I’m beyond excited to share that the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame announced today that my grandfather, E.G. Blackman, is a 2023 Legacy Inductee in the Hall of Fame.
In 1946 with the R&B scene exploding in Black clubs across the city, Gab saw something that no one else did: a vast and untapped market.
“We had this guy nobody ever mentions. His name was E.G. Blackman, and he was the sales manager. He saw the great potential in this black music and in this black audience that no one had ever tapped.” —William “Hoss” Allen III, as quoted by John Broven in Record Makers and Breakers
The story of how Gab defied his industry, culture, government, and even his own family to broadcast Black music to a national audience is the subject of my book Night Train To Nashville. Published by Harper Horizon, it will be released on September 12, 2023.