HISTORY BREAK: FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN FEMALE DJ

Mary Dee Dudley broke racial and gender barriers by becoming the nation’s first African-American female disc jockey. Dudley launched her daily 15-minute show, “Movin’ Around,” on station WHOD in Homestead, Pennsylvania. After six months, the show expanded from 15 minutes to an hour, and two years later to two hours.

Dudley, a native of Homestead, PA, was the daughter of William Goode & sister to ABC TV news reporter, Mal Goode. She attracted national attention when Ebony magazine spotlighted her show. Through her program, she interviewed national celebrities such as Cab Calloway, Jackie Robinson, and Sarah Vaughan.

On August 1, 1948, when WHOD went on the air for the first time, “Mary Dee” broadcasted her first 15-minute show to become the nation’s first African-American female disc jockey with a daily show. She broadcast on WHOD from 1948 to 1956.

When Mary’s show was expanded to show two hours, she brought in her brother, Mal, to run a daily Courier news segment. Mal was a reporter for the Pittsburgh Courier. Mal covered the Jim Crow segregation, poor housing, and prejudiced politicians. Mal Goode went on to become the first African-American news reporter for the ABC-TV Network.

Dudley left WHOD in 1956 to work in Baltimore, Maryland. After leaving WHOD, she was hired to work for station WHAT in Philadelphia, where she hosted a Monday thru Saturday gospel music show called “Songs of Faith.” She stayed on air with WHAT for eight years. Dudley died in 1964...

PAST OBITS: FRANK WAPPAT

For this past obit we are going to spotlight a very different kind of entertainer in disc jockey Frank Wappat. In the 1990s, I had about a dozen friends from England that I traded music with. Unfortunately those years are gone, but my friends from across the pond introduced me to Frank Wappat's radio show. He died five years today. This was published in the Chronicle Live on February 17, 2014...

Veteran broadcaster Frank Wappat has died.

The radio presenter worked for the BBC for 40 years and died yesterday morning from heart failure at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Today was his 84th birthday.

The former BBC Newcastle presenter retired in October 2010 due to ill health after suffering from a stroke which left him with condition Aphasia.

He began his broadcasting career via the pirate station Radio 390 on the Thames Estuary and then moved to the Tyneside station in 1970.

He went on to become its longest-serving presenter drawing in thousands of followers along the way.

Radio listeners will know him best for his work producing and presenting two BBC Newcastle shows - Sunday morning’s Inspirational Show from 6am to 7.30am and the award-winning Frank Wappat Music show from 7pm to 10pm.

Before he turned to radio he was a Methodist lay preacher, but quickly fell foul of the church authorities whom, he claims, did not like his “religion can be enjoyable!” approach.

In the 1960s he formed his own alternative congregation and worshippers flocked first to his Mission in Byker, Newcastle, and then to the redundant C of E church he occupied in North Shields.

Meanwhile, his Thirties Club and Gospel Hour programmes attracted large audiences and he would often lead the annual Christmas sing-a-longs in Newcastle’s Eldon Square with crowds of shoppers.

Crooner Chick Henderson

He won two Sony Radio Academy Awards during his career, one for his Master Joe Peterson programme and in 2000 he won his second for investigative journalism for his work unearthing the truth about the death of 1940s singer Chick Henderson.

His Nostalgia show continued on BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Radio York until August 2010...

He lived in Blyth with his wife Susan.In an interview with the Chronicle on his retirement he said he was never tempted to work outside the North East.

He said: “I see myself as a Geordie lad from Hebburn, I don’t think I’d fit in with big establishments.”

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