Introduction
Studs Terkel loved Chicago, and Chicago loved and continues to love Studs.
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Studs Terkel loved Chicago, and Chicago (with the possible exception of a certain “Boss” mayor), loved and continues to love Studs. Terkel's home for nearly 90 years, the city was documented, critiqued and celebrated from many different angles on his programs. The archive features interviews with writers from the city such as Nelson Algren, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Alex Kotlowitz; and prominent journalists and historians such as Mike Royko and Herman Kogan; and musicians Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor, and Mahalia Jackson. There are documentary portraits of key moments in the city including the Lincoln Park Be-In and the 1968 Democratic Convention. Studs was as fascinated by Chicago’s politics as he was by her citizens, and was just as pleased to welcome a councilman onto his show as a mother living on the near-west side. Uniquely telling of Terkel’s style are his poetic portraits of the city's many neighborhoods and the struggles and triumphs of its working people.
