by Jaz Bowens
WXPN 88.5 is recognizing their very own folk music host Gene Shay. He will be inducted into the Philly Music Walk of Fame during an 11AM press conference and a 12PM public ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 24 by the Philadelphia Music Alliance (PMA). The ceremony will take at the outdoor patio of the Doubletree Hotel on 237 South Broad St. to recognize Shay’s decades of contributions to the Philadelphia music scene.
Nicknamed “The Dean of American Folk DJs” by the Philadelphia Daily News and “The Godfather of American Folk” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Shay, a Philadelphia native, has made his mark on Philadelphia and on folk music by giving it a platform on WXPN. He first started playing folk music on Sunday nights during the 1960s and hasn’t stopped since. Today, at 78, he is still passionate about sharing new folk music and folk artists with WXPN listeners.
Bruce Warren, WXPN’s Assistant General Manager for programming has nothing but kind words to say about Shay’s legacy. “Gene Shay has guided and enlightened WXPN and its listeners over many years, and we’re proud that he can be heard every week on two WXPN broadcast platforms,” he says. “In addition to entertaining folk music lovers and WXPN listeners, he is also a constant source of inspiration for those of us who are fortunate enough to work with him.”
For more than 20 years, Shay has hosted the Folk Show, which can be heard Sundays from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. He can also be heard on Folk Alley, a 24-hour WXPN online music stream, on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. It was Gene Shay himself who coined the name World Café 22 years ago for a new WXPN program that has grown into the station’s preeminent music and interview program, now syndicated nationwide by NPR.
Shay also founded, and still emcees, the annual Philadelphia Folk Festival which celebrated its 52nd anniversary this past August. He was the first promoter to bring Bob Dylan to perform in Philadelphia. Shay is a Charter Board Member of the International Folk Alliance, and he has won multiple awards for his advocacy and support of folk music, including his efforts to expose new artist and bring folk music to more audiences.
The PMA inducts Philadelphia music legends into the Walk of Fame to highlight their incredible contributions to the world of music, and to highlight Philadelphia’s rich musical legacy. The Walk of Fame is located along the Avenue of the Arts (on Broad St. between Walnut St. and Spruce St.).
To learn more about Gene Shay’s weekly WXPN programs, visit http://xpn.org/xpn-programs/folk-show and http://www.folkalley.com/. For more information about the Philadelphia Music Alliance, check out http://www.philadelphiamusicalliance.org/index.html.
