About Afterglow
Afterglow is a weekly one-hour program of vocal jazz and popular song from the American Songbook, hosted by Richard Roland.
Ella, Frank, Billie, Duke -- Afterglow has them all.
Afterglow highlights the best of vocal jazz and popular song from the 1930s to today. Each episode explores a different theme from the Great American Songbook, such as a celebration of the standards by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein or Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn, or highlighting the careers of Lena Horne, Stephen Sondheim, Joe Williams, or Blossom Dearie, or songs about love, loss, the seasons, or travel. Whatever the theme may be, it's guaranteed to be filled with beautiful music, gorgeous singing, and the stories behind the songs.
Afterglow airs on WFIU every Friday at 8 p.m and on WFIU2 every Sunday at 7 p.m.
Current Syndication Carriage
Afterglow can currently be heard on several stations across the country though PRX, including:
- WDCB, Chicago, IL - Wednesdays, 7 p.m.
- WIUM, Tri State Public Radio, Macomb, IL - Saturdays, 5 p.m.
- WNIN, Tri-State Public Media, Evansville, IN - Saturdays, 11 p.m.
- WETF, The Jazz Station, South Bend, IN - Saturdays, 9 p.m. and Thursdays, 2 a.m.
- Maine Public Radio Classical - Fridays, 5 p.m.
- WNMU Public Radio 90, Marquette, MI - Sundays, 2 p.m. and Tuesdays 3 a.m.
- WIAA, Interlochen Public Radio "Classical IPR", Interlochen, MI - Saturdays, 9 p.m.
- MPB Music Radio, Mississippi Public Broadcasting - Sundays, 6 p.m.
- WJSU Cool and Current 88.5, Jackson, MS - Wednesdays 6 p.m.
- WRFA-LP, Jamestown, NY - Tuesdays, 7 p.m. and Sundays, 8 p.m.
- KCNP, Chickasaw Community Radio, Ada, OK - Tuesdays, 7 p.m. and Sundays, 6 p.m.
- WXZY Radio, Kane, PA - Sundays, 1 p.m.
- KPBX, Spokane Public Radio, Spokane, WA - Wednesdays, 10 p.m.
- KJZX-LP, JazzATX, Austin, TX - coming soon!
If your station is interested in carrying Afterglow, please subscribe via PRX, or contact us for details.
Program History
The origins of Afterglow are rather misty now, but dogged detective work based entirely on an offhand reply from creator Dick Bishop leads us to believe that the program debuted on WFIU sometime in the late 1970s.
Dick took the title of the show and his theme from a Marian McPartland composition; all of the rest—the elegance, the passion, the laidback expertise, the congenial charm, and the delivery with a “martini moon” quality to it—came from Dick himself.
In addition to his considerable knowledge and love for the jazz and American popular song that he played every Friday evening, Dick also drew on his personal relationships and encounters with many of the performers that he featured.
Dick signed off on his last Afterglow program in January 2005, turning the show over to David Brent Johnson, who also hosts WFIU’s Night Lights. In February 2015, Mark Chilla took the helm, and in 2025, Broadway veteran Richard Roland picked up the microphone, continuing to bring an hour of the Great American Songbook to the aiwaves in a high-quality production each week.
Theme Music
The theme music you hear each week at the beginning of the show is the 1933 Will Hudson, Irving Mills, and Eddie DeLange tune “Moonglow,” performed by Oscar Peterson 1956 Verve album Pastel Moods. Another version by the Benny Goodman Sextet sometimes shows up at the end of the show.
In the Dick Bishop years of the show, the theme was by Marian McPartland, a song called “In the Days of Our Love,” although it used to have a different title before Peggy Lee added lyrics to it. The title of the original instrumental tune was, appropriately, “Afterglow.” The recording used is by McPartland off of her 1993 album In My Life—McPartland gave Dick Bishop special permission to use this tune.
Support Afterglow
Afterglow is brought to you in part by the generous support of WFIU listeners and our corporate supporters. Please consider making a small contribution to help us keep bringing the program to you each week, or if you’d like to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact us.
Questions or Comments?
We love to hear from our listeners. If you have a question, comment or a suggestion for a future program please don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know what’s on your mind.
About The Host
Richard Roland is a multi-generation performer and third-generation Broadway veteran. As an actor, director, and singer, he has worked in a variety of venues across the U.S., in Denmark, and in London. He teaches Musical Theatre at Indiana University.
On Afterglow, Richard brings his love of the American Songbook, musical theatre, and jazz together into one program, emphasizing that much of the popular music of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s came from jazz interpretations of musical theatre songs.
