On this special edition of Eight Forty-Eight, we're paying tribute to Chicago icon and American original Louis "Studs" Terkel. Studs died Friday at the age of 96. He was born in New York City just weeks after the sinking of the Titanic on May 16, 1912. As he often liked to say "The Titanic went down, and I came up.” During his long and colorful life, Studs was an actor, activist, author and broadcaster. To many people he personified the essence of Chicago.
Studs moved here with his family when he was 10 and he never left. Since 1998, Studs has been our colleague as a Special Contributor to Eight Forty-Eight. We're paying tribute to his life and legacy today by hearing him in his own words.
Music Buttons: Mahalia Jackson, “Great Gettin' Up Morning” from the CD Gospels Spirituals & Hymns (Columbia records)
Louis Armstrong, “Chicago Breakdown” from the CD The Complete Hot 5 & Hot 7 Recordings (Columbia records)
Bob Dylan, “A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall” from the CD Studs Terkel '63, (from the director's collection)
Woody Guthrie, “Farmer-Labor Train” from the CD Hard Travelin' (Smithsonian Folkways)
Staples Singers, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” from the CD Pray On My Child (Liquid 8 records)