Photo courtesy of Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia

Early in the fall semester of 1979, WUVA premiered “Soul Review,” the first radio segment in Charlottesville dedicated exclusively to contemporary R&B/funk music.  Notwithstanding the Jim Crow reality of the city’s airwaves during the post-Civil Rights era, Charlottesville, particularly UVA, was a popular tour stop for many black musicians. In fact, the list of popular entertainers who performed on grounds ranged from funk pioneer Sly Stone to jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd.