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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.

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51:03

A Concert with John Pizzarelli

Pizzarelli played in cabarets and jazz clubs around the world, and co-starred in the Broadway revue Dream: a Salute to the Songs of Johnny Mercer. In 1997, he released "Our Love is Here to Stay" (RCA) which features re-workings of songs by Johnny Mercer. He joins Fresh Air for a solo performance. (REBROADCAST)

Interview
51:18

Singer Tony Bennett: "The Best in the Business"

The once post-war heartthrob won new fans with his MTV Unplugged concert. His new CD is "The Playground." He has a new autobiography called The Good Life. A grocer's son, Anthony Dominick Benedetto was born in Astoria Queens in 1926. After working as a singing waiter in his teens and then following service in the U.S. Army, he auditioned for Columbia Records and launched a career that started off with his first big hit "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Black and white photography of Tony Bennett in a tux
12:38

The Strange and "Magical" World of Mushrooms

An expert on fungi, George Hudler is a professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University. He's written a new book about the existence of fungi in all its forms, "Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds: The remarkable story of the fungus kingdom and its impact on human affairs." (Princeton University Press).

Interview
32:58

Women Gain New Rights in South Africa

South African Judge Tandaswa Ndita. Her focus is family law. She's been educating rural communities about the new constitution and the new rights accorded to women. For the first time under the law, women are no longer considered household property, and have been given the status of personhood. The Judge can also be seen in the new documentary "A Woman's Place" which premieres nationwide on PBS, November 27th.

Interview
09:06

We Remember Documentary Filmmaker Henry Hampton

Hampton is best known for his PBS series "Eyes on the Prize" about the civil rights movement. He said his intention was to tell the story in a way in which blacks were not the "victims." HIs other highly acclaimed documentaries were "America's War on Poverty" and "The Great Depression." HAMPTON had struggled since 1990 with lung cancer. He was 58. (REBROADCAST from 2/1/90)

Obituary
21:03

Shirley Corriher Is Talking Turkey

Corriher is author of "Cookwise," (William Morrow) a practical guide to culinary mysteries and the science of cooking. She is a food writer and a contributing editor to "Fine Cooking" magazine. (REBROADCAST from 11/24/97)

Interview
09:57

John Stilgoe on Finding the "Magic" In "Everyday Places"

Stilgoe is Orchard Professor of Landscape History at Harvard University. He's the author of the new book, "Outside Lies Magic: Regaining History and Awareness in Everyday Places" (Walker and Co.) He's been teaching the "art of exploration" for over 20 years, that is, learning to really look at the world around us.

Interview
33:27

Sam Walton and the Rise of Wal-Mart

Bob Ortega is an investigative journalist for The Wall Street Journal. He's the author of the new book, "In Sam We Trust: The Untold Story of Sam Walton and How Wal-Mart Is Devouring America" (Times Business/Random House). The book looks at how Wal-Mart went from a tiny variety store in backwater Arkansas to one of the world's largest corporations. In doing so, Wal-Mart's business practices have been imitated by other businesses and criticized for its impact on communities, and treatment of workers.

Interview
44:12

A Conversation with the Divine Miss M.

Bette Midler made a name for herself in the early 1970s at New York's Continental Baths, a club for gay men. Since then she's been nominated for two Academy Awards, and earned Emmy and Grammy awards. She has a new CD, "Bathhouse Betty" (Warner Bros. Records).

Interview

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