Imhotep Gary Byrd's NYC WBAI-FM Show "Global Black Experience" Kicks Off African Liberation Month

EntSun - May 4, 2015 - NEW YORK -- Imhotep Gary Byrd, who is celebrating 50 years in radio, kicked-off African Liberation Month and WBAI-FM's new Brooklyn studio on May 1 with his weekly Friday WBAI-FM public broadcasting program "Radio GBE" looking at the African Diaspora from Baltimore and Philadelphia to England and Nigeria.

"Radio GBE" features the "Global Black Experience" and the "Global Beat Experience" live talk and music programs heard Fridays on Pacifica's WBAI-FM from 6:00pm -8:00pm. On May 1,"May Day," to celebrate African Liberation Month and his first broadcast from WBAI-FM's new Brooklyn location, Byrd's "Global Black Experience" discussed the rebellion in Baltimore, non-violent demonstrations and the unprecedented indictment of the six officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray with Brooklyn's New York State Assemblyman Charles Barron. Award-winning journalist Herb Boyd talked about the health plight of Philadelphia jailed activist-journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal and newly appointed Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Dr. Chika Onyeani, publisher of the African Sun Times, examined the recent rescue of Nigerian girls and women from Boko Haram. On "Global Beat Experience," Byrd's post tribute to Jazz Appreciation Month, there was a spotlight featuring South Africa's Hugh Masekela, The Red Garland Quartet featuring John Coltrane  and Donald Byrd. Also, poet Linton Kwesi Johnson and his work "Sonny's Lettah," a scathing poem that addresses racism ad police brutality in 1970s Britain.  Award-winning journalist Vinette K. Pryce joined with her "Globetrottin" segment.  Listeners can still check out this show 24/7 on WBAI.org archives.

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"During the month of May, 'Radio GBE' will celebrate African Liberation Month with a series of programs reflecting the African Diaspora from politics to health and culture," explained Byrd.

The May 3 broadcast of Imhotep Gary Byrd's popular WBLS-FM show "Express Yourself," a weekly Sunday  mix of New York, national and global news and talk heard from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, has been pre-empted this week by a new monthly  broadcast hosted and sponsored by COBA (Correction Officers Benevolent Association) with  President Norman Seabrook. Byrd's "Express Yourself" returns on May 10.

" Imhotep Gary Byrd's ' Express Yourself' on WBLS talks to the newsmakers and insiders on issues facing not only Black New York area residents, but the global African Diaspora," said Byrd.  "Whether we're covering the impact of police brutality in Ferguson, Staten Island and Baltimore or confronting the healthcare crisis in urban communities, and the challenges of the African Diaspora, The GBE is on the frontline of  giving vital information and giving our Tri-State and global Black community  a voice."

The WBLS-FM "Express Yourself" broadcasts are now available to listeners on variety of multiple media platforms. The simulcast WBLS and WLIB talk show is available globally at WBLS.com,WLIB.com, WBLS-HD2, and iHeart radio. "iGBE: Imhotep Gary Byrd's Express Yourself" programming is also interactive  in real time on his highly heralded Facebook page, which is curated  and managed  by former GBE "Live at The Apollo"  producer Nyerere Shannon. In addition to WBLS-FM, WBAI-FM, and WLIB-AM,  Byrd can also be heard nationally as "The Voice" of Sirius XM's "Soul Town" Channel ("Classic Soul & Motown").  His "must read full page tri-state arts & entertainment community column "Imhotep's Guide To Black Events" runs weekly in the New York Amsterdam News, one of the nation's oldest amd prestigious African American newspapers. (www.amsterdamnews.com)

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Although he has a career in radio that spans 50 years (30 years as a talk show host at WBLS and WLIB), Byrd also has an unparalleled career as a poet, author, performer, spoken word artist and lyricist.  A longtime friend and creative collaborator with Stevie Wonder, Byrd served as lyricist on Wonder's classics "Village Ghetto Land" and "Black Man" on his milestone album "Songs in the Key of Life."Both songs were performed in Stevie's recent national tour with Wonder calling for Imhotep to stand and be acknowledged at Madison Square Garden. The late Michael Jackson called "Black Man" his favorite song."  Byrd also co-wrote two other classics with Wonder--"Dark N Lovely," a tribute to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and "Misrepresented People," for the soundtrack of Spike Lee's movie "Bamboozled," in which Byrd appears, playing himself as a radio talk show host. Over the years, his music has been sampled and covered by high profile artists. George Michael performed "Village Ghetto Land" at a special London tribute to Nelson Mandela, where Wonder sang "Dark-N-Lovely." As an artist on RCA Records, Byrd also recorded his first album  "Presenting The Gary Byrd Experience" and later the single "Soul Traveling" with the famed Jimmy Castor & The Bunch. James Brown "The Godfather of Soul" dedicated the song "Mind Power" from his "Big Payback" album to Byrd.  Byrd has also written songs for other artists from Kurtis Blow's "Feelin Good" to "I Cry" for Millie Jackson, which have been sampled dozens of times by a long list of Hip Hop artists including 50 Cent, Nas and several others.