This past June, Dyana Williams photo was on the cover of HITS Magazine with the caption “The Mother of Black Music Month.” Williams and her associates spearheaded the effort to have the cultural and creative contributions of African American artists formally recognized. For more than 50 years, she has served as the catalyst for presenting and documenting much of African American music. Her decades of service are a testament to passion, perseverance, and a deep-seated commitment to amplifying Black voices in the entertainment industry. It is no wonder she is one of the most respected on-air personalities of our time. In the last seven years Williams has has infused her warm personality and extensive knowledge as the national host of the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (JCIJBF).
A NEW YORK BEGINNING
Born and reared in New York City, Williams got her start in radio in 1971 after she joined the City College of New York’s radio station, WCCR, as a DJ. She got her big break after two years when she moved to Washington, DC to join Howard University’s WHUR-FM station. There, Williams made a name for herself by hosting the Ebony Moonbeams show. Her velvety vocal styling in combination with her sensational music choices caught the attention of legendary New York programmer/DJ Frankie Crocker who brought her back to the Big Apple in 1975 to join WBLS-FM. Williams’ continued development and ability to entertain, earned her the honor to return to DC just one year later and become the first Black female rock DJ at a legacy station WRQX-FM. Williams then moved to Philadelphia to work at WDAS-FM. It was there that she began her legendary broadcast reign. Williams’ vast achievements have earned her awards and honors that are almost too numerous to name. Among other distinctions, Williams was listed as #7 on the “Top 20 Black Radio Jockeys of All Time” by News One, and RadioFacts.com recognized her as #8 on the “Top 30 Black Women in Media.”
RADIO AND MORE…
Williams is the co-founder of the nationally observed Black Music Month (BMM) for which she collaborated to bring to fruition with radio DJ Ed White and Kenny Gamble her former husband and acclaimed Philly International songwriter and producer. Williams, alongside Congressman Chaka Fattah, executed a lobby campaign and co-authored House Concurrent Bill 509- a White House proclamation, to give credence to the contributions of African American music as a viable cultural and economic entity. The bill passed. Today, June is heralded as Black Music Month.
Williams is a founding board member of the dynamic new National Museum of African-American Music in Nashville, where she co-chairs the museum’s Music Industry Relations Collective. A past president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Recording Academy (the GRAMMYs), she is also a proud member of SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). She currently sits on the board at Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University, her alma mater where she graduated cum laude.
ENTREPRENEUR AT HEART
As CEO of Influence Entertainment, one of the leading media and entertainment consulting companies in the U.S., Williams provides essential media education and coaching to top-charting recording artists, actors, performers, business executives, athletes, and celebrities from a variety of industries.
As a live event craftsman, Williams has produced the last three Welcome America Festival’s Avenue of the Arts Stage in Philadelphia, where she curates some of the finest talents in the region from Lady Alma to Edgardo Cintron’s Inca Latin Band. Additionally, Dyana has served as the producer/curator of the Camden Jam Festival in Riggins Park, Camden, New Jersey. She has also been the co-producer of the star-studded annual Marian Anderson Awards and proudly orchestrated live-event tributes to Berry Gordy, Jon Bon Jovi, Wynton Marsalis, Patti LaBelle, Gamble & Huff, and Kool & the Gang.
Dyana Williams has had an equally powerful impact on television as a producer and writer. Also, she has been an integral contributor to the award-winning series “Unsung,” providing commentary drawn from her extensive industry and music knowledge. She was the executive producer of the episode featuring Teddy Pendergrass. That season “unsung” won an NAACP Image Award.
Dyana Williams has elevated the stature of hosting the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (JCIJBF) to equal that of the virtuosic musicianship presented by the artists she introduces. She draws from her comprehensive knowledge of jazz and R&B music combined with a fifty year media career.
