Kent's obsession with radio began when he was five years old, and in 1944 at age 16, he made his official debut. The Cool Gent traces the high and low points of Kent's career, including the epitome of his success-as the top deejay at the most powerful black station in the country, WVON-AM in Chicago-to his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction and battles with cancer. Despite it all, the much-loved broadcaster persevered to become the first black deejay inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.
In addition to Kent's own story, The Cool Gent explores the history of radio and provides an insider's look at seven decades of black music and radio. Kent has been at the forefront of every music trend, including Motown, R&B, soul, funk and black punk. He has known and interviewed music icons like Duke Ellington, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson.
Kent's longevity and continuity on the radio is legendary and he still possesses an uncanny talent for picking timeless tunes. The Cool Gent is a testament to Kent's significant contributions to broadcast radio and the remarkable role he played in opening doors for many African Americans in the industry.
Herb Kent is an urban radio pioneer and legendary DJ who first went on the air in 1944 and still broadcasts today. He was the first African American to be inducted into the Museum of Broadcasting Radio Hall of Fame. He teaches broadcasting at Chicago State University. He lives in Chicago. David Smallwood is a journalist and the coauthor of Profiles of Great African Americans. He is a founder of, contributor to, and former editor of N'Digo, a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, and a former reporter and editor for the Chicago Sun-Times and Jet Magazine. He lives in Park Forest, Illinois.
Book Details:
Title: The Cool Gent: The Nine Lives of Radio Legend Herb Kent
Author: Herb Kent and David Smallwood; Foreword by Mayor Richard M. Daley
Publisher: Lawrence Hill Books, an imprint of Chicago Review Press, Distributed by Independent Publishers Group
Publication: February 2009, $24.95 (CAN $27.95), Cloth, ISBN-10: 1556527748; ISBN-13: 9781556527746
Autobiography/African American, 302 pages, 6 x 9, 35 B&W photographs
Available at bookstores everywhere and through Independent Publishers Group,
814 N. Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60610.
Toll-free number for orders only: 1-800-888-4741.
Visit us online at www.ipgbook.com.
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