Tunes of Time

Pilot - King's Holiday

Episode 1 of Tunes of Time comes from a project that was completed as a part of a graduate history class on material culture and holidays at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.    The "Martin Luther King Jr. Speaks to the District 65 DWA" vinyl record highlights the ways in which physical media, most notably vinyl records, played a part in distributing and in many cases sanitizing King's legacy. We take a look at how this record and others reflect changing attitudes towards King prior to and following the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Plus we look into just how albums such as these were produced, and what role they played in the overall media landscape.