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Anna Mae Winburn
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Anna Mae Winburn
August 13, 2023

This week on Echoes of Indiana Avenue, we’ll celebrate the August birthday of Anna Mae Winburn, vocalist and bandleader for the International Sweethearts of Rhythm — a multiracial, all-female band that was active from 1937-1949. Anna Mae was raised in Kokomo and played some of her earliest gigs on the Avenue.

Les
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Les "Bear" Taylor
August 6, 2023

This week on Echoes of Indiana Avenue, we’ll celebrate the August birthday of Les Taylor — better known as Les “Bear” Taylor, a legendary Naptown baritone sax player who started his career on the Avenue. Tune in for an hour of classic music from Bear, featuring his work with Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Doggett, and more.

Jesse Crump
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Jesse Crump
July 30, 2023

This week on Echoes of Indiana Avenue we’ll look back at the music of Jesse “Tiny” Crump, an important pianist on the Indiana Avenue scene in the early 1920s. During his career, Crump recorded jazz, blues, and ragtime music. Crump is best known for his association with the blues singer Ida Cox, the couple were married and performed together often. In July of 1923, Crump recorded 4 tracks at Richmond, Indiana's Gennett studios - including “Indiana Avenue Blues”. These recordings represent the earliest known audio documents of Indiana Avenue's music culture.

Charles Tyler
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Charles Tyler
July 23, 2023

This week on Echoes of Indiana Avenue we’ll celebrate the July birthday of Charles Tyler – an important avant-garde saxophonist known for his work in free jazz music. Tyler performed with many of the greatest legends in jazz – including Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Wes Montgomery, Albert Ayler, Billy Bang, Steve Lacy, and others. We’ll share an hour of classic music from Charles Tyler and speak with his cousin Gregg Bacon, who calls Tyler a mentor and inspiration.

50th anniversary of Amnesty's 700 West sessions – Part 2
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50th anniversary of Amnesty's 700 West sessions – Part 2
July 16, 2023

Amnesty was a legendary Indianapolis funk band, known for their hard-hitting grooves and soaring vocal harmonies. The music Amnesty recorded at 700 West has been streamed millions of times online and sampled in hip-hop tracks by Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Ye - the artist formerly known as Kanye West. On this week’s episode we’ll discuss Amnesty’s legacy, and share rare unreleased demo recordings from the band.

50th anniversary of Amnesty's 700 West sessions – Part 1
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50th anniversary of Amnesty's 700 West sessions – Part 1
July 9, 2023

During the 1970s, the Indianapolis music scene produced several important funk bands – including Amnesty, an eight-piece ensemble known for their hard-hitting grooves and soaring vocal harmonies.

Rhythm Machine – Part 2
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Rhythm Machine – Part 2
July 2, 2023

This week on Echoes of Indiana Avenue we’ll share the final episode in our two-part series exploring the history of Rhythm Machine, a legendary funk band that emerged from Indianapolis during the 1970s. In this episode, we’ll be joined by Rhythm Machine’s guitarist Maurice Puckett, and saxophonist Donald Harris.

Rhythm Machine – Part 1
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Rhythm Machine – Part 1
June 25, 2023

For the next two weeks on Echoes of Indiana Avenue we’ll explore the history of Rhythm Machine, a legendary funk band that emerged from Indianapolis during the 1970s. On this week’s show we’ll be joined by the band’s guitarist, Maurice Puckett, who will share his memories of performing on the Avenue.

Pride: Female Impersonators on the Avenue
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Pride: Female Impersonators on the Avenue
June 18, 2023

Join us this week for a special Pride month edition of Echoes of Indiana Avenue. We’ll look back at the history of drag queens, and trans performers on the Avenue. They were billed as female impersonators, and nearly every Avenue club featured these artists.

Thomas
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Thomas "Sparkle Soxx" Griffin
June 11, 2023

Legendary Indianapolis club DJ Thomas J. Griffin, also known as Sparkle Soxx, was one of the first club DJs in Indianapolis. In 1973, he began spinning funk and soul music at venues across the city. He visits Echoes of Indiana Avenue to discuss his multi-decade DJ career and notable work in broadcasting as an announcer for WTLC and The Reggie Miller Show.

Legendary Avenue Concerts – Part 1
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Legendary Avenue Concerts – Part 1
June 4, 2023

Hear the first in a new series that looks at the music icons who performed in Indy’s Black cultural hub, including Tina Turner, Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix and Funkadelic.

Pha Terrell
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Pha Terrell
May 28, 2023

Celebrating the May birthday of Pha Terrell, an influential big band singer that had strong ties to the Avenue. Terrell enjoyed a successful partnership with Andy Kirk, bandleader for the Twelve Clouds of Joy, and cut over 40 songs with the band, including their hit single “Until the Real Thing Comes Along.”

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