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Watermelon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Citrullus
Species:	C. lanatus
Binomial name
Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai
Watermelon output in 2005

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.), family Cucurbitaceae) is a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind (exocarp) and fleshy center (mesocarp and endocarp). Pepos are derived from an inferior ovary, and are characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae. The watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of melon – although not in the genus Cucumis – has a smooth exterior rind (green, yellow and sometimes white) and a juicy, sweet interior flesh (usually deep red to pink, but sometimes orange, yellow and even green if not ripe). It is also commonly used to make a variety of salads, most notably fruit salad.

History[link]

A close-up of a watermelon leaf

Watermelon is thought to have originated in southern Africa, where it is found growing wild, because it reaches maximum genetic diversity there, resulting in sweet, bland and bitter forms. Alphonse de Candolle, in 1882,^[1] already considered the evidence sufficient to prove that watermelon was indigenous to tropical Africa.^[2] Though Citrullus colocynthis is often considered to be a wild ancestor of watermelon and is now found native in north and west Africa, Fenny Dane and Jiarong Liu^[3] suggest on the basis of chloroplast DNA investigations that the cultivated and wild watermelon appear to have diverged independently from a common ancestor, possibly C. ecirrhosus from Namibia.

It is not known when the plant was first cultivated, but Zohary and Hopf note evidence of its cultivation in the Nile Valley from at least as early as the second millennium BC. Although watermelon is not depicted in any Egyptian hieroglyphic text nor does any ancient writer mention it, finds of the characteristically large seed are reported in Twelfth dynasty sites; numerous watermelon seeds were recovered from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.^[4]

By the 10th century AD, watermelons were being cultivated in China, which is today the world's single largest watermelon producer. By the 13th century, Moorish invaders had introduced the fruit to Europe; according to John Mariani's Dictionary of American Food and Drink, "watermelon" made its first appearance in an English dictionary in 1615.

Museums Online South Africa list watermelons as having been introduced to Native Americans in the 16th century. Early French explorers found Native Americans cultivating the fruit in the Mississippi Valley. Many sources list the watermelon as being introduced in Massachusetts as early as 1629. Southern food historian John Egerton has said he believes African slaves helped introduce the watermelon to the United States. Texas Agricultural Extension horticulturalist Jerry Parsons lists African slaves and European colonists as having distributed watermelons to many areas of the world. Parsons also mentions the crop being farmed by Native Americans in Florida (by 1664) and the Colorado River area (by 1799). Other early watermelon sightings include the Midwestern states (1673), Connecticut (1747) and the Illiana region (1822).

Watermelons on display by a roadside vendor in Delhi, India

Charles Fredric Andrus, a horticulturist at the USDA Vegetable Breeding Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, set out to produce a disease-resistant and wilt-resistant watermelon. The result, in 1954, was "that gray melon from Charleston". Its oblong shape and hard rind made it easy to stack and ship. Its adaptability meant it could be grown over a wide geographical area. It produced high yields and was resistant to the most serious watermelon diseases: anthracnose and fusarium wilt.^[5]

Today, farmers in approximately 44 states in the U.S. grow watermelon commercially, and almost all these varieties have some Charleston Gray in their lineage. Georgia, Florida, Texas, California and Arizona are the USA's largest watermelon producers.

This now-common watermelon is often large enough that groceries often sell half or quarter melons. There are also some smaller, spherical varieties of watermelon, both red- and yellow-fleshed, sometimes called "icebox melons".

Cubic watermelon from Japan

In Japan, farmers of the Zentsuji region found a way to grow cubic watermelons, by growing the fruits in glass boxes and letting them naturally assume the shape of the receptacle.^[6] The cubic shape was originally designed to make the melons easier to stack and store, but the cubic watermelons are often more than double the price of normal ones, and much of their appeal to consumers is in their novelty. Pyramid-shaped watermelons have also been developed and any polyhedral shape may potentially also be used.

Culture[link]

For commercial plantings, one beehive per acre (4,000 m² per hive) is the minimum recommendation by the US Department of Agriculture for pollination of conventional, seeded varieties. Because seedless hybrids have sterile pollen, pollinizer rows of varieties with viable pollen must also be planted. Since the supply of viable pollen is reduced and pollination is much more critical in producing the seedless variety, the recommended number of hives per acre, or pollinator density, increases to three hives per acre (1,300 m² per hive). Watermelons have a longer growing period than other garden plants and can often take up to 85 days of growing to mature.

Nutrition[link]

A watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight.^[7] As with many other fruits, it is a source of vitamin C.

The amino-acid citrulline was first extracted from watermelon and analyzed.^[8] Watermelons contain a significant amount of citrulline and after consumption of several kg, an elevated concentration is measured in the blood plasma; this could be mistaken for citrullinaemia or other urea cycle disorders.^[9]

Watermelon rinds, usually a light green or white color, are also edible and contain many hidden nutrients^[vague], but most people avoid eating them due to their unappealing flavor. They are sometimes used as a vegetable.^[10] In China, they are stir-fried, stewed or more often pickled. When stir-fried, the de-skinned and de-fruited rind is cooked with olive oil, garlic, chili peppers, scallions, sugar and rum. Pickled watermelon rind is also commonly consumed in the Southern US.^[11] Watermelon juice can be made into wine.^[12]

Watermelon is mildly diuretic^[13] and contains large amounts of beta carotene.^[14] Watermelon with red flesh is a significant source of lycopene. Preliminary research indicates that consumption of watermelon may have anti-hypertensive effects though more research is needed to confirm these findings. ^[15]

Varieties[link]

Seedless watermelon

Watermelon with yellow flesh

There are more than 1200^[16] varieties of watermelon, ranging in weight from less than a pound to more than two hundred pounds, with flesh that is red, orange, yellow or white.^[17]

• The Carolina Cross produced the current world record watermelon weighing 262 pounds (119 kg). It has green skin, red flesh and commonly produces fruit between 65 and 150 pounds (29 and 68 kg). It takes about 90 days from planting to harvest.
• The Yellow Crimson has a yellow colored flesh. It has been described as sweeter and more honey-flavored than the more popular red flesh watermelon.
• The Orangeglo has a very sweet orange pulp, and is a large oblong fruit weighing 9–14 kg (20–30 pounds). It has a light green rind with jagged dark green stripes. It takes about 90–100 days from planting to harvest.^[18]
• The Moon and Stars variety was created in 1926.^[19] The rind is purple/black and has many small yellow circles (stars) and one or two large yellow circles (moon). The melon weighs 9–23 kg (20–50 pounds).^[20] The flesh is pink or red and has brown seeds. The foliage is also spotted. The time from planting to harvest is about 90 days.^[21]
• The Cream of Saskatchewan consists of small round fruits around 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter. It has a quite thin, light green with dark green striped rind, with sweet white flesh and black seeds. It can grow well in cool climates. It was originally brought to Saskatchewan, Canada, by Russian immigrants. The melon takes 80–85 days from planting to harvest.^[22]
• The Melitopolski has small round fruits roughly 28–30 cm (11–12 inches) in diameter. It is an early ripening variety that originated from the Volga River region of Russia, an area known for cultivation of watermelons. The Melitopolski watermelons are seen piled high by vendors in Moscow in summer. This variety takes around 95 days from planting to harvest.^[23]
• The Densuke watermelon has round fruit up to 25 lb (11 kg). The rind is black with no stripes or spots. It is grown only on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, where up to 10,000 watermelons are produced every year. In June 2008, one of the first harvested watermelons was sold at an auction for 650,000 yen (6,300 USD), making the most expensive watermelon ever sold. The average selling price is generally around 25,000 yen (250 USD).^[24]

Cultural uses and references[link]

Watermelon and other fruit in Boris Kustodiev's Merchant's Wife

• In Vietnamese culture, watermelon seeds are consumed during the Vietnamese New Year's holiday, Tết, as a snack.^[25]
• Stereotypical caricatures may depict African Americans as being inordinately fond of watermelon.^[26]
• The Oklahoma State Senate passed a bill on 17 April 2007 declaring watermelon as the official state vegetable, with some controversy surrounding whether a watermelon is a fruit.^[27]
• The citrulline which exists in watermelon (especially in the rind) is a known stimulator of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is thought to relax and expand blood vessels, much like the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, and may even increase libido.^[28]
• Fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL started a tradition of hollowing out a watermelon and wearing it as a makeshift football helmet (the color of the Roughriders is green). During the 2009 Grey Cup in Calgary (between the Montreal Alouettes and the Roughriders), thousands of watermelons had to be imported to Calgary supermarkets to prevent a shortage being caused by Rider fans.^[29]
• The town of Chinchilla in Queensland, Australia, holds a biannual festival celebrating all things melon.
• The ten-lined June beetle is often affectionately referred to as a Watermelon Beetle, due to the green, striped pattern on its back.
• It is the symbol of the Turkish city, Diyarbakır.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Watermelon displayed for sale in a market, Dubai

• Watermelon flower measurement.jpg

  Watermelon flowers

• Water melon leave.jpg

  Watermelon leaf

• Water melon young shoot.jpg

  Hairy stem

• 

  Flower stems of male and female watermelon blossoms, showing ovary on the female

• Water melon flower and stem.jpg

  Watermelon plant close-up

• 

  Watermelon baller

• 

  Lasioglossum malachurum, foraging on a watermelon flower (Hulda, Israel)

See also[link]

• Leo Gallagher, a prop comic whose most famous bit involves smashing watermelons
• List of fruits
• Suikawari
• Vampire pumpkins and watermelons
• Watermelon steak

Notes[link]

References[link]

Seeds of many watermelon varieties, packed in little cans, sold to farmers in the seed-shop district of Wuhan, China

• North Carolina State University: Watermelon breeding
• Growing watermelons in the home garden
• Blomberg, Marina (June 10, 2004). "In Season: Savory Summer Fruits." The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005.
• "An African Native of World Popularity." Texas A&M University Aggie Horticulture website. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005.
• Blomberg, Marina (June 10, 2004). "In Season: Savory Summer Fruits." The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005.
• "Charles Fredric Andrus: Watermelon Breeder." Cucurbit Breeding Horticultural Science. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005.
• "Crop Production: Icebox Watermelons." Washington State University Vancouver Research and Extension Unit website. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005.
• Hamish, Robertson. "Citrullus lanatus (Watermelon, Tsamma)." Museums Online South Africa. Retrieved Mar. 15, 2005.
• Motes, J.E.; Damicone, John; Roberts, Warren; Duthie, Jim; Edelson, Jonathan. "Watermelon Production." Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005.
• Parsons, Jerry, Ph.D. (June 5, 2002). "Gardening Column: Watermelons." Texas Cooperative Extension of the Texas A&M University System. Jul. 17, 2005.
• "Redneck Olympics." ISKRA television. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005.
• Shosteck, Robert (1974). Flowers and Plants: An International Lexicon with Biographical Notes. Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Co.: New York.
• "Watermelon." The George Mateljan Foundation for The World's Healthiest Foods. Retrieved Jul. 28, 2005.
• "Watermelon Production and Consumption Demographics."
• "Watermelon History." National Watermelon Promotion Board website. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005.
• Wolford, Ron and Banks, Drusilla. "Watch Your Garden Grow: Watermelon." University of Illinois Extension. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005.

Wikispecies has information related to: Citrullus vulgaris

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Citrullus lanatus

Look up watermelon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

v t e Melon Bailan melon Bitter melon Canary melon Cantaloupe Citron melon Citrullus ecirrhosus Cucumeropsis mannii Galia Hami melon Honeydew Horned melon Melon ball Montreal melon Muskmelon Paddy melon Piel de Sapo Santa Claus melon Sprite melon Sugar melon Sun Melon Watermelon Watermelon steak Winter melon Yubari King

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2011)

Tom Willett (born 1950) is an American musician, author and entertainment industry executive. He toured and recorded extensively as a bass player during the 1960s and 1970s, served as booking agent and manager for numerous artists in the 1980s, and worked as an artist and repertoire and marketing executive in the 1990s. In the 2000s he co-founded a fully accredited music school for college-aged musicians and entrepreneurs.

Touring and recording bands[link]

Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Willett moved with his family to the Washington, DC suburbs in the mid-1960s. While attending Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County, VA, he played bass with DC-area Garage Rockers the Keggs, the Uncalled Four, and the Nightcrawlers, which also featured Gerry Beckley, later of the best-selling British ex-pat band, America.

While completing coursework for a B.A. in Psychology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, Willett toured with Brit Rock-Psychedelic outfit Orange, featuring Danny Brubeck, son of legendary Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, on drums.

After graduation in 1972, Willett recorded and toured with the Sons of Thunder, founded by Blaine Smith in 1968 and the first U.S. Rock act to record a contemporary Gospel album for a major label (Till the Whole World Knows, Zondervan). He also played bass for D.C. Folk-Rocker Scott Wesley Brown.

Early not-for-profit work[link]

While pursuing post-graduate studies in the mid-1970s at a commune in the Maryland suburbs, Willett helped launch both the Cornerstone Study Center (Jim and Lorraine Hiskey) and the C.S. Lewis Institute (James Houston, John R.W. Stott, J. I. Packer).[1] He and Santa Rosa, CA-native Julie Atterbury where married in 1978.

Booking and artist management[link]

Willett returned to the music industry in 1979 when he launched the Chanan Agency to handle booking and management for DC-area talent including musician/author Brian McLaren [2] and college-circuit favorites, Jim and Kim Thomas (the Carpenter’s Tools, Say-So).[3]

In 1980, Willett joined Dharma Artist Agency [4] in Nashville, TN where he served as booking agent for a number of leading artists, including Leon Patillo (Santana), Maria Muldaur, and Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco). He later formed Tom Willett Artist Management to provide career direction for John Fischer (Word/A&M), Scott Wesley Brown (Sparrow/EMI), and Marty McCall (MCA Songbird).

Artist and repertoire work in Los Angeles[link]

In 1984, Willett was asked to become executive director of artists and repertoire in Los Angeles for ABC’s Word Records, the world's largest distributor of inspirational music and books. Responsible for signing new artists and overseeing production, Willett managed the creation of more than 50 award-winning CDs and videos, including Grammy and Dove Award winning records by Sam Phillips, The Choir, Dion DiMucci, Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire), Randy Stonehill and Bryan Duncan.

While in L.A., Willett founded What? Records, a boutique label marketed and distributed by A&M Records. Working with T Bone Burnett, David Miner, John Carter and Lynn Nichols, What? released four critically acclaimed albums: IDeoLa’s ‘’Tribal Opera,’’ Tonio K.’s ‘’Romeo Unchained’’ and ‘’Notes from the Lost Civilization,’’ and Dave Perkins’ ‘’The Innocence.’’

Willett’s A&R work saw him in the studio with such notables as T Bone Burnett, Phil Ramone, Charlie Peacock, Booker T. Jones, Little Richard, Tchad Blake, Bill Schnee and Doug Sax.

Marketing, product management and career development[link]

In 1990, Willett and Epic Record’s Roger Klein brokered a new marketing and distribution relationship for Word with Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment. After relocating to New York, he, along with Dan Beck (Michael Jackson, Pearl Jam, Indigo Girls, Sade), coordinated the release and marketing of over 250 albums that generated more than $50,000,000 in revenues. While serving as Vice President of Marketing for Word/Epic, Willett and his team spear-headed international marketing campaigns for such artists as Al Green, Deniece Williams, Shirley Caesar, Phil Keaggy, Soul Mission, Sandi Patty, Petra, and Point of Grace. Through their efforts, Word/Epic artists found expanded audiences, while leading mainstream personalities such as Bruce Cockburn, Wynton Marsalis and Garrison Keillor crossed back over into the Gospel marketplace.

In 1995 Willett moved to Virginia, and later, Florida, to pursue writing and independent marketing. He published more than 50 articles in music and arts journals while helping manage the literary estate of Dr. Richard C. Halverson, former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. With Beck, he formed ADi, a property development and marketing organization focused on creating unique entertainment, character and lifestyle properties. In conjunction with Peacock Papers, Adi’s products found distribution in Hallmark and other leading card and gift shops. Their recording and touring project, The American Soul and Rock & Roll Choir, went on to tour performing arts centers throughout the U.S. Willett and Beck later co-managed Hip-Hop duo, Scratch Track, and artist/writer/filmmaker, Will Gray.

During this period, Willett also founded Creative Development Network, providing career support to Artist/Producer T Bone Burnett (Counting Crows, Wallflowers), recording artist Sam Phillips (Virgin, Nonesuch), and Internet sensation, Boondogs, the first band signed to a major recording contract based solely on consumer voting during the first wave of downloadable .mp3s.

Music industry educator and mentor[link]

In 2000, Willett was asked to spearhead a feasibility study for the creation of a fully accredited, 4-month-long off-campus study experience for college students interested in careers in the music industry. In conjunction with CCCU’s Dr. Richard Gathro and a committee of college presidents, deans and music department chairs, he created a business plan and curriculum that offered developing artists classes and hands-on experience in songwriting, recording and performance, while training young entrepreneurs in artist management, booking, publishing, record company operations and marketing. Established on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts in the Fall of 2001, Willett and the faculty and staff of the Contemporary Music Center have helped launch the careers of more than 600 students from nearly 100 colleges and universities.

Willett’s work has been cited in ‘’Rolling Stone,’’ ‘’Billboard,’’ ‘’Musician,’’ ‘’The L.A. Times,’’ ‘’Entertainment Weekly,’’ ‘’CMJ’’ and the ‘’Hollywood Reporter,’’ while his articles encouraging excellence in music making and marketing have appeared in ‘’Image,’’ ‘’The Wittenburg Door,’’ ‘’CCM,’’ ‘’Release,’’ ‘’The Other Side’’ and ‘’Prism.’’

Selected credits[link]

Agent, Manager, Career Development

• Boondogs
• Scott Wesley Brown
• T Bone Burnett
• Gary Chapman
• Jamie Owens Collins
• John Fischer
• Richie Furay
• Marty McCall and Fireworks
• Brian McLaren
• Maria Muldaur
• Leon Patillo
• Sam Phillips
• Jim and Kim Thomas
• John and VicciJo Witty

Executive producer and A&R

• Philip Bailey, The Wonders of His Love, A&M
• Philip Bailey, Triumph, A&M (Grammy)
• The Choir, Diamonds and Rain, Word
• The Choir, Chase the Kangaroo, Word
• The Choir, Wide-Eyed Wonder, Word
• The Choir, Circle Slide, Word/Epic
• Bruce Cockburn, Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws, Word
• Dion, Seasons, Word
• Dion, Kingdom in the Streets, Word/A&M
• Dion, Velvet & Steel, Word/A&M
• Bryan Duncan, Anonymous Confessions…, Word
• Bryan Duncan, Mercy, Epic
• John Fischer, Between the Answers, Word
• John Fischer, Casual Crimes, Word
• Mark Heard (iDeoLa), Tribal Opera, What?/A&M
• Benny Hester, Benny from Here, Word
• Benny Hester, Through the Window, Word
• Leon Patillo, I'll Never Stop Loving You, Word
• Leon Patillo, The Sky's the Limit, Word
• Leon Patillo, Love Around the World, Word
• Sam (Leslie) Phillips, Dancing with Danger, Word
• Sam (Leslie) Phillips, Black and White in a Grey World, Word
• Sam (Leslie) Phillips, The Turning, Word/A&M
• Sam (Leslie) Phillips, Recollection, Word
• Rhythm House, (self-titled), Word
• Randy Stonehill, Celebrate This Heartbeat, Word
• Randy Stonehill, Love Beyond Reason, Word
• Randy Stonehill, Wild Frontier, Word
• Randy Stonehill, Can't Buy a Miracle, Word
• Randy Stonehill, Return to Paradise, Word/A&M
• Tonio K., Romeo Unchained, What?/A&M
• Tonio K., Notes from the Lost Civilization, What?/A&M
• Tonio K., Olé, Gadfly
• Various Artists, Adventures in the Land of Big Beats & Happy Feets
• Various Artists, Twelve New Faces
• Various Artists, Voices

Marketing

• Acappella, Acappella America, Epic
• Maia Amada, Maia Amada, Epic
• Anointed, Spiritual Love Affair, Epic (Dove)
• Philip Bailey, Family Affair, Epic
• Philip Bailey, Best of…, Epic
• Helen Baylor, Highly Recommended, Epic
• Helen Baylor, Look A Little Closer, Epic
• Helen Baylor, Start All Over, Epic (Dove)
• Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Live with Friends, Epic
• Rev. Milton Brunson and…, Through God's Eyes, Epic (Grammy)
• Shirley Caesar, Stand Still, Epic (Grammy)
• Shirley Caesar, He's Working It Out For You, Epic (Grammy, Dove)
• Glen Campbell, Favorite Hymns, Epic
• Bruce Carroll, Walk On, Epic (Dove)
• The Choir, Circle Slide, Epic
• Bruce Cockburn, Christmas, Columbia
• Bruce Cockburn, Dart to the Heart, Columbia
• Jesse Dixon, I Know What Prayer Can Do, Epic
• O'Landa Draper and the Associates, Above and Beyond, Epic
• Bryan Duncan, Mercy, Epic
• Bryan Duncan, Slow Revival, Epic
• First Call, Human Song, Epic
• First Call, Sacred Journey, Epic
• The Florida Boys, A Taste of Heaven, Epic
• Al Green, One in a Million, Epic
• Al Green, Love Is Reality, Epic
• Guardian, Fire & Love, Epic
• Guardian, Miracle Mile, Epic
• Guardian, Swing Swang Swung, Epic
• Kurt Kaiser, The Lost Art of Listening, Epic
• Phil Keaggy, Beyond Nature, Epic (Dove)
• Phil Keaggy, Blue (Crimson and Blue), Epic
• Garrison Keillor and the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, Sony
• Wynton Marsalis, In This House, Columbia
• Babbie Mason, World of Difference, Epic
• MidSouth, Lessons of Life, Epic
• Mighty Clouds of Joy, Sing and Shout, Epic
• Mighty Clouds of Joy, Pray for Me, Epic (Grammy)
• Cindy Morgan, Real Life, Epic (Dove)
• Michael Omartian, The Race, Epic
• Sandi Patty, Another Time, Another Place, Epic (Grammy, Dove, Gold)
• Sandi Patty, Finest Moments, Epic (Gold)
• Sandi Patty, Le Voyage, Epic (Dove)
• Sandi Patty, Find It On the Wings, Epic (Dove)
• Petra, Unseen Power, Epic (Grammy)
• Petra, Wake-Up Call, Epic (Grammy, Dove)
• Petra, No Doubt, Epic (Dove)
• Point of Grace, The Whole Truth, Epic (Dove, Gold)
• Stephen Soles, Walk by Love, Word
• Soul Mission, Soul Mission, Epic
• Russ Taff, Under Their Influence, Vol. 1, Epic (Grammy)
• The Whites, Doin' It by the Book, Epic
• Deniece Williams, Lullabies to Dreamland, Epic

Publications

• "Archive of a Culture—The Museum of Television and Radio," Prism
• "Artist Representation—A Look at the Heart," Contemporary Christian Music
• "Between Heaven and Earth—Diary of an Artist," Prism
• "Bible Versus®," The Wittenburg Door
• "Burnett Thompson—Artist Profile," Prism
• "Casting the Muse in Feminine Hues—The National Museum of Women in the Arts"
• "Contemporary American Attitudes about God," The Wittenburg Door
• "Down in the Groove," Image
• "Exit Martin—The National Civil Rights Museum," Prism
• "Faith and Activism," Prism
• "Faith and Creation," Prism
• "Faith and Death," Prism
• "Faith and Intellect," Prism
• "Faith and Money," Prism
• "Faith and the Future," Prism
• "Gazing Over the Edge—Activists and Artists Together," The Other Side
• "Giants in the Land—G. K. Chesterton," Prism
• "If Someone Didn't Say It, They Should," The Wittenburg Door
• "Image—A Journal of the Arts and Religion," Prism
• "Jim Hodgson—Artist Profile," Prism
• "Oh Mercy," World Christian
• "Pilgrim at Twenty—Annie Dillard," Prism
• "Simone Weil: Contemporary Saintliness Redux," Prism
• "Slow Train Coming," Washington Arts Group Journal
• "St. Bernard—G. Bernard Shaw," Prism
• "Strong Hand of Love—Mark Heard," Release
• "The Art of Attack—The Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center," Prism
• "The Artist: Devotion Plus Creativity," Contemporary Christian Music
• "The Christian and Creativity," Joyful Noise
• "The Gift of Criticism—H. L. Mencken," Prism
• "The State of Christian Media," Prism
• "Toward a Difficult Hope—Albert Camus," Prism
• "Tribute—The Songs of Andraé Crouch," Release
• "Will Horrors Never Cease?—The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum," Prism

External links[link]

• Official Website

Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr (January 23, 1931 – January 10, 1984) was an African American television and radio talk show host. A two-time Emmy Award-winner, Greene overcame drug addiction and a prison sentence for armed robbery to become one of the most prominent media personalities in Washington, DC. On his shows, Greene often discussed issues such as racism, poverty, drug usage, and current events among others.

Early life[link]

Born Ralph Waldo Greene Jr in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Ralph Waldo Greene Sr and Margaret Floyd. Greene was raised by his maternal grandmother on 23rd Street NW in Washington, DC

Greene attended Stevens Elementary School and Cardozo Senior High School in Washington; he dropped out in grade 11. Greene then enlisted in the United States Army in 1951. He served in the Korean War and was an Army medic to wounded soldiers. Greene was discharged from service shortly after the war ended in 1953.

In June 1960, Greene was convicted of armed robbery at a grocery store in Washington and sentenced to ten years imprisonment at Lorton Reformatory in Fairfax County, Virginia. There he became the prison disc jockey which made him popular and well liked by fellow prisoners. His loquaciousness soon proved beneficial in other ways. In May 1966, Greene persuaded a fellow inmate to climb to the top of the prison water tower and threaten suicide, so that Greene would be able to "save his life" by talking him down. "It took me six months to get him to go up there", he later recalled on his talk show.^[1] This act, combined with his generally good behavior, earned him a reduction in his prison sentence and parole the following week.

Career[link]

In the summer of 1966, Greene was hired by Dewey Hughes to work as a disc jockey at AM radio station WOL-1450 and to host his own show. Rapping With Petey Greene aired in the Washington Metropolitan Area throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. His prominence grew, and soon he was hosting his own television show, Petey Greene's Washington, with a six-year run from 1976 to 1982 on WDCA-20. This show won two Emmy Awards. On March 8, 1978, he was invited as a guest to the White House by United States President Jimmy Carter to honour visiting Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito. He famously quipped to the Washington Post that he "stole a spoon" during the evening gala.^[2]

In 1981, Greene had radio personality Howard Stern on his show for what was one of Stern's first television appearances. Stern appeared on the show in blackface, which Greene found funny. The audio of this interview eventually was played as part of the 2007 Sirius satellite radio documentary The History of Howard Stern, in which Stern called Greene "way ahead of his time". The two shared a mutual admiration, as they both dealt with such controversial subjects as race and politics, with Stern since recognizing him as an influence. Stern later called Greene a "broadcasting genius" in his 1993 book Private Parts.

Activism[link]

Aside from being a radio personality and talk show host, Greene was also a community activist, joining the United Planning Organization and founding the Ralph Waldo Greene Community Centre and Efforts for Ex-Convicts. This organization remains devoted to helping former prisoners succeed in legitimate ways and to advocate prison reform. He rallied against poverty and racism on his shows and on the streets, participating in demonstrations during the height of his popularity. In 1968, he spoke at Georgetown University to discuss the riots caused by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his opposition to the Vietnam War. Following the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr in April 1968, and during the subsequent riots that erupted throughout the USA, Greene made statements on air that were credited with quelling the riots in Washington DC.

Death[link]

Greene was diagnosed with liver cancer in 1982. His career as a radio and television personality ended due to his ailing health. Greene died on January 10, 1984, thirteen days before his 53rd birthday. He was survived by his wife, Vernell Watson, and their four children: Ralph Waldo III, Petra, Renee, and Melanie. Approximately 10,000 mourners lined up outside Union Wesley AME Zion Church to pay their last respects.

Legacy[link]

Greene's autobiography, Laugh If You Like, Ain't a Damn Thing Funny, was published in 2003. The book is a result of conversations recorded between him and author Lurma Rackley.

Greene was portrayed by Don Cheadle in the 2007 film Talk To Me, which is based on his life and career. Greene was also profiled in a 2009 episode of the PBS series Independent Lens entitled "Adjust Your Colour: The Truth of Petey Greene".

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Bachrach, Judy (January 24, 1977). "Petey Greene, Star of His Own Show". Washington Post, C1.
• Frey, Jennifer (July 30, 2006). "Retroactivist: The Black Power of Petey Greene; 'Talk' Goes on Location, Back in the Day". Washington Post, D1.
• Milloy, Courtland (March 9, 1978). "Petey Greene Goes to the White House". Washington Post, C1.
• Rackley, Lurma (2003). Laugh If You Like, Ain't a Damn Thing Funny: The Life story of Ralph "Petey" Greene as told to Lurma Rackley. United States: Xlibris. ISBN 1-4134-3289-1.
• Smith, J.Y. (January 12, 1984). "TV Commentator Petey Greene Dies". Washington Post, B1.

External links[link]

• PeteyGreene.com
• NPR's "All Things Considered" July 13, 2007 - includes audio clips and review of the film Talk to Me
• Adjust Your "Color: The Truth of Petey Greene - Exclusive 20-minute Preview"