R&B and Blues piano player Daryl Davis, in an incredible interview with the Tempo and the Times podcast, tells the story of his career, which has included gigs with Chuck Berry and other famed jazz and blues musicians, while confronting blatant racism and even "infiltrating" the Ku Klux Klan.
During his long career as a musician since graduating from Howard University with a degree in jazz, Davis went from tires being slashed outside a venue in Maryland because of his race to influencing a top leader in the KKK to leave the organization — and give him his robe.
That's the part of the story that we present in this episode of Tempo and the Times. It's a fascinating tale of courage and determination to do what's right.
Davis talks about the first time that he met the head of the Maryland KKK in a hotel room because he wanted to challenge his views about race, how his bodyguard stood at attention with his hand on his gun, and how, in the end, he ended up having them both over for dinner.
Davis attended cross burnings where he tried to help KKK members understand that their hate was misplaced. "We hate the things that frighten us," he says. And, where he asked KKK members, "How can you hate me when you don't even know me?"
This is an episode of The Tempo and the Times that you won't want to miss.