May 9, 2012 4:13 pm by: John Hanson

The Dramatics. Ron Banks, front row, right.
On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with the late Ron Banks. Banks was one of the founding members of the Detroit vocal group,
The Dramatics that formed in the mid-1960s and continued to play for avid audiences around the country.
Banks' silky falsetto voice and smooth choreography helped distinguish the Dramatics, particularly in Detroit's post-Motown scene of the 1970s, when the group enjoyed crossover pop success with songs such as "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" and “In the Rain."
Born May 10, 1951, in Detroit, MI, Banks with a vocal delivery inspired by the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks. He was among a group of teenagers who formed the Sensations in 1964 and then changed their name to the Dramatics the next year.
After signing with Stax Records in 1971, they released “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get," which reached No. 3 on the R&B charts and No. 9 on the pop charts, and...
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If you're anything like me (and I know I am), you love the O'Dark podcast so much that your only complaint is that there just isn't enough of it. Forty minutes or so, twice a week? That's nothing! So you'll be pleased to know that today's podcast is a jumbo edition, clocking in at just under 90 minutes. That's longer than some (really short) movies! And it's free, too!
This 'cast comes comprises a couple of pieces from our recent out-of-date holiday special, and includes celebrations of Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving. For Valentine's, we've got the "Sugar and Spice" episode of Snap Judgment. Snap's always great, and an episode that's all about love and/or heartbreak? Fantastic.
And for Thanksgiving... boy oh boy, I don't know how to prepare you guys for this one. You know... » read more
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Happy Valentine's Day, O'Darkers! Can you think of a more romantic way to spend the day than downloading an O'Dark podcast with the one you love? We hope so, for your sake!
It's a special holiday edition of the pod today, as we bring you
The R& B Chronicles Valentine's Day Special....
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It's podcast time in America, ladies and gentlemen! Good thing we've got a cast to pod. Or a pod to cast. We're really not sure which way that's supposed to go.
The bulk of today's podcast will be the debut episode of the brand-new show
Equal Time, "Roe v. Wade at 39." This is pretty...
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On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with former NBA/ABA star Spencer Haywood. Despite a productive NBA and ABA career, Haywood will always be remembered as the man who opened the door for underclassmen college basketball players to leave college early to...
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Happy January 31, everybody! Did you know that today is the 43rd anniversary of the last live performance by the Beatles? It's true. January 31, 1969 was the date of the Beatles rooftop concert at the Apple Records building in London. Today's podcast has nothing to do with that, but we thought we'd...
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We're going to do what we can to help you start your weekend off right, folks. And since we've really only got one arrow in our quiver (that being the free podcast arrow), we're going to use it.
First off, we've got an episode of
ThoughtCast for you. It's full of smart folks talking...
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[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Carolyn A. Brent, author of Why Wait? The Baby Boomers’ Guide to Preparing Emotionally, Financially and Legally for a Parent’s Death. There are currently over 79...
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If it's Tuesday, and reliable sources tell us that it is, it's time for the Tuesday podcast. We've got three little tidbits of independent radio for you and/or your ears today, so why wait? Let's get to it!
First off, it's
Dam Radio Story, which sounds very much like what KUT management...
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On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with the late Alex Haley. Pulitzer-prize winning author Alex Haley was best known for his historical work, including the widely acclaimed
Roots. Born in Ithaca, New York on August 11, 1921. He soon moved with his...
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Hello and happy Tuesday, good people! (We're assuming you're all good people. If some of you aren't, please don't tell us, because it'd break our little hearts.) We've got a podcast for you today, as you probably expect.
You'll get a brand new episode of
The Mikie Show, which remains...
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It's Friday, good people, and if you're anything like us, you're working for the weekend. Word is everybody's doing that, in fact. We're sure you've got lots to do to get ready for your big Super Bowl and/or Puppy Bowl parties, so we'll get right down to business.
We've got today for your...
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A happy Tuesday to you all. We're gonna cast a nice little pod your way today, as you might expect. I mean, why else would you even be here, reading this poorly-constructed paragraph? No reason at all for either of us to waste our time if there's no pod being cast, right? Right.
So, what's on...
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A hale and hearty good morning to you all! Or a good afternoon or evening, I suppose. This is on the internet and you can look at it any time you want to (it could be the middle of the night for you right now, and that's perfectly okay). Happy mid-afternoon, or late morning, or dusk to you...
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On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. presents a tribute to the late Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During the less than thirteen years of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the modern Civil Rights Movement, from December 1955 until April 4, 1968, African...
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