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Female Impersonators on the Avenue
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Female Impersonators on the Avenue
June 24, 2022

Nearly every club on the Avenue featured drag queens and trans performers - billed as female impersonators - and nearly every musician on the Avenue worked alongside these entertainers.

The Indiana Juneteenth Freedom Music Festival
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The Indiana Juneteenth Freedom Music Festival
June 16, 2022

This week we preview the Indiana Juneteenth Freedom Music Festival.

Avenue Rap Samples Pt. 3
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Avenue Rap Samples Pt. 3
June 9, 2022

This week, we’ll continue our ongoing look at the use of Avenue music samples in hip-hop. Hear how contemporary stars like Doja Cat have used Avenue music in their work.

The Indianapolis Recorder’s Dream Band Contest
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The Indianapolis Recorder’s Dream Band Contest
June 3, 2022

This week we’ll look back at the Indianapolis Recorder’s “Dream Band” contest, which invited readers to vote for their favorite Naptown musicians, to be included in the newspaper’s “Dream Band."

Indiana Avenue’s Torch Singers
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Indiana Avenue’s Torch Singers
May 27, 2022

This week we explore torch songs – songs lamenting unrequited or lost loves. Featuring an hour of music from Aretta Bush, Helen “Fox”Walker, Everett Greene, Flo Garvin, The Ink Spots and more.

Dewayne Garvin: The Legend of the Funky Buzzard
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Dewayne Garvin: The Legend of the Funky Buzzard
May 15, 2022

A tribute to the late Naptown drummer Dewayne Garvin, better known as the “Funky Buzzard."

Avenue Artists at Chess Records
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Avenue Artists at Chess Records
May 13, 2022

Chicago’s Chess Records is known worldwide for releasing classic blues and rock and roll music from artists like Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, but it also recorded important musicians from the Avenue.

Growing Up on the Avenue: David Williams
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Growing Up on the Avenue: David Williams
May 6, 2022

Author David Williams discusses his latest work “African-Americans in Indianapolis."

Naptown Legends: Johnny Shacklett Pt. 2
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Naptown Legends: Johnny Shacklett Pt. 2
April 29, 2022

We continue our tribute to guitarist Johnny Shacklett - one of the greatest living legends of the Naptown jazz scene.

Naptown Legends: Johnny Shacklett Pt. 1
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Naptown Legends: Johnny Shacklett Pt. 1
April 22, 2022

Johnny Shacklett, one of Naptown's greatest living legends, joins us to share memories of working on the Avenue and to discuss the “Baraka”, a unique, four-neck guitar Johnny built in the late 1960s.

The Forgotten Legends of the Avenue
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The Forgotten Legends of the Avenue
April 14, 2022

They may be unfamiliar to listeners today - but during their prime, artists like Slim Green, Helen Fox and many others packed Avenue clubs, and garnered rave reviews in the local press.

The Psychedelic Gospel of King James Version
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The Psychedelic Gospel of King James Version
April 9, 2022

This week we’ll celebrate the life and music of the late James "King Moses" Weeden, best known for his work with the psychedelic gospel music act King James Version.

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