Daddy-O Daylie facts for kids
Holmes Daylie (born May 15, 1920 – died February 6, 2003) was a famous radio host in the 1940s and 1950s. He was known for his rhyming and rapping style while playing bebop music. He was one of the first people to help create what was known as "black-appeal radio" for African-American audiences.
People knew him as Daddy-O-Daylie. His lively way of speaking and rhyming style from the 1940s to the 1970s made him very popular. He worked at stations like WAAF, WMAQ, WAIT, and WGN, reaching both Black and white listeners. In 1990, he was honored by being inducted into the Black Radio Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Early Life and Discovering Radio
Holmes Daylie was born in Covington, Tennessee. His mother passed away when he was born, and his father died five years later. His older brother, Clinton, who was one of his 11 older siblings, took him in. The family later moved to the south side of Chicago when Holmes was still a child.
He went to John D. Shoop elementary school. In 1938, he graduated from Morgan Park High School, where he was the captain of the basketball team. This led him to play for six months with the Harlem Globetrotters. The Globetrotters traveled around the country, putting on basketball shows. While traveling, he faced challenges because of racism. He decided to return to Chicago and start a new career.
Holmes then became a bartender. He used the showmanship he learned with the Globetrotters to entertain customers. He would spin bottles, rhyme behind the bar, and even bounce ice cubes. His friend, Dempsey Travis, remembered him as a fun entertainer. He would flip ice cubes into glasses behind his back and say things like, "I'm as nice as a mother's advice."
One night, while he was working at the El Grotto Supper Club, Dave Garroway heard him. Garroway, who later hosted the Today Show, suggested that Holmes should use his talents on the radio. At that time, Garroway was hosting an overnight jazz show on WMAQ. Holmes took Garroway's advice and enrolled in radio classes to learn the business.
A Career in Radio and Music
In the late 1940s, Holmes Daylie became a radio host in Chicago. His deep knowledge of jazz music and his unique rhyming style made him stand out. He called his show 'Jazz from Dad's Pad'. He was the first DJ in Chicago to regularly play Jazz and Be-Bop music. This was different from the popular Swing music of the time.
Listeners felt like he was friends with the musicians because of the way he talked. His friend Travis, a piano player, said Holmes sounded like a "hepcat," which was a cool term back then. Holmes also used his radio show to support Civil Rights. One of his special projects on WGN was "Operation Christmas Basket," which gave food to hungry people in Chicago during Christmas.
He knew many famous musicians like Eleanora Fagan, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong from his bartending days. The Ramsey Lewis Trio said that Holmes helped them get their big break. Pianist Ramsey Lewis remembered Holmes saying, "Hey, you guys are pretty good. You should have an album out." Holmes helped them get an audition with Chess Records in the 1950s. Even though that first record didn't work out, Daddy-O played it on his show. This created a lot of excitement and helped the group get more bookings. For several years, he was the unofficial manager for the trio, which included bassist Eldee Young and drummer Redd Holt. He also produced their second album, Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Jazz.
Starting in 1956, Holmes Daylie hosted the overnight show on WMAQ. He brought his humor, way with words, and music knowledge to the airwaves. "Daddy-O" was the first African-American to host a regular radio show on a major Chicago radio station owned by a network. At station WNTD-AM, he played jazz in the late morning. After his show, Olympic champion Jesse Owens would play jazz from noon to 3 PM.
During the time of "Black Appeal radio" and the rise of personality DJs, Black disc jockeys had a very catchy way of speaking on air. Each had a different style. "Daddy-O" Daylie would talk in cool rhymes for every song he played, especially be-bop and jazz. Their influence was so strong that many white DJs tried to copy their style.
Holmes Daylie was also active in community groups. He was involved with the NAACP, the Urban League, and Operation PUSH, which was Rev. Jesse Jackson's organization in Chicago. He later became a co-owner of a bowling alley called Starlite Bowling Lanes. In 1958, the famous saxophonist Cannonball Adderley wrote a song called "One for Daddy-O" in his honor.
Later Life and Death
Holmes Daylie retired from radio in 1988. He passed away on Thursday, February 6, 2003, at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park. He was survived by his wife, Marcheta, and his older brother, Oliver. Bruce DuMont, who was the president of the Museum of Broadcast Communications, spoke about him. He said that Holmes Daylie was "one of the first major African-American radio personalities who not only had a following in the black community but had a following in the white community as well."
Legacy
The famous be-bop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie said that Holmes Daylie helped change the way modern jazz was talked about. He made both the music and the "jive" language popular. He was a big part of creating "hip-speak" as a Black vocabulary. The shift from Swing music to Be-bop was a huge change that helped create Black Appeal radio stations.
Holmes Daylie was a regular voice on Chicago radio in the 1950s and 1960s. He influenced the Civil Rights movement and the Black experience through his presence on air. He had a large following of modern jazz fans. His famous sign-on was, "This is your musical host who loves you the most!" And his news introduction was, "and now, old midnight sun, don't run, before we pay our musical dues. We wanna take you on a five-minute cruise through the world's latest news."
