ATLFF '10 Film "Alley Pat: The Music Is Recorded" to air on PBA starting this Weekend
Winner of the 2010 Atlanta Film Festival Audience Award, "Alley Pat: The Music Is Recorded” is airing on public television this weekend, much to the delight of the Atlanta film and radio community. The documentary, directed by Tom Roche, celebrates the life of James ‘Alley Pat’ Patrick and highlights the golden age for rhythm and blues radio in Atlanta, as well as the friendships and bonds of the famous disc jockey.
Inducted as a member of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2013, Alley Pat began his career as a disc jockey in 1951. He quickly gained recognition and was nicknamed 'Mouth of the South' for his spirited talks on live radio, addressing social civil matters, and coining his sign-off catch phrase, 'the music is recorded'—indicative of an era when DJs were required to specify 'live' or 'recorded.' Though he passed away this past June at age 95, his memory carries on as the longest surviving member of America’s first black-owned radio station, Atlanta’s WERD-AM.