Ray Taliaferro
Ray Taliaferro | |
---|---|
Born | Raphael Vincent Taliaferro February 7, 1939 Queens, New York |
Died | December 2, 2018 | (aged 79)
Occupation(s) | Radio host, Talk show |
Raphael Vincent "Ray" Taliaferro (February 7, 1939 – November or December 2018) was an American
Early life
Taliaferro was born in Queens, New York City, on February 7, 1939.[1] His parents were Robert Winston Taliaferro (1904-1989, born in New York City) and Florence Durden Taliaferro (born c. 1915 in Georgia), with siblings Naomi Rosetta Taliaferro (1934-2001) and Robert Nathaniel Taliaferro (1937-2004).[2][3]
In 1954–1955, Ray (a high school Junior) and his brother Robert ("Bob", a Senior) were attending
Taliaferro grew up in the
Broadcast career
Taliaferro was an on-air personality for KGO NEWSTALK AM 810. His principal role was as the host of a Monday through Friday phone-in radio talk show that aired between 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. The program was simply known as the "Early Show" and primarily consisted of lively (and sometimes confrontational) discussion of contemporary issues in American politics, culture, and current events. The program was on the air in this format and time slot since 1986. Taliaferro also routinely participated in charity and promotional events as a spokesman, moderator and panelist.
Taliaferro had been in broadcasting for over 40 years. He started in talk radio in 1967 at Oakland/San Francisco's
Taliaferro was claimed to be the first
Taliaferro aired the last interview (a 58-minute interview) done with Walter Cronkite on his Monday, July 27, 2009 program, following the news of Cronkite's death.[8]
Broadcast persona and format
Taliaferro's nighttime talk show mainly dealt with
Taliaferro discussed "scary" callers in a November 1988 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, noting that several women have shown up at the station to meet him and he has had to get security to stop them.
Taliaferro was a lifelong Democrat, and endorsed Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and election. He was president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP from 1968 to 1971.
Public service
Although Taliaferro was widely known for his role as an on-air radio personality, he has also been personally acknowledged for his active involvement in the arts and community service. Taliaferro dedicated considerable time and energy to public service to San Francisco, his home town.
Among his many achievements, Taliaferro served as president of the San Francisco chapter of the
Ray Taliaferro also performed memorably as music director with his Ray Tal Chorale for Dr. Martin Luther King's June 30, 1964 service at the Cow Palace on a stifling hot day to a standing-room-only audience just south of San Francisco. His most thrilling tactic, first observed during the Reagan administration, was to simply challenge callers to "Name one thing (the president) has done." Ray's life's work and talent for informing listeners continues to motivate his audience into the 2020s.[9]
Personal life and death
Taliaferro was first married to Carolyn Theodosia McAdoo in Los Angeles County.[10] They had three sons. He was remarried to Charlotte Crawford in June 2018.[11][12]
Taliaferro was reported missing by his wife on November 10, 2018, during a visit to Massac County, Illinois, . He was seen later the same day in Paducah, Kentucky,[13] possibly suffering from dementia.[7][14] He was found dead on December 2, a mile from Paducah.[15] Autopsy results showed Taliaferro died from a combination of hypertensive cardiovascular disease with a likely contribution from hypothermia and environmental exposure.[16] Taliaferro's son Raphael Jr. is investigating his father's death through a private investigator.[17]
The Commonwealth Club hosted a memorial for Mr. Taliaferro, in San Francisco, on January 14, 2019.
Trivia
An aircheck of Taliaferro, from KGO, was sampled by Brian Eno and David Byrne and used on "America Is Waiting", the first track on My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. The album was recorded at Wally Heider Studios, around the corner from the KGO radio studios, then at 277 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco.[18]
See also
References
- ^ The New York, New York, Birth Index, 1910-1965. Certificate Number: 1450
- ^ 1940 United States Federal Census for New York, Queens, New York
- ^ U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- ^ 1955 Monterey Bay Academy yearbook (Subscription to Ancestry.com required to access)
- ^ "Ray Taliaferro's show on KGO". Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Longtime Bay Area broadcaster Ray Taliaferro notches another honor". East Bay Times. January 15, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ a b Lauren Hernández (November 24, 2018). "Longtime San Francisco journalist Ray Taliaferro missing in Kentucky". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Cronkite's Final Interview, in San Francisco, Now on KGO - mediabistro.com: BayNewser". Archived from the original on 8 August 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ^ Dedication from Carnage! Like never before, and "1986 Conversations with Ray Taliaferro," Bogart, Brian (February 1, 2021).
- ^ California Marriage Index, 1949-1959.
- ^ Jacob, Brittany; Ross, Kaylie (November 27, 2018). "Search continues for missing San Francisco radio host last seen in Paducah, KY". KFVS-TV. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^ Fortson, Jobina (2018-12-03). "Ronn Owens recalls fond memories of former KGO talk radio host Ray Taliaferro". abc7news. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
Taliaferro's son said the couple's marriage license was found in the rental car his father parked outside the bank. The two were married in June.
- ^ May, Patrick; Geha, Joseph (2018-11-26). "KGO 810 radio host Ray Taliaferro's disappearance in Kentucky still a mystery". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
- ^ Yu, Chris (November 27, 2018). "Missing radio host seen in Paducah church surveillance video". WPSD-TV. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^ McBride, Ashley (December 3, 2018). "Celebrated Bay Area journalist Ray Taliaferro found dead in Kentucky". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Final autopsy results released on death of Raphael 'Ray' Taliaferro". WPSD Local 6. 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ "Exclusive: Wife of late Bay Area radio legend Ray Taliaferro breaks her silence". ABC7 San Francisco. 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ Byrne, David (1991-10-08). "David Byrne, Speaking of Music at the Exploratorium in 1991". archive.org. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
External links
- Keith Woodard (2010-02-12). "KGO History - Some Events of the Past Decade". Archived from the original on 2010-02-12. Retrieved 10 July 2017. (Unofficial)
- Ray Taliaferro's former show on KGO at the Wayback Machine (archived October 17, 2011)