Petey Greene

Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene was an influential radio talk show host, television personality and community activist in Washington DC in the 1960s and 70s.

Greene was the subject of Talk to Me, a 2007 biographical film starring Academy Award-nominated actor Don Cheadle as Greene.

Fast Facts

1. Born: January 23, 1928 in Washington DC
2. Hosted Rapping with Petey Greene on WOL
3. Hosted Petey Green's Washington on WDCA-TV
4. Founded Efforts for Ex-Convicts
5. Subject of the film Talk to Me
6. Subject of the book Laugh If You Like, Ain't a Damn Thing Funny by Lurma Rackley
7. Died: January 10, 1984

Background

Greene dropped out of school in the eleventh grade and enlisted in the Army. He was discharged in 1953 for drug abuse, and in 1960, was arrested for armed robbery. While serving out a ten-year sentence at Lorton Reformatory, Greene discovered his calling as the prison's disc jockey. After being released from prison, Greene began hosting his own show, Rapping with Petey Greene, on Washington's WOL radio.

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