The Funky, Community-Driven Sound of Black Portland in the ’60s and ’70s
North Portland’s Albina neighborhood used to be home to a thriving music scene, where Black musicians would perform nightly in nightclubs and community spaces. Urban renewal bulldozed many of those neighborhoods in the ’60s and ’70s, but thanks to the Albina Music Trust, we’re now all able to dig into the past through a new digital community archive. Today we’re talking with the project’s lead archivist Bobby Smith and Norman Sylvester, a longtime musician who grew up playing in the Albina music scene.
Links From Today’s Show:
- Rated X performing “Rated X” from the Albina Community Archive
- Events:
- Norman Sylvester at iliani Casino, March 21
- Norman Sylvester at Waterfront Blues Festival, July 4 - 7
- Albina Music Trust at Summer Free For All
- Save the Date: Albina Music Trust and the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center present: “Time Sound,” August 24
Become a member of City Cast Portland today! Get all the details and sign up here.
Who would you like to hear on City Cast Portland? Shoot us an email at portland@citycast.fm, or leave us a voicemail at 503-208-5448.
Want more Portland news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Portland, and be sure to follow us on Instagram.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Portland? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Stay connected to City Cast Portland and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
Round 2: Why These 3 Portlanders Want To Represent District 3
Today we’re finishing up our Portland City Council interviews for our fall election coverage with the second panel of candidates for Dist...
The City’s Campaign Finance Watchdog Is Also a Lobbyist? Plus, What To Do With 20 Empty School Buildings, and Mailbag!
We're looking into why a city campaign finance officer was lobbying city leaders in her free time — and just what might happen to roughly...
Round 1: Why These 3 Portlanders Want To Represent District 3
Today we’re continuing our coverage of the city's fall election with the first panel of candidates for Portland City Council District 3....
The Massive Energy Suck of Oregon Data Centers, a Tense Standoff Outside the Sports Bra, and a Fantastically Popular New Bookshop
Today on City Cast Portland, we're talking about a new book shop that’s drawing hundreds of people to Hillsboro, and the mounting tension...
The Fruit Loop’s Doom Loop, Portland's Indie Theaters Go Full Horror Mode, and Dolly Gets Her Own Day
Portland City Hall is giving Dolly Parton her own day — and that's only the beginning of this chaos rodeo. Host Claudia Meza is joined by...
‘Your City Could Be Better’: How Philly Is Reducing Violence With Parks — Presented By City Cast Portland
Would Portland be better with fewer vacant, blighted lots? In Philly, the answer is overwhelmingly yes, with significant drops in crime a...
A Fentanyl Vaccine, City Council Implodes Over Zenith, and the Portland Book Festival Is Almost Here
We're talking about how Northwest researchers are developing vaccines that could prevent opioid overdose deaths, and how things are shaki...
Washington County’s Viral Middle Finger, Portland Schools' Messy Laid-Off Teacher Recalls, and Councilor Green's Spicy Police Rants Resurface
A Washington County board meeting turned into a viral moment when County Chair Kathryn Harrington silently flipped off Commissioner Nafis...
What City Councilors Spent Their Office Budgets On, More River Pig Saloon Drama, and Portland’s Pettiest Gripes
We're talking about the $2.2 million city councilors spent on pet projects — as well as how a Pearl District bar owner who once complaine...
Round 2: Why These 3 Portlanders Want To Represent District 4
Today we have our second interview of the city's fall election with the second panel of candidates for Portland City Council District 4....