In 1949, Chicagoan Herb Kent got his first paid job in radio. And he was a DJ here virtually non-stop until last weekend. Kent hosted his final radio show last Saturday morning [October 22] on V-103 and died that evening. In 2005, “The King of the Dusties,” as Kent was known, stopped by a mobile StoryCorps recording booth here in Chicago to talk with his friend Richard Steele, who’s also the host of The Barbershop Show on Vocalo and WBEZ. Steele asked Kent about his childhood and his first experiences in radio.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to share, record and preserve their stories. These excerpts, edited by WBEZ, present some of our favorites from the current visit, as well as from previous trips.