Fr. Boniface Hardin and Dwight Smith host this episode on which Jerry Harkness, a former player for the Knicks and Pacers, joins the program as a guest. Hardin, Smith, and Harkness discuss the challenging path to success for Black musicians, including financial exploitation, white musicians copying the work of Black musicians, and barriers to finding places to sleep and eat as a performer. Indiana Avenue and the Cotton Club in the '40s are discussed. The hosts and guest speak about famous musicians from Indiana and elsewhere such as the Ink Spots, George Porter, Montgomery Brothers, Freddy Hubbard, Larry Ridley, Dave Baker, J.J. Johnson. High school teachers Jack Powell and Frank Clay are discussed. The influence of church music and families like the Hamptons, the availability of records of early artists, the business side of Black music in the 1940s, and the classical music scene are also topics covered in this program.
Radio series: Afro-American in Indiana