Melvin Lindsey
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Melvin Lindsey (1955-1992) was an African-American radio and television personality in the Washington, DC area widely known for originating the "Quiet Storm" late-night music programming format.
Lindsey began his broadcast career as an intern at Howard University radio station WHUR-FM. In 1976, he brought "The Quiet Storm" to the station's late-night lineup, titled after a romantic hit single by tenor crooner Smokey Robinson. The show's soulfully melodic, moody musical fare made it a phenomenal success, and "The Quiet Storm" spawned scores of imitations in stations across the country serving a black, adult, urban demographic. Lindsey's show also gave rise to a category of music of the same name.
After a nine-year run on WHUR, Lindsey took his format to another local radio station, WKYS-FM, for five more years and later hosted "Screen Scene" for Black Entertainment Television (BET). Lindsey also worked for Washington, DC television stations WTTG-TV and WFTY-TV and for WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland.
Melvin Lindsey tragically died of AIDS in 1992, but the Quiet Storm format he originated remains a staple in radio programming today, almost 30 years after its inception.