Hoagy!
A one-hour radio special from the Public Radio stations of Indiana.
(underwritten by BMT)

Listen via RealAudio

Pianist, composer, lyricist, singer, actor, television personality, and author, Hoagland Howard Carmichael was born on November 22, 1899, in Bloomington, Indiana.

In celebration of the 100^th Anniversary of his birth, the public radio stations of Indiana have joined forces to produce a one-hour radio special that explores the music, history, and international fame of this Indiana native and legend.

Early in his life Carmichael attended Indiana University in Bloomington, where, across the street from campus in the smoky rooms of the Book Nook café, such legendary tunes as Stardust were born. After receiving his Law Degree from Indiana University in 1926, his love of music carried him in other directions. For his contributions to American Popular Song, Hoagy is now considered one of the greatest songwriters of the 20^th Century. Throughout his musical career, he worked with some of the most celebrated artists of his era: Bix Beiderbecke, Johnny Mercer, the Dorsey brothers, Jack Teagarden, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Susan Hayward, and Ethel Barrymore. Member of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, Oscar winner, Academy Award nominee, and recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Indiana University, Hoagy is one of Indiana’s true artistic treasures. And the public radio stations of Indiana have come together to celebrate him with Hoagy!

Hosted and by singer-songwriter and public radio veteran Tom Roznowski, Hoagy! features interviews with and commentary from people who know Carmichael’s music and knew the man himself, including jazz pianist Marian McPartland, musician and scholar David Baker, Ross Barbour of the Four Freshman, and Hoagy biographer Richard Sudhalter.

The special also includes rarely-heard comments from Hoagy himself and many classic and contemporary recordings of Hoagy tunes. Selections range from classic versions of Stardust by Nat King Cole and Artie Shaw, to contemporary interpretations of Carmichael tunes by K.D. Lang and John Coltrane.

Hoagy! is a joint project of the Public Radio stations of the Indiana Public Broadcasting Service (IPBS). Each station will air the special tribute on or around November 22. In addition, a special commemorative CD is being produced for distribution exclusively from these stations, and in the coming year the program will be broadcast nationally under the auspices of IPBS-Radio or through National Public Radio.

One of the primary missions of IPBS-Radio is to coordinate group action by individual stations in the state of Indiana and to act as an indispensable statewide partner in providing the educational, artistic, and developmental needs of Indiana residents through quality radio programming and outreach projects. Hoagy! is a perfect example of IPBS-Radio at its best; through the encouragement and facilitation of such cooperative ventures, the Public Radio Stations of Indiana are able to work together to create quality educational programs that preserve the distinguished artistic heritage of Indiana for its residents and for the nation.

WFIU-Bloomington is the major producing station.

Contributing radio stations include:

Hoagy! Staff

For more information about Hoagy! contact WFIU at (812) 855-0198 or through email at wfiu@indiana.edu.

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