Know Your Philadelphia Historic Figures: Georgie Woods
A Black History Month Series
Born: 1927
Died: 2005
Handle: “The Guy with the Goods”
Career: Spent the bulk of his career at WDAS, where he first played music, then in late-career became a talk show host. Woods was as much an activist as deejay: he helped organize the “March on Washington” and went on the air to urge calm during the city’s ‘64 riots. He was known to scrap the music format when the spirit moved him and talk directly to the community; at other times, he would break into song, favoring spiritual and gospel classics. His soul revue shows at the Uptown Theater at Broad & Dauphin became the stuff of legend—revues that included James Brown, Steve Wonder, the Temptations, the Supremes and many others. He was a sometime consultant to Dick Clark, advising him which records were popular in the African-American community. Woods also hosted a series of “Freedom Shows” at the Uptown and Nixon Theaters to raise money for civil rights activities.
Woods hosted a local TV show in the ’70s.
Highlights: Marched in Selma, Alabama, with Martin Luther King. First to break Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me.” Bestowed the “Ice Man” moniker on Jerry Butler. Credited with inventing the term “blue-eyed soul” in the ’60s as a way of letting the listening audience know when a record he was playing was by a white artist.
Quote: “You don’t need a contract with a radio station. You need a contract with your community.”
In his honor: Mural at 5531 Germantown Avenue.
Excerpt from a documentary-in-progress.
