SALUTE TO THE 85lh BIRTHDAY OF HERB KENT. THE COOL GENT
WHEREAS, On October 5, 2013, urban radio pioneer and living legend Herbert Rogers Kent celebrates his 85th Birthday; and
WHEREAS, Known to millions of his fans as Herb Kent, the Cool Gent, he grew up on the South Side of Chicago in the Ida B. Wells housing projects. As a teenager, Kent took a keen interest in radio and started out by building broadcast equipment, including a set of microphones, from surplus World War II parts. At the age of 16, he was accepted into the WBEZ Radio Workshops run by the Chicago Public Schools; and
WHEREAS, The soon-to-be-known as "Cool Gent" joined a local community theater group and his performance on stage soon made him realize that many of the skills required of a successful stage actor applied to radio as well, lt was he who brought "theater of the mind" to radio, developing such popular radio characters throughout the years as, "The Wahoo Man," "Gym Shoe Creeper," and "The Electric Crazy People"; and
WHEREAS, In 1949, Kent got his first paid radio job in Gary, Indiana for $35 a week. The station had only two radio personalities and he was able to learn every aspect of putting a radio show together from producing, writing, and interviewing, to polishing his own on-air presence, working twelve-hour shifts, seven days a week; and
WHEREAS, By the 1950s, Herb Kent's first fan club was formed and the moniker, "Cool Gent" was firmly established in Chicago radio's lexicon. It was he who coined the term, "dusty records" to describe old-time favorite hits. The dust in the grooves would make a crackling sound as they were played; and
WHEREAS, The Cool Gent's career, working at legendary radio stations such as WVON and WJJD garnered him interviews with such iconic African American musical artists as Duke Ellington, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Marvin Gaye. Kent has also garnered numerous honors for his years of service to the citizens of this city. I...
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