> I just wanted to know who started the tradition of mixing speeches with > music, in particular, the Martin Luther King speeches..
I came across a reference to a Label in NYC, Paul Winley Records - label that released: Africa Bambaata's death mix live, super disco brakes 1-6 and 'Sweet T' Winley, Paulette Winley, Ann Winley, harlem underground band (George Benson), Zulu nation throwdown etc..which you can still find for sale online. This label released music and speeches of allegedly bootleg nature (i.e no payments to artists). Apparently Bambaata and fellow DJ's of the time used to mix MLK speeches over the music they was playing..so this go's back to the 70's at least and it's fair to say that the Chicago and Detroit DJ's (certainly Frankie knuckles) would of seen these sorts of DJ's at that time. Last week i came across a reference to Paul Winley store in New York (the same rundown shop as featured in David Toop's 'Rap Attack' (published way back in the early 80's - reissued last year as 'rap attack version 3'). Apparently he and his daughter still sell records out the front of the store on the sidewalk! Dave P.S.: i bought that Frankie Knuckles 'Choice' collection of his favourite tracks, including my fave - Nick Straker Band's 'just a little bit of jazz', who was the DJ at the DEMF that was using two copies of this record at the beginning of his set?? - that sounded cool!.