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Duke Cunningham, DJ, 1902

Newspaper article, Inde

June 20, 1958

“Duke Cunningham: Disk Jockey back in 1902”

Evening Independent, June 20, 1958

Massillon’s first disc jockey (DJ) was Duke Cunningham, who used an Edison Wax Cylinder phonograph to play music at gatherings. He operated a shoe shine stand at 35 Tremont Ave. SW in Massillon, and played music for more than fifty years. He was accomplished at guitar and drums, and formed his own Duquane Orchestra in the 1930s. Some of the venues at which he performed were Genoa School, Kepler’s Landing at Turkeyfoot Lake, and President William McKinley’s funeral and monument dedication.

Collection of the Massillon Museum

Duke Cunningham, DJ, 1902

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Missing History of Massillon: Unheard African American Stories

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