logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
23m 51s

The Rise and Fall of Black Swan Records

RADIO DIARIES & RADIOTOPIA
About this episode
In 1921, a man named Harry Pace started the first major Black-owned record company in the United States. He called it Black Swan Records. In an era when few Black musicians were recorded, the company was revolutionary. It launched the careers of Ethel Waters, Fletcher Henderson, William Grant Still, and Alberta Hunter, artists who transformed American musi ... Show More
Up next
Nov 20
This Short Life
<p>Today on the show, we sit down with photographer Andrew Lichtenstein to discuss his new book, THIS SHORT LIFE, which combines photo essays with audio testimonies about 12 Americans, from a West Virginia coal miner to a Maine farmer, all united by how the struggles of their pas ... Show More
16m 19s
Nov 3
Detained: The Last Columbia Protester
<p>In April 2024, over 100 students were arrested during protests outside Columbia University, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Leqaa Kordia, a young Palestinian woman living in Paterson, New Jersey, was one of them.</p><p>Kordia was let go after the protests. But months later, I ... Show More
11m 42s
Oct 23
Identical Strangers
<p>Paula Bernstein and Elyse Schein were both born in New York City and adopted as infants. When they were 35 years old, they met and found they were “identical strangers.”</p><p><br>This story originally aired on NPR in 2007. </p><p>Liked this story? Donate and find more of our ... Show More
17m 10s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2021
The Vanishing of Harry Pace Trailer from the Creators of Dolly Parton's America
Hi, Dolly Parton's America fans! We're sharing a new trailer for our new 6-part series The Vanishing of Harry Pace -from the creators of Dolly Parton's America, Jad Abumrad and Shima Oliaee - now premiering at Radiolab. It was Motown before Motown, FUBU before FUBU: Black Swan Re ... Show More
2m 7s
Dec 2016
Bruce Springsteen
<p>Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Bruce Springsteen. </p><p>His career has brought him 20 Grammys, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award and his albums sell in their millions around the world. He grew up in New Jersey where the Catholic church played a central role in his ear ... Show More
48m 37s
Sep 2023
The secrets of being a successful music manager
<p>Kim Chakanetsa talks to two female music managers who have made a significant impact in an often male-dominated field. </p><p>Kei Henderson was the personal manager of rapper 21 Savage for several years. She is the CEO and founder of Third and Hayden, a management company tha ... Show More
27m 13s
Jul 2023
Becoming the people we want to be, with Gina Birch, Kathleen Hanna, Mark Moore, and Stephen McRobbie
Gina Birch, Kathleen Hanna, Mark Moore, and Stephen McRobbie how their teenage years influenced their path into music, how it felt to be doing something creative and combative for a living, and being at peace with themselves later in life.Gina Birch was inspired to form post punk ... Show More
29m 24s
Feb 2021
Eric Burton (Black Pumas)
<p>The trajectory of Austin-based band Black Pumas has seen a phenomenal rise since the duo formed in 2017. Grammy-winning producer and guitarist Adrian Quesada was introduced to Eric Burton, a powerhouse songwriter and street performer, by a mutual friend. The two musicians conn ... Show More
58m 24s
Jan 2024
Forten and Frank
Episode 88 features two incredible Black Americans who were friends born in the 18th Century. James Forten (1766-1842) was a Revolutionary War Veteran who owned one of America's most successful sail-making companies. He was also influential abolitionist and early Civil Rights lea ... Show More
35m 43s
Jan 2022
Musical collage with Mad Professor, Suzanne Ciani, Matthew E. White and Georgia Anne Muldrow
Mad Professor, Suzanne Ciani, Matthew E. White and Georgia Anne Muldrow discuss how listening to music lets you travel through time, packaging their work into album form, and which part of the music-making process they enjoy the most.Matthew E. White is a singer, songwriter, prod ... Show More
29m 57s
Aug 2023
Music is escapism with Nitin Sawhney, Tim Burgess, Nainita Desai and Ayanna Witter-Johnson
Nitin Sawhney, Tim Burgess, Nainita Desai and Ayanna Witter-Johnson discuss how their family and cultural history impacts their creativity, being conscious of who they’re representing when creating, and how their output is a reflection of their changing identities.Producer, compo ... Show More
36m 58s