The NBC Archives at the Library of Congress’ Recorded Sound Division hold the “blue books” from the early years of NBC Radio, with the working scripts used by the on-air personalities. Given that radio programs were all performed live, as recording technology had not yet developed enough to enable pre-recorded shows, the scripts offer a glimpse into what these early radio programs sounded like. When conditions allow, we will host a live stage production of the Utica Jubilee Singers radio program with video posted here. For now, here’s a sample script featuring many songs by the Jubilees, as well as poems by Forbes Magazine co-founder Walter Drey and Harlem Renaissance poet James Weldon Johnson’s “Answer to Prayer“.
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