Jack L. Cooper Made Radio History for Black Americans

GREEN BAY, WI- (WGBW) –  Jack Leroy Cooper made history by becoming the first African-American Radio announcer in the United States. 

Born in 1888 in Memphis, Tennessee, Cooper started as a boxer, then worked as a singer and dancer on the vaudeville circuit, eventually becoming the theatre critic for the Chicago Defender. In the 1920’s he began his radio career as an entertainer or comedian.

In 1929, he became the host, producer, and announcer of the All-Negro Hour on WSBC in Chicago. The once-a-week, variety show was devoted to black performers. He was very cognizant of negative racial stereotypes and made certain not to allow these stereotypes to be a part of the show. Later the show incorporated news from the African-American community. In 1937, his show was heard 5 days a week featuring black music from jazz to blues to gospel. He is one of the first people to play records over the radio.

Cooper created the “Search for Missing Persons” show in 1938. In 1947, his production company controlled 40 hours of programming a week on 4 different radio stations in Chicago. He retired from broadcasting in 1959 and died in Chicago in 1970 at the age of 81. In 2012 he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.

Today, we honor Jack Leroy Cooper, the first African-American disc jockey, radio innovator, and the “undisputed patriarch of black radio in the United States” as a history and culture maker for Black History Month.