"World Cafe" host David Dye recalls the last time Joan Baez was in the WXPN studios. It was August 9, 1995, and just before his interview with her, the news came that the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia had died. "It hit her quite hard," Dye said. "But she insisted on continuing, and we broadcast a very moving impromptu performance of 'Amazing Grace,' dedicated to Garcia."

That was the second time Dye interviewed Baez, whom he calls "very open and warm." They will get together for a third time this Sunday (March 31) when both will be honored for their contributions to the era of progressive music/radio. On that day, as part of its celebration of 50 years of broadcasting, the University-owned WXPN will hold a fund-raising luncheon at Philadelphia's Downtown Club from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Baez and Dye will receive the station's first Golden Achievement award--planned to be given annually--and the legendary folk singer will present a short acoustic performance.

A lifelong Philadelphian, Dye broke into radio more than 30 years ago. "I was still in college at Swarthmore when I started working at WMMR and took over a full-time shift when I graduated in 1972," Dye recalled. "In those days radio was free form with all kinds of music from classical, jazz, folk, rock, all appearing in the same show. A lot of those attributes were what attracted me to WXPN and the 'World Cafe' in particular. We are able to put all kinds of music together in a creative fashion."

Dye played an instrumental role in molding the Philadelphia sound of the '70s with on-air support for such struggling artists as Todd Rundgren, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits. By the late '70s, he had moved from WMMR to WIOQ, where he later became program director. In the late '80s, Dye moved on to WXPN, first as a volunteer, then as a producer and host of his own program, "Mid-Day Mix," a blend of alternative rock, folk, world and R&B. It was from this "mix" that Dye conceived "World Cafe," a daily nationally syndicated show that features contemporary American and international acoustic music.

"Philadelphia radio over the years has assimilated all of the national radio trends while maintaining a strong local flavor," Dye said. "In fact you'd be hard-pressed to find another city that has the strong ongoing 'reverence' for air personalities like Philadelphia. I have had listeners follow me from station to station, including a couple, now in their 60s, who are huge fans of the music played now on 'XPN. Some of my original colleagues at WMMR were 'XPN alums, including Carol Miller [CW'72] and Nick Spitzer [C'72]. Even then we used to all come and spend time at WXPN, which was a hotbed of music heads."

Dye is known for possessing an encyclopedic mind for music, an exceptional talent for recognizing outstanding new artists and superb interview skills. " 'The World Cafe' has been the most-satisfying part of my career," Dye said, "partly because of the people I get to work with here. I didn't have extensive interviewing experience before we started the Cafe, and now I've had the amazing opportunity to talk with Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Michael Stipe from REM and, of course, Joan Baez."

In addition to his work at WXPN, Dye is the host of the "In Their Own Words" series at the Bottom Line in New York City.

Baez is, of course, a folk singer and political activist who interested large, young audiences in folk music during the 1960s. She has a connection to academe, in that she is the daughter of a physicist whose teaching and research took him to various communities in New York, California and elsewhere. Baez moved often and acquired little formal musical training. She was in the forefront of the 1960s folk-song revival, popularizing traditional songs through her performances in coffeehouses, at music festivals, on television and through her record albums, which were best sellers from 1960 through 1964, and remained popular into the 1970s.

An active participant in the 1960s protest movement, Baez made free concert appearances for UNESCO, civil-rights organizations, and anti-Vietnam War rallies. In 1964 she refused to pay federal taxes that went toward war expenses, and she was jailed in October and December 1967. Her autobiography, "Daybreak," was published in 1968; her "And a Voice to Sing With: A Memoir" appeared in 1987.

Those interested in attending the WXPN luncheon on Sunday should call the station at (215) 898-6677 or (800) 565-WXPN.

Return to Compass Features for March 26, 1996