Jesse Coopwood

Jesse Coopwood (July 25, 1928 – December 7, 2001)[1] was an American jazz radio broadcaster.[2]

Broadcaster

Once dubbed as having "the perfect voice for radio",[3] Coopwood was a jazz and talk radio personality in Gary, Indiana, whose career spanned five decades. During that time, Coopwood appeared on several Gary radio stations, including WMPP, WGRY, WWCA and WLTH.[4][5]

Producer

He produced several jazz recordings of various artists for the Chance Records label.[6] Also a union organizer[7] and civil rights activist, Coopwood is included in the archives of The Civil Rights History Project in the Library of Congress.[8]

The Jackson Five

He emceed the first talent show in which the Jackson Five competed. They won first place and the newspaper clipping of their win, pictured with Coopwood, appeared on the back cover of the program distributed at the memorial service upon the death of Michael Jackson.[9]

Death

He died in 2001, in Gary, Indiana, at the age of 73.[10]

References
  1. Jesse R Coopwood. United States Social Security Death Index FamilySearch. 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016
  2. Chicago Radio Legends Richard Earl Pegue. The Best Music of Your Life. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2016
  3. Gary's first black radio star dies at 73 Richard Grey. Post-Tribune. (IN). December 12, 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2016
  4. R & B Roundup. Nick Biro. Rhythm & Blues. Billboard. May 11, 1963 Retrieved May 27, 2016
  5. Gary Indiana Edward Komara, Peter Lee. Page 361. The Blues Encyclopedia. Jul 1, 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2016
  6. The Chance Label Robert Pruter, Armin Büttner, and Robert L. Campbell. Clemson University. May 25, 2016 Retrieved May 27, 2016
  7. Journal, WWCC AFTRA strike, by Jesse Coopwood WWCA Collection. Calumet Regional Archives. Indiana University Northwest. The Trustees of Indiana University. 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016
  8. The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories Charles Walton. The American Folklore Center. The Library of Congress. May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2016
  9. First Place Winners of the Talent Search Page 16. Michael Jackson. King of Pop. A Celebration of the Life of Michael Jackson 1958-2009. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2016
  10. Gary's first black radio star dies at 73 Richard Grey. Post-Tribune. (IN). December 12, 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2016


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