James Brown, Bobby O’Jay and Doug Banks Inducted into The Radio Hall of Fame

The Museum of Broadcast Communications announced that James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, will be posthumously honored as one of the 10 Radio Hall of Fame Legends this year. Also being honored are radio DJs Bobby O’Jay and Doug Banks. The three will be honored at a ceremony on Nov. 1 held at Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago.

The award is an annual celebration of “the talents and efforts of air personalities, programmers and operators who contributed with greatness to the radio industry and have since passed away.” The awardees were nominated by the award’s committee and the final 10 are chosen through a vote from a 600-member panel composed of industry professionals.

James Joseph Brown was a powerhouse musician who bagged three Grammys and received eight nominations. His album “Love Over Due” won for best male R&B vocal performance in 1992, his album “Star Time” won for best album notes in the same year and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” won the best R&B recording in 1966.

Meanwhile, Detroit raised Calvin Douglas Banks Jr. was a veteran broadcaster best known for his morning program “The Doug Banks Radio Show” on Chicago’s WGCI, which debuted in 1986. Banks secured a sizable contract in 1994 to anchor a Dallas-based nationally syndicated show. He continued to broadcast until his death from complications related to diabetes in 2016.

On the other hand, O’Jay was a staple on Tennessee air waves since 1974, and an iconic voice in broadcasting, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. He began working for WDIA, the first radio station in the U.S. to target Black listeners, and he 40 years working for the stations both as a DJ and program director until passing away last May at the age of 68.

Apart from the “legends,” 10 living members of the industry are also honored as part of the Radio Hall of Fame every year. One of this year’s living inductees includes Marv Dyson — a radio executive who runs the second-largest African American-owned radio company in the country, Urban Radio Communications, and famously led Chicago’s WGCI-FM towards earning its highest-ever audience ratings in 1994.