Chuck Leonard, a pioneering disk jockey known for his rich, smooth voice, was born Charles Wesley Leonard in Chicago, Illinois, on March 30, 1937, to Alma Leonard and Charles Leon. Chuck graduated from Hyde Park High School with honors in 1955, where he ran on … Read MoreChuck Leonard (1937-2004)
John “Jack” Albert Holmes, Jr. (also known as “Daddy Jack Holmes”) was Virginia’s first Black disc jockey. He was born to John Albert Holmes, Sr., and Mary Holmes on July 1, 1912, in Merchantville, New Jersey. He graduated from Camden High School in Camden, New … Read MoreJohn Albert Holmes, Jr. (1912-1989)
Lorraine Patricia Baa, commentator, entrepreneur, and cancer cure advocate was born in Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands, on February 1, 1953, to Orlando J. Baa, Sr. from the Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands) and Rosalia Potter Baa from Anegada, British Virgin Islands. Her siblings … Read MoreLorraine Patricia Baa (1953-2021)
Patrick Ellis Connery was a legendary radio personality for WHUR-FM’s Sunday Gospel Spirit Show in the Washington, D.C. area for more than four decades. Ellis died on July 16, 2020 in a hospital in Annapolis, Maryland, at the age of 77, from complications due to … Read MorePatrick Connery Ellis (1943-2020)
Ruby Elzy was a singer and actress, born February 20, 1908 in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Her father Charlie Elzy left the family when Elzy was three years old. Her mother Emma Elzy worked three jobs to support Ruby and her three siblings. She was a teacher at a colored school, … Read MoreRuby Elzy (1908-1943)
Tom Joyner is the first African American to become a syndicated radio show host. His “The Tom Joyner Show” is broadcast to over 104 radio stations in the United States. He is also a muscian, author, producer, actor, and television show host. Besides his media … Read MoreTom Joyner (1949- )
Solomon Michaux was a radio evangelist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Church of God Movement; he was also known as the “Happy Am I Preacher.” Michaux was born around 1885 in Buckroe Beach, Virginia into a devout family of Baptists. He grew up in Newport … Read MoreSolomon Lightfoot “Elder” Michaux (ca. 1885-1968)
