Hosted by Esther Armah

SO MANY musical artists weighed in during the decades of the Civil Rights and Black Consciousness Movements… Nina Simone, Max Roach, Gil Scott-Heron, Archie Shepp, James Brown, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Sly Stone,Art Blakey, Curtis Mayfield… The list goes on! The Music of the Civil Rights and Black Consciousness MovementsRadio Special takes us back to a time when the social revolution taking place in America was reflected in the popular music that was all around us.

The Music of the Civil Rights and Black Consciousness Movements is a 2-hour production that weaves together over 60 tunes, with a narrative of events, intermittent voice clips of history makers and Columbia University historian Josef Sorett. Host Esther Armah is an award winning radio host and international journalist and appears on MSNBC, ARISE TV, GRITtv and BET. She is the former host of WBAI’s WakeUp Call in New York. Born in London, Esther brings fresh vitality to the show’s narration.

Photo of Students at a Greensboro Lunch Counter on Max Roach’s 1960 LP

Written and Produced by Jim Luce and Loretta Rucker, this compelling piece of radio was co-produced by radio stations WSNC at Winston Salem State University in NC, WCSU at Central State University in OH, WJSU at Jackson State University in MS, WRVS at Elizabeth City State University in NC, WURC at Rust College in MS and KPVU at Prairie View A&M University. These stations, all located at HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) joined forces to enable us to produce this special program.

Featured artists include Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Sam Cooke, Roy Ayers, Roberta Flack, Pharoah Sanders, Pete Seeger, Les McCann & Eddie Harris, Nina Simone, Oscar Brown Jr., Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Leon Thomas, Max Roach & Abbey Lincoln, John Coltrane, Isley Brothers, Kool & the Gang, Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, Haki Madhubuti, Gil Scott Heron, Donny Hathaway, Gary Bartz, Doug & Jean Carn, The Temptations and Harry Belafonte.