re: Post your favorite picture of some of your favorite musicians.

DJ Shelley Pope (on left) receiving the keys to a Ford Thunderbird as part of his compensation for moving his popular radio show from Beaumont TX to WJLD in Birmingham sometime in the early 1970s

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“The Black Pope”is/was Shelley Pope, an incredibly energetic and inventive southern black radio disc jockey who became established at WENN and WJLD in Birnimgham before moving to New Orleans. Just before leaving Birmingham, WJLD had him working split shifts and he was glad to get out of there.

In New Orleans, he became much more stable and better established with outside interests running clubs, managing artists, etc., while continuing on the air with a more sedate version of his earlier shows.

Pope's "I'm a Human Radio Station" clip, which circulates around the internet, is not very representative of his shows. It is pretty much what he'd do for a very attention-getting breakdown every now and then with no music or effects after winding up more and more with his layers (on top of a current record playing) of playing humorous excerpts from phone calls that were coming in, screaming "WEAR IT OUT!" and issuing other instructions, while at the same time running a cart with no stop tone that continuously yelled "POPE POPE POPE POPE POPE POPE POPE POPE POPE..." It was a dizzying, exciting show with invention that seemed to have no end. Then when it all seemed impossible to assimilate any more, he'd shut it all down for a monologue like "I'm A Human Radio Station".

Part of Shelley Pope's later New Orleans radio show was included in the 1980s movie "Cat People" as being heard during a taxicab ride. The sequence is missing from many video releases of the movie, but the end credits still credit "and THE BLACK POPE".

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