Stevie’s legendary song “Happy Birthday” was originally part of the long, hard battle to turn Dr. King’s birthday into a national holiday. When Dr. King was assassinated, his approval rating with white people was very low. At that point, he was not beloved by them. It took a lot of careful, steady, thoughtful, diplomatic work by Coretta Scott King to change his image and win over politicians. Stevie Wonder was committed to that struggle and this song is just one of the things he did for Dr. King. In this episode, we talk to King's daughter Bernice as well as the engineers who worked with Stevie on the song. We talk about how they got us to having a King holiday and what that fight meant to Stevie. And why he usually records in the middle of the night.



Guests:

Dr. Chrissy Greer, Professor, Fordham University 

Jelani Cobb, Professor, Columbia University 

Lon Neumann, Recording Engineer, Happy Birthday

Gary Adante, Lead Engineer, Happy Birthday

Dr. Bernice King, CEO The King Center 

Reverend Dr. Barbara Reynolds, Journalist



Credits:

Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday 
Writer: Stevie Wonder
Label: Motown Records
Publisher: Black Bull Music Inc, Jobete Music Co Inc



Public Enemy - By the Time I Get to Arizona
Writer: Chuck D, Neftali Santiago, Mandrill, Stuart Robertz, G-Wiz & C-Dawg
Label: Def Jam and Colombia Records
Publisher: Sony Music Entertainment



Stevie Wonder sings "Happy Birthday" Martin Luther King, CSPAN

Stevie Wonder on creating Martin Luther King Day 1983, CNN

Public Enemy, Arsenio Hall (1993)

Martin Luther King, Jr. on Income Inequality and Redistribution of Wealth, Insaaf Blog

Harold Washington, CBS Chicago

Republican President Reagan’s Jaw-Dropping Press Conference the Day Martin Luther King Holiday Was Passed, Mediaite

Public Enemy Chuck D Interview, ABC News (1992) 

Stevie’s legendary song “Happy Birthday” was originally part of the long, hard battle to turn Dr. King’s birthday into a national holiday. When Dr. King was assassinated, his approval rating with white people was very low. At that point, he was not beloved by them. It took a lot of careful, steady, thoughtful, diplomatic work by Coretta Scott King to change his image and win over politicians. Stevie Wonder was committed to that struggle and this song is just one of the things he did for Dr. King. In this episode, we talk to King's daughter Bernice as well as the engineers who worked with Stevie on the song. We talk about how they got us to having a King holiday and what that fight meant to Stevie. And why he usually records in the middle of the night.
 
Guests:
Dr. Chrissy Greer, Professor, Fordham University 
Jelani Cobb, Professor, Columbia University 
Lon Neumann, Recording Engineer, Happy Birthday
Gary Adante, Lead Engineer, Happy Birthday
Dr. Bernice King, CEO The King Center 
Reverend Dr. Barbara Reynolds, Journalist
 
Credits:
Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday 
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Writer: Stevie Wonder</li>
<li aria-level="1">Label: Motown Records</li>
<li aria-level="1">Publisher: Black Bull Music Inc, Jobete Music Co Inc</li>
</ul>
 
Public Enemy - By the Time I Get to Arizona
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Writer: Chuck D, Neftali Santiago, Mandrill, Stuart Robertz, G-Wiz &amp; C-Dawg</li>
<li aria-level="1">Label: Def Jam and Colombia Records</li>
<li aria-level="1">Publisher: Sony Music Entertainment</li>
</ul>
 
Stevie Wonder sings "Happy Birthday" Martin Luther King, CSPAN
Stevie Wonder on creating Martin Luther King Day 1983, CNN
Public Enemy, Arsenio Hall (1993)
Martin Luther King, Jr. on Income Inequality and Redistribution of Wealth, Insaaf Blog
Harold Washington, CBS Chicago
Republican President Reagan’s Jaw-Dropping Press Conference the Day Martin Luther King Holiday Was Passed, Mediaite
Public Enemy Chuck D Interview, ABC News (1992)

Black music by the decades.  Each season will deconstruct the most popular Black music of the decade, including what was happening in Black America at each moment in time.  Each episode of this audio docuseries focuses on a single song that defined a decade and changed the world. This music series explores cultural, political, and creative change one decade at a time. The first season will explore the Black music of the 80s and the sociopolitical roots of that music. Each episode looks at a single song from the era and what was happening socially at the moment that led to that song. We tell the story of each decade through music. Our host and lead writer Touré, interviews experts, cultural commentators, academics, and political thinkers, who will leave you feeling like you learned more about the music of the period. 

Black music by the decades.  Each season will deconstruct the most popular Black music of the decade, including what was happening in Black America at each moment in time.  Each episode of this audio docuseries focuses on a single song that defined a decade and changed the world. This music series explores cultural, political, and creative change one decade at a time. The first season will explore the Black music of the 80s and the sociopolitical roots of that music. Each episode looks at a single song from the era and what was happening socially at the moment that led to that song. We tell the story of each decade through music. Our host and lead writer Touré, interviews experts, cultural commentators, academics, and political thinkers, who will leave you feeling like you learned more about the music of the period.

Being Black- The '80s

NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Arts and Entertainment Podcast

Black music by the decades.  Each season will deconstruct the most popular Black music of the decade, including what was happening in Black America at each moment in time.   Each episode of this audio docuseries focuses on a single song that defined a decade and changed the world. This music series explores cultural, political, and creative change one decade at a time. The first season will explore the Black music of the 80s and the sociopolitical roots of that music. Each episode looks at a single song from the era and what was happening socially at the moment that led to that song.   Our host and lead writer, Touré, interviews experts, cultural commentators, academics, and political thinkers, who will leave you feeling like you learned more about the music of the period. 

NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Arts and Entertainment Podcast
Black music by the decades.  Each season will deconstruct the most popular Black music of the decade, including what was happening in Black America at each moment in time.   Each episode of this audio docuseries focuses on a single song that defined a decade and changed the world. This music series explores cultural, political, and creative change one decade at a time. The first season will explore the Black music of the 80s and the sociopolitical roots of that music. Each episode looks at a single song from the era and what was happening socially at the moment that led to that song.   Our host and lead writer, Touré, interviews experts, cultural commentators, academics, and political thinkers, who will leave you feeling like you learned more about the music of the period.

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