Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo personally called R&B/Soul music radio personality Georgie Woods to help squash riots that had broken out today (August 29, 1964).
Georgie Woods was an influential DJ from Philadelphia, who played records and hosted his own show on radio station WDAS.
Georgie Woods A.K.A. “The Man with The Goods,” hosted a nightly show on WDAS from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM.
Georgie Woods joined WDAS in 1956, after doing three years on local station WHAT.
Georgie Woods is credited with breaking a number of smash records, including Garnett Mimms and The Enchanters haunting classic “Cry Baby.”
Woods was a non- violent activist and an executive board member of the local NAACP.
On August 29, Georgie Woods was hosting a concert at the Uptown Theater in North Philadelphia.
Headliners for the night included B.B. King, and Gladys Knight & The Pips.
During the show, Mayor Rizzo called Georgie Woods and explained that a routine traffic stop had turned into a full-blown riot.
“I was the only one in town who could talk to the people,” Georgie Woods said in the book “A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul.”
Despite Woods’ efforts, the riot lasted over three days.
According to reports, over 300 people were arrested in the riots of 1964, in Philadelphia.
Most were young African-American men, who were protesting police brutality and the lack of jobs in the area.
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