Tennessee Historical Commission
This Tennessee Historical Commission marker for WDIA – The Goodwill Station is located outside WDIA Radio on Union Avenue in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Here is a link to WDIA’s online broadcast.
The GPS location of this marker is: N 35° 08.587′ W 90° 03.182′
![Tennessee Historical Commission marker for WDIA Radio, Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee](https://www.mississippibluestravellers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/WDIA-Tennessee_Historical_Comm-MississippiBluesTravellers-P4290817-1662x1247.jpg)
This marker reads:
“WDIA – THE GOODWILL STATION – WDIA, the Goodwill Station, was the first radio station in the nation to have an all-black format. This format made WDIA the top-rated Memphis station in the early 1950s. In 1948, Nat D. Williams became its first black ‘D-J.’ Among those who appeared on WDIA were B.B. King, Dwight More, Rufus Thomas, A.C. Williams, Willa Monroe, Martha Jean Steinberg and Maurice Hulbert. Early programs included Teen-Town Singers, Payday Today, Brown America Speaks and Hallelujah Jubilee.”
![Tennessee Historical Commission marker for WDIA Radio, Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee](https://www.mississippibluestravellers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/WDIA-entrance-MississippiBluesTravellers-P4290818-1662x1178.jpg)
![The WDIA radio station is in this building on Union Avenue in downtown Memphis, Tennessee](https://www.mississippibluestravellers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/WDIA_Building-Memphis-MississippiBluesTravellers-P4290820-1662x1160.jpg)
Here are some links to more information on WDIA:
The CD cover for B.B. King’s Original Greatest Hits (shown below) shows B.B. King during his days with WDIA.
![CD cover, Original Greatest Hits by B.B. King](https://www.mississippibluestravellers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/BB_King-Original_Greatest_Hits-MississippiBluesTravellers-1662x1679.jpg)
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