musicians: bluesman Big Bill Bronzy and folk icon Pete Seeger. This historic broadcast is one of the earliest surviving programs Studs made for WFMT, when his then-weekly program, the Almanac, aired live on Sunday mornings.

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Meet the Host

Studs Terkel (1912-2008) radically redefined the concept of radio interviews. For 45 years starting in 1952, WFMT was his homebase. His daily radio show was a pillar of WFMT’s programming, with its eclectic and astute mix of music and conversation. Studs juxtaposed interviews with the many of the 20th century’s most significant figures with the voices of uncelebrated, working people from Chicago. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Studs helped established oral history as a popular and socially ambitious literary genre. Some of his titles include: Division Street, Hard Times, Working, Race and And They All Sang (Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey). Studs was also a recipient of the National Book Award.

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That Time Studs Terkel Introduced Big Bill Broonzy and Pete Seeger (c. 1952)