So many books, so little time! Although long-time host Jim McKeown has retired, his legacy continues as Likely Stories finds itself turning the page for a new chapter. Exploring an eclectic collection of books, each week Likely Stories see's a different host bring something new to the table to share their insight and earnest review. Likely Stories is a production of KWBU in Waco, Texas. Likely Stories airs Thursdays during Morning Edition and All Things Considered and Saturday and Sunday dur ...
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KWBU Podcasts
Author and Baylor University professor Robert Darden tells stories - and plays recordings - from the Baylor University Libraries' Black Gospel Music Restoration Project in an on-going weekly series of two-minute segments. Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments explores the distinctly African-American sound of the "Golden Age of Gospel" (1945-1975). The series celebrates this fertile musical period in American history, presenting cultural snapshots that reveal the depth of a people, their communit ...
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Downtown Depot is a new show from KWBU. The show will look at the ins and outs of development in Waco. Each week you can hear interviews with local entrepreneurs, city officials, and people with a stake in developing our city on the Brazos. During the show you'll also hear updates about new businesses, closures and development rumblings around town. But we also want to hear from you. Is there a building or an update on development that you want to know about? Let us know.
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Likely Stories - Recommendations from Reviews in 2025
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3:30With the momentum of the holiday season starting to pick up, this week's Likely Stories is dedicated to an always dependable gift option. Whether it's for loved ones, or as a treat for yourself, today we're picking out a few titles our eclectic team of reviewers highlighted in 2025. A collection of page turners that would make for great additions t…
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Blackberry Records
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3:00The Williams Family and the legendary Canton Spirituals combine for one of the funkiest Christmas songs of all time, “Down Home in Mississippi".
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Likely Stories - The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan
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3:30Welcome back to Likely Stories. I’m Paige Connell, and I teach English at Midway High School. Billed as “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone” meets “The Goonies”, I can confirm that this fun, winding story of buried treasure and buried secrets gives off strong vibes of that great book and the classic movie.…
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Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - "I Can Feel Him" by The Rev. H.B. Crum and His Mighty Golden Keys
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3:00The Rev. H.B. Crum and His Mighty Golden Keys, “I Can Feel Him” is an exciting example of gospel’s transition from traditional doo-wop harmonies to a more soulful sound.By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
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3:30Hello, I am Rebecca Flavin, Director of Engaged Learning Curriculum and Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Baylor University. One of the best books I have read so far this year is Shelby Van Pelt’s, “Remarkably Bright Creatures.”By Rebecca Flavin
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - I Came to Preach a Sermon by Rev. Johnny "The Hurricane" Jones
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3:00The Rev. Johnny “The Hurricane” Jones preached and sang at Second Mount Olive Baptist Church in Atlanta for nearly 60 years!By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright
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3:30“Mr. Texas,” by Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright, is a novel about the making of a Texas state legislator.By Diane Kemper
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Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'I Call Jesus My Rock' by Willie Webb Singers
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3:00The Willie Webb Singers showcased Willie’s amazing keyboards, vocals and songwriting.By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica
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3:30Welcome to this weeks edition of Likely Stories, my name is Malcolm Foster, operations assistant at KWBU. The book I want to discuss today is a brutal, yet occasionally beautiful example of how some things, for better and worse, even in the most drastic of scenarios, never change.By Malcolm Foster
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Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'A City Called Heaven' by Mahalia Jackson
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3:00Mahalia Jackson’s majestic, magnificent version of “City Called Heaven” is one of the great powerhouse vocals in gospel music history.By Robert Darden
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Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - Eddie Williams and the Crusaders
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2:00The powerhouse vocals of Christine Clark dominate Evangelist Eddie Williams and the Crusader’s arrangement of “Abraham, Martin & John.”
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Likely Stories - Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
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3:30Hi. Welcome back to Likely Stories. I'm Paige Connell and I teach English at Midway High School. The late 1960s must have been quite a time to be alive. I missed it by just a decade or so. Groovy tunes, free love, mod fashion, patriarchal oppression. Wait, that last one doesn't sound so fun, but it is a topic that the author delves into in the soci…
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Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - Sister Jessie Mae Renfro
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2:00Sister Jessie Mae Renfro excelled at the kind of slow, bluesy gospel surge song, like this one – “He’s So Wonderful.”
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In Thirst, Mary Oliver invites us into a quiet conversation between sorrow and faith, where nature and grace meet in every line.
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Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Famous Blue Jay Singers
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2:00The Famous Blue Jay Singers novelty release “Clanka Lanka” celebrates one of the most famous phrases in gospel quartet singing history.
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Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Hampton Institute Quartet
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2:00The Hampton Institute Quartet’s rendition of the beloved cam meeting singalong, “Old Time Religion,” dates back to 1939.
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Likely Stories - Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James
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3:30This is the Reverend Dr. Andrew Armond, associate rector of Saint Albans Episcopal Church here in Waco. Welcome to this week's edition of Likely Stories.By Rev. Dr. Andrew Armond
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - “I Want to be Ready” by The Congregational Church Choir
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3:00The Congregational Church Choir’s scratchy “I Want to be Ready” is a rare and wonderful example of a jubilee song from 1927.By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - Gandolfini: Jim, Tony and the Life of a Legend, by Jason Bailey
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3:33From Broadway to Bada Bing: a new biography unpacks the life, career, and lasting impact of James Gandolfini, star of The Sopranos.By Kevin Tankersley
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - “I Want to Be Loved” by The Exciting Gospel Incredibles
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3:00The Exciting Incredibles live up to their name with the deep Southern soul gospel groove of “I Want to Be Loved.”By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu
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3:13Hello, and welcome back to Likely Stories. I’m Paige Connell, and I teach English at Midway High School.By Paige Connell
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'I Want to be Free' by The Jordan Singers
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3:00The Jordan Singers’ “I Want to be Free” has the same rollicking beat as some of the best freedom songs by the Staple Singers.By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - Dead Man Walking by Helen Prejean
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3:30I’m Joe Riley with KWBU, and this is Likely Stories.By Joe Riley
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - “I Want the Lord to Do Something for Me" by Straight Street Holiness Church of Fort Valley, GA
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3:00Straight Street Holiness Church’s raw recording of “I Want the Lord to Do Something for Me” has a joyful energy all its own.By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - Still Life at Eighty by Abigail Thomas
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3:30Welcome to this week’s installment of Likely Stories on KWBU. My name is Gia Chevis. Maybe you’ve found yourself pausing to reflect on your life so far…the passage of time, the tricks of memory, and the wonders you’ve witnessed. If so, then you may appreciate the wisdom and strength Abigail Thomas shares in her memoir, Still Life at Eighty.…
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - (I Was Way Down Yonder) I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray by The Kelly Brothers
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3:00Chicago’s Kelly Brothers sound like they’re from Mississippi in the churchy, soulful “(I Was Way Down Yonder) I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray.”By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - The End of the Spear by Steve Saint
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3:31Hi, my name is Harrison Otis, and welcome to Likely Stories. Today I'll be reviewing Steve Saint's 2005 memoir, End of the Spear.By Harrison Otis
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Rev. James Cleveland and the Salem Inspirational Choir
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3:00The Rev. James Cleveland leads the Salem Inspirational Choir in a stirring version of his hit song, “I Don’t Feel Noways Tired.”By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - The Will of the Many by James Islington
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3:30The Will of the Many by James Islington...I don't know why more people aren't talking about this book, but that's exactly what I want to do today. Hello, and welcome to Likely Stories. I’m Paige Connell, and I teachEnglish at Midway High School.By Paige Connell
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Back Home Choir
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3:01The Back Home Choir specialized in choral arrangements of the old spirituals, including this upbeat rendition of “King Jesus is All.”By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - A Heavy Metal History Lesson by Josh Putnam
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3:30In his new book A Heavy Metal History Lesson, author Josh Putnam explores the historical backgrounds of 10 heavy metal songs.By Kevin Tankersley
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Myrna Summers
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3:01The multi-talented Myrna Summers can sing anything – but she’s rarely sounded better than on this haunting spiritual, “Stand By Me.”By Robert Darden
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Likely Stories - We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper
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3:30In her first Likely Stories review, Kelly Craine explores We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper—a gripping investigation into a decades-old Harvard murder. More than a true crime story, it’s a powerful meditation on memory, misogyny, and the life of Jane Britton. A compelling debut from a new voice on Likely Stories.…
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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Gospel Seekers
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3:01The Gospel Seekers’ “I’ve Got Jesus” is an old time, foot-stompin’, gospel rave up of the highest order!By Robert Darden
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