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Muhammad Ali (11/26/1975)

January 21, 2022, 11:00 pm

Muhammad Ali, c. 1975 (Bernard Gotfryd photograph collection | Library of Congress 2020729681)

In November 1975, Studs Terkel used his portable tape recorder to capture an interview with one of the best-known and most indelible figures of the 20th century: boxing great and activist Muhammad Ali. Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942 and succumbed to Parkinson’s in 2016.

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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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Muhammad Ali (11/26/1975)