Gene Shay

Gene Shay
Born
Ivan Shaner

(1935-03-04)March 4, 1935
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedApril 17, 2020(2020-04-17) (aged 85)
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Career
NetworkWXPN
StyleFolk music
CountryUnited States

Gene Shay (born Ivan Shaner; March 4, 1935 – April 17, 2020) was an American radio personality.[1] Shay was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a Jewish family and was a representative of the city's folk music scene.[2] Beginning in 1962, he produced a weekly folk radio shows on WXPN, which was last broadcast on February 1, 2015. He previously hosted shows on WDAS-FM, WMMR, WIOQ and WHYY-FM.

A founder of the annual Philadelphia Folk Festival and its emcee since its inception, he has been called the "Dean of American folk DJs"[3] by the Philadelphia Daily News and "The Grandfather of Philadelphia Folk Music"[3] by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Shay also served as a host for the online "Folk Alley" stream originating at Kent State University station WKSU and carried on WXPN's website.

  1. ^ "The Folk Show". xpn.org. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  2. ^ RubinCorrespondent, Phyllis. "Gene Shay — Philly Folkfest emcee for 50 years". Montgomery News. Retrieved 2021-03-01. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ a b "Folk Alley with Gene Shay now heard on Sirius XM The Village". Folk Alley. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2011.