See my Member Profile
My name is Harold D"Hal"Lamar. I have been a broadcaster and print journalist since I laid my first publc words down on paper in October of 1968 in the Morehouse College newspaper, the Maroon and White. . I sat behind my first microphone in Janauary of 1969 as a stand-in announcer and general " gofer": at station WIGO in Atlanta Georgia under the tutiledge of a great announcer, the late John W " Jivemaster" Persons . I moved from there to a full-time gig at WRAS-FM in Atlanta. They played so called " heavy music" which introduced me to Vanilla Fudge, Jethro Tull, Spooky Tooth, Moody Blues, Hendrix, Buddy Miles, Electric Flag, Underground Railroad, etc. When I was hired I also introduced my audience to black "heavies" like Issac Hayes, the Stax and Motown crowd , Philly Groove , etc. In 1971, I entered the US Military and landed myself in the Republic of Vietnam . I wangled my way onto Armed Forces Radio and spent 10 months of my year's tour spinning soul music as the host of Soul Train. I retiurned to the states, finished out my hitch in Washington State and returned to Atlanta in 1973 with WIGO, the station that started it all. From 1973 to the present, I have been involved in nearly every facet of media, from a news and sportscaster to a DJ specializing in Oldies but Goodies, a TV host, a producer, director and now a print journalist with the Atlanta Voice, a weekly. I also freelance for the Sheridan Broadcasting Network, write and broadcast faith based news items for the Atlanta Interfaith Broadcast Cable Channel and have, have had my radio pieces broadcast over NPR, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation and the BBC and my print work published in Jet Magazine, Black Enterprise, the Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Tribune, Rolling Out, Black Enterprise, Balls and Strikes, Planning, Grit and Cappers Weekly. My humble talents have attracted the attention of a few people. I have won for myself 17 honors from the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists which I helped to co-found in 1976, four AP awards, two UPI honors, two awards for sports writing and reporting from the 100% Wrong Club, a self-determination award from the Malcolm X grassroots movement of Atlanta, The AABJ pioneer black journalist award in 1994 and the Drum Major for Justice Award from ther Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1995. I am divorced and the father of a 20 year old daughter who is a pre-law major. When I'm not working at my job or writing these wonderful blogs, I collect my records ( I have over 10,000 vinyls from 1942 to 1980) and work on my autobiography " My Beat is Black."
- Location:
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United States
- Primary occupation:
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writer
- Dream occupation:
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freelancing
- Hometown:
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atlanta georgia
- Schools attended:
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cl harper high school, Morehouse College, Georgia State U
- I like:
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old music, all sports and making new friends
- Favorite writers:
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alex haley, pearl cleage, nathan mccall
- Favorite books:
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make me wanna holler, autobiography of malcolm x, have mercy by wolfman jack
- Favorite newspapers:
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ua today, wall street journal, atlanta voice (naturally). creative loafing
- Favorite magazines:
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atlanta tribune, ebony, jet, black enterprise, the writer, writers weekly
- Favorite music:
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any r&b from 1950 through 1980
- Favorite movies:
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invasion of the body snatchers, war of the worlds, five heartbeat, temptations, eight men out
- Favorite TV shows:
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anything on tv land ( bonaza, etc), columbo, my wife and kids
- Favorite teams:
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atlanta falcons, any black college team, the old negro league teams
- Favorite quote:
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" by any means necessary"-malcolm ( it was most misunderstood)
- Gender:
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proud black male
- Religion:
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baptist