Skip to main content
Terry Gross at her microphone in 2018

Terry Gross

Terry Gross is the host and an executive producer of Fresh Air, the daily program of interviews and reviews. It is produced at WHYY in Philadelphia, where Gross began hosting the show in 1975, when it was broadcast only locally. She was awarded a National Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2016. Fresh Air with Terry Gross received a Peabody Award in 1994 for its “probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insight.” America Women in Radio and Television presented her with a Gracie Award in 1999 in the category of National Network Radio Personality. In 2003, she received the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Edward R. Murrow Award for her “outstanding contributions to public radio” and for advancing the “growth, quality and positive image of radio.” Gross is the author of All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists, published by Hyperion in 2004. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and received a bachelor’s degree in English and M.Ed. in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, NY.

Sort:

Newest

10:31

Tim Cahill Risks His Life "For No Good Reason"

Cahill writes in a self-deprecating way about his death-defying experiences around the world. His accounts of adventures in caves, mountains, deserts, and rapids appear in his collections, "A Wolverine is Eating My Leg," and "Jaguars Ripped My Flesh." He's also a columnist for "Outside Magazine." We replay an excerpt from his 1989 interview.

Interview
11:21

A Trip to Borneo Proves to Be More Difficult than First Thought

Tracy Johnston is the author of "Shooting the Boh: a Woman's Voyage Down the Wildest River in Borneo", which is now in its eighth printing. The book is not only an account of her adventure going down the river dealing with leeches, waterfalls, foot rot, and moldy clothes, but about her own realization that the hot flashes she was feeling in the middle of the night weren't the steamy jungle but the onset of menopause. We replay highlights from her 1993 interview.

Interview
08:28

From the Archives: Cameroon-French Musician Manu Dibango.

Composer and saxophonist Manu Dibango. He is considered one of the founders of world music. Dibango's first album, "Soul Makossa," was a big hit in 1973. His autobiography Three Kilos of Coffee (The University of Chicago Press) was released last year. His latest album is called "Wakafrika" (Giant Records). (REBROADCAST FROM 8/15/94) (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Interview
22:21

From the Archives: Tristan Jones On Adventuring After the Loss of His Leg.

We remember adventurer and author Tristan Jones. Tristan Jones was almost certainly the most intrepid sailor alive. He journeyed more than 450-thousand miles in small boats. That includes 20 crossings of the Atlantic, and three and a half circumnavigations. After losing a leg to an old World War two injury, Jones continued to travel, and later worked with disabled kids throughout the world. At 71 he died of complications after a stroke on Wednesday, June 23, 1995. (REBROADCAST FROM 12/13/89) (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Interview
15:54

Telling the Story of an Abuse Survivor

Josephine Humpreys and Ruthie Bolton. Humpreys is a fiction writer who won the Pen/Hemingway award in 1985 for "Dreams of Sleep." She recently transcribed and edited the life story of Bolton, who grew up in the same area of Charleston, South Carolina as Humphreys. The novel is called "Gal," and details Bolton's experiences growing up with an abusive grandfather in 1960's South Carolina.

15:04

A Vermont's Ice Cream Company's Attempt to Live Up to It's 1960s Values

Fred "Chico" Lager, former CEO of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream company. He joined the company in 1982, and together with Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, built the company from a small ice cream parlor to a $100 million publicly held company. Lager just wrote a book, "Ben & Jerry's: The Inside Scoop" about his experiences building a successful business while upholding the founders' original philosophy of business as a catalyst for social change.

Interview
21:49

How the Defeated Remembers World War III

Ian Buruma has just written the book, "The Wages of Guilt," which explores the different ways in which the people of Germany and Japan remember World War II. He seeks to explain why Germany has a collective sense of guilt over its war crimes, while Japan tries to forget its involvement in the war. Buruma's other books include "God's Dust" and "Playing the Game."

Interview
15:44

The Return of R&B Singer Lavern Baker

Baker had a series of hits in the 50s, among them "Bumblebee," and "Jim Dandy to the Rescue." During her hiatus from performing in the United States, she lived in the Philippines and booked concerts for American soldiers. We replay our 1991 interview with her.

Interview
21:32

Rhythm and Blues Pioneer Johnny Otis

Johnny Otis is a pioneer of rhythm and blues music best known for his 1945 big band hit "Harlem Nocturne," and his 1958 his record "Willie and Hand Jive," which was in the top ten on R&B charts. Otis is back on the road and in the recording studio now. In January he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in February, he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. His latest CD, "The Black Territory Bands," was nominated for a Grammy in the Big Band category for 1994. We replay our interview with him from 1989.

Interview

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Advertisement

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue