Stars of WDIA, Memphis

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"The poster features the staff at WDIA Memphis, the first all black-staffed radio station in the United States. Which depicts 5 of its most popular disc jockeys at the time, including who would become a very famous recording artist, Rufus Thomas.

Of course WDIA has a tremendous history; there is a publication you can buy, a book, on the history of WDIA - "Wheelin on Beale" - by Louis Cantor, with a forward by B.B.. King - which is a great book, written by one of the children of the founders of WDIA. If it was all black-staffed doesn’t mean it was all black-owned. The first black-owned station was in Atlanta -WERD - in 1949 as well. And WDIA went on the air about 8 months before WEDR here in Birmingham. Many people appeared on WDIA including BB King and Elvis Presley."

Stars of WDIA, Memphis
Source: thebbrm.org