The History & Enduring Legacy of Quiet Storm Radio (w/ Chris Stevens)

My guest is writer and music critic Chris Stevens, who hosts the R and B podcast On The Groove Line. Chris and I discuss the first ever quiet storm R&B radio broadcast by Melvin Lindsey at Howard's WHUR radio station, which aired 50 years ago and sparked an explosion of quiet storm radio programming on Black radio in multiple cities across the U.S. We get into the hallmarks of the music itself and what makes it unique, the subgenre's appeal to different audiences based on age and class, and the social and cultural context surrounding the music.

• On The Groove Line Podcast site: onthegrooveline.com

• Chris' BlueSky: bsky.app/profile/christhewriter.bsky.social

• Public spreadsheet of old school quiet storm radio shows (please contribute): link

Listen to full episode:

Episode Notes:

• WHUR Quiet Storm

• Melvin Lindsey

• Cathy Hughes

• “Dont Leave Me This Way”

  • Thelma Houston version

  • Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes version

• “Love Hangover”– Diana Ross

• “Got To Give it Up”– Marvin Gaye

• “Get Down Tonight”– KC & The Sunshine Band

• Earth Wind & Fire

  • “Reasons”

    • Don Myrick

  • Spirit – Earth Wind & Fire

    • “Imagination”

      • Phillip Bailey

• Tony Brown

• Frankie Crocker

• Lawrence Tanter

• Video Soul

• Midnight Love

• Bob Johnson

• “I Love Music” – O’Jays

• Isley Brothers

  • “Let Me Down Easy”

• “Quiet Storm”– Smokey Robinson

• Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974

• “Everlasting Love”– Rufus ft. Chaka Khan

• LTD

  • “Love Ballad”

  • “We Both Deserve Each Other's Love”

• Ari Lennox

• Jazmine Sullivan

• Kem

• “Yeah!” – Usher f. Lil Jon & Ludacris

• “Lovers & Friends”–  Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz f. Ludacris & Usher

• “Knuck if You Buck”– Crime Mob & Lil Scrappy

• The Diplomats

• G-Unit

• “In Da Club”– 50 Cent

• Toni Morrison

  • The Bluest Eye

• Zora Neale Hurston