1931 - Everybody’s “Pop”

Delivering music through radio was a logical use of the new technology, but WPR’s School of the Air took things one step further, to teach music and music appreciation.  As host of Let’s Sing and Journeys in Music Land, Professor Edgar “Pop” Gordon became one of the network’s most beloved figures.

He hosted the program from 1931 to 1955 and presided over regular festivals that brought as many as 5,000 students to Madison for group performances and sing-a-longs.  The program continued to unite listeners in song – at school and at home – each week until 1974.

See Edgar “Pop” Gordon in action in this video compiled by the University of Wisconsin – Madison. The video was created for a ceremony honoring Gordon with the grand opening of Gordon’s Commons on campus in 2012.