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Mattiwilda Dobbs (03/14/1975)

February 18, 2022, 11:00 pm

Mattiwilda Dobbs (Photo: Carl Van Vechten loc.gov)

Tonight, WFMT presents one of the great American voices of the past: coloratura soprano Mattiwilda Dobbs (1925-2015). She was born in Atlanta, and during her career broke color barriers on opera stages around the world, including La Scala, Covent Garden, and the Met. She was Studs Terkel’s guest in 1975.

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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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Mattiwilda Dobbs (03/14/1975)