Melvin Lindsey

Melvin Lindsey (July 8, 1955 – March 26, 1992) was an American radio and television personality in the Washington, D.C. area. He is widely known for originating the "Quiet Storm" late-night music programming format.

Lindsey began his broadcast career as an intern at Howard University radio station WHUR-FM.[1] In 1976, he brought the "Quiet Storm" to the station's late-night lineup, titled after a romantic hit single by tenor crooner Smokey Robinson. The show's soulfully melodic and moody musical fare made it a phenomenal success and the 'love song'-heavy format was quickly replicated at stations across the country that served an urban, African-American adult demographic. Lindsey's show also gave rise to a category of music of the same name.[2]

After a nine-year run on WHUR, Lindsey took his format to another local radio station, WKYS-FM, for five more years and later hosted Screen Scene for Black Entertainment Television (BET). He also worked for Washington, D.C. television stations WTTG-TV and WFTY-TV and for WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland.

Lindsey died at the age of 36 from the complications of AIDS in 1992, but the Quiet Storm format he originated gained widespread popularity and remained popular over 4 decades after its inception, across the nation, especially in evening and late-night radio programs.[3] Artists continue to compose songs target the audiences of Quiet Storm stations and shows.[4]