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Irene Johnson Ware, affectionately known as \u2018Miss Irene,\u2019 was a legendary staple of gospel radio.\u00a0 One of the first black female disc jockeys in the country, Miss Irene began her long-standing career in 1961, after graduating from Josephine Allen Institute in Mobile, AL.<\/p>\n
Gospel radio will never be the same because no one did it better than Miss Irene, who reigned supreme clocking in more than 37 years at WGOK in Mobile, Al, as the host of \u201cThe Mandy Show,\u201d which eventually became \u201cThe Brighter Day.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0From there, Miss Irene, whose sphere of influence was vast, became the station\u2019s general manager.\u00a0 This veteran of the airwaves, who was considered an \u201cindustry mother\u201d to many, also wrote articles for Black Radio Exclusive (BRE), Record World and Chess Records.<\/p>\n
In honor of her illustrious career, Miss Irene was\u00a0inducted into the Living Legends Foundation Hall of Fame in 1992 and was a long-serving member of their Board Of Directors.\u00a0 That same year, she was elected president of the Young Black Programmers Coalition (YBPC), later renamed National Black Programmers Coalition (NBPC). Under her direction, the NBPC\u2019s growth in industry visibility, membership, and financial status was noteworthy.\u00a0 She exemplified the terms of empowerment, mentoring and networking by positively impacting the lives and careers of women in the industry.\u00a0 She received numerous awards from R&B and gospel industry groups, Who\u2019s Who Among Black Americans, PUSH, and Eastern Star.<\/p>\n
A faithful member of the Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church in Mobile, AL and well known for her “always put God first” lifestyle, Miss Irene always had words of inspiration and encouragement for all she encountered and an unrelenting drive to improve opportunities for Black professionals in the music and entertainment industry.<\/p>\n
Irene Johnson Ware died April 21 at the age of 84.\u00a0 Legends are defined by their work and how it impacts the culture.\u00a0 We remember\u00a0Irene Johnson Ware so others don\u2019t forget.<\/p>\n
#livinglegendsfoundation30 #blackmusicmonth #culturecreator #rootedinblackmusic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Irene Johnson Ware, affectionately known as \u2018Miss Irene,\u2019 was a legendary staple of gospel radio.\u00a0 One of the first black female disc jockeys in the country, Miss Irene began her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"\n