Joining us today are Bob Kealing and Rev. Billy C. Wirtz to discuss the Chitlin' Circuit in Florida. The Chitlin' Circuit was a network of Black live music establishments during the mid-20th century around which all the greats played. Bob and Billy have produced a documentary about the Circuit in Florida. If you'd like to book a screening of the documentary in your community, contact Bob Kealing at: callingmehomebook@gmail.com.
Nov. 26, 1956: Little Richard (center) and band at the Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg. Photo: St. Petersburg Museum of History.
Craig Pittman is the award-winning author of Oh, Florida!: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country, The Scent of Scandal, Cat Tale, Manatee Insanity and The State You’re In, and co-author of Paving Paradise. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him “the most destructive force on campus.” Since then he has covered a variety of newspaper beats and quite a few natural disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires and the Florida Legislature.
