Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert Flyer

05/30/24 • 37 min

This episode looks at a momentous Carnegie Hall concert — the 1961 tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — and the roles that the Rat Pack and many other artists played in supporting Dr. King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference at a pivotal moment of growth for the organization and the Civil Rights Movement.

Guests featured in this episode include Jonathan Eig, author of “King: A Life,” a 2023 biography of Dr. King; Tom Santopietro, author of “Sinatra in Hollywood”; Will Friedwald, author of “Sinatra! The Song Is You” and “The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums”; Emilie Raymond, author of “Stars for Freedom: Hollywood, Black Celebrities, and the Civil Rights Movement”; and Davóne Tines, path-breaking artist and singer. Members of Carnegie Hall’s Rose Museum and Archives team—including director Kathleen Sabogal, assistant director Rob Hudson, and founding archivist Gino Francesconi—are also featured.

If This Hall Could Talk is available wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released every other week.

If This Hall Could Talk is available wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released every other week.

Previous Episode

Carnegie Hall’s 1891 Opening Night Ticket

After more than a century, an unexpected piece of ephemera from May 5, 1891 — a ticket from Carnegie Hall’s Opening Night — made its way back to the Hall and into its archival collection in the Rose Museum. This episode travels back to that historic opening concert, and the Gilded Age world of Andrew Carnegie’s New York City, exploring what made Carnegie Hall unlike any other concert hall ever built — and how it remains one of a kind today.

Guests in this episode include Carol Binkowski, author of "Opening Carnegie Hall"; Phillip Lopate, author of books including "Waterfront: A Walk Around Manhattan"; Emanuel Ax, award-winning pianist who has performed at the Hall more than 120 times over the last 50 years; and Kent Tritle, artistic director of the Oratorio Society of New York, which was featured on Carnegie Hall’s Opening Night and still performs at the hall today. Members of Carnegie Hall’s Rose Museum and Archives team—including director Kathleen Sabogal, assistant director Rob Hudson, and founding archivist Gino Francesconi—are also featured.

If This Hall Could Talk is available wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released every other week.

Next Episode

Ella Fitzgerald’s Glasses

Ella Fitzgerald made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1947 and returned more than 40 times before her final performance in 1991. When asked if she wanted to let a pack of fans greet her backstage after a performance at the Hall, she replied, “Oh yes, you’d better let them back. Someday, they may not want to come.” The beloved “First Lady of Song” was self-conscious and shy, hyper-aware of the fleeting nature of fame and recognition. Yet she projected an enchanting stage presence, a singular voice combined with improvisational mastery, and a signature sense of style — including her eyewear, like the pair of glasses seen on Ella’s 1973 "Newport Jazz Festival: Live at Carnegie Hall" album cover, which are now housed in Carnegie Hall’s Rose Archives.

Guests featured in this episode include vocalist Samara Joy (2023 Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album) and Fran Rosman, executive director of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation and archivist of the Ella Fitzgerald estate. Members of Carnegie Hall’s Rose Archives and Museum team, including director Kathleen Sabogal, assistant director Rob Hudson, and founding archivist Gino Francesconi, are also featured.

If This Hall Could Talk is available wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released every other week.