The Night's Most Important Man

What does it take to build a cultural empire when the doors are closed to you?This episode comes courtesy of The Black Hum, produced by Knockabout Media and hosted by Cindy Charles. In this special feed drop, we bring you the extraordinary story of Rufus Rockhead, a Jamaican immigrant, First World War veteran, railway porter, bootlegger, and visionary entrepreneur who built Rockhead’s Paradise into the beating heart of Montreal’s jazz scene.If you enjoy this episode, find The Black Hum wherever you get your podcasts and dive into Season 2 for five powerful stories of Canadians who changed the cultural landscape.*Download our Discussion Questions for your class*Host Cindy CharlesWriter Nuruddin QoraneExecutive Producer Ryan BarnettAssociate Producer Cindy CharlesVoice Director & Editor Sonia GemmitiResearcher Dr. Sarafina PagnottaSeries Consultants Kathy Grant & Mathias JoostThis series features interviews with Lt. Jerome Downey, Robert Downey, Jr., Michael Marville, Stephen Dame, Mathias Joost, Kathy Grant, Constance Backhouse, Dr. Dorothy WilliamsAdditional voices by Keith Francis & Matthew BarnettFeaturing "Hello Montreal" performed by Fred Waring & The PennsylvaniansA Knockabout Media ProductionThis podcast was made possible thanks to funding from Veterans Affairs Canada’s Commemorative Partnership Program.*This program and all relevant content is for educational purposes only and to the best of our knowledge is being used under Fair Dealing/Fair Use Act guidelines and within Canadian and United States standards of fair dealing/fair use* Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.