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035 Mercer Ellington on Duke Ellington

In the Roaring 20s, Jazz was king. But the King was a Duke - Duke Ellington that is. Hear bandleader Mercer Ellington discuss his father’s contributions to American music on the Off Ramp with Bob Smith.

033 He Plays Ringo, Bob Potter

It’s been a long and winding road -- from high school bands to Carnegie Hall. Today Bob Potter tours the nation as Ringo Star in one of the world’s top Beatles Tribute bands. Hear about his very unusual job with 1964 The Tribute. On the Off Ramp with Bob Smith.

032 Overground Railroad, author interview

he best history books reveal things you never knew about your country. This one certainly does! Candacy Taylor discusses her eye-opening, deeply touching, book Overground Railroad, The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel, with host Bob Smith.

029 Pearl Harbor Remembered

They’re gone, but their voices live on. Hear eyewitness accounts from Pearl Harbor survivors I interviewed in 1981, for the 40th anniversary of the attack. (Photo WikiCommons)

028 JFK Dallas Police Call, Don Michel

It’s the most famous phone call you NEVER heard. Two hours after President Kennedy is killed, a small-town broadcaster scoops the news world in a historic interview with Dallas Police. Hear Don Michel's amazing call, plus additional audio from Dave Eliason. November 22, 1963.

027 Walter Cronkite, Don Michel Interview

"We must simply be reporters of what is going on. And then let the people decide what is right and what is wrong." Hear what journalism can -- and should -- be, in a remarkable interview with the late Walter Cronkite, dean of television news. From the archives of broadcaster Don Michel. (Photo by Rob Bogaerts / Anefo, Wiki Media Commons)

022 BJ Ganem, wounded warrior

He lost a leg in Iraq. But went on to climb mountains, run marathons, play football with NFL greats -- and be painted by a former U.S. President. Today BJ Ganem uses his celebrity to help fellow wounded warriors with Sierra Delta Service Dogs. Thanks to Kent Jackman for our interview.

020 Apollo 11

What did everyday people think of the Apollo 11 moon landing a half century ago? What did media coverage sound like – as it happened? Using audio recordings he made as a teenager, Bob Smith takes you on a sonic journey back to July 20, 1969.

019 Name this President

He was smart, athletic, a WWII vet, signed the first Civil Rights Act since the Civil War, sent troops South to desegregate schools, and launched NASA on its mission to the moon. But he wasn’t JFK.

018 Tony Randall, Helen Hayes

He used me as his comic punching bag. She quoted Shakespeare! Hear two of the most interesting characters I ever met - actors Tony Randall and Helen Hayes on this episode of “The Off Ramp.”
Episodes