"Daddy Cool" Pith Helmet

"Daddy Cool" Pith Helmet

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Description

DJ “Daddy Cool” of the WANN (1190 AM) radio station in Annapolis, Maryland wore this pith helmet at live appearances and remote broadcasts during the 1950s and 1960s. The tan colored pith helmet bears the black text “DADDY/COOL” in the front with “WANN” and “1190” written vertically down the sides.

WANN (1190 AM) was a radio station based out of Annapolis, Maryland that primarily served the area's growing African American community. Morris Blum founded it in 1946, and it broadcast to the entire mid-Atlantic region. The station was home to disc jockey Charles "Hoppy" Adams starting in the early 1950s. Adams hosted weekly events at a local African American only beach, Carr's Beach, which were popular with the area's youth population.

WANN continued to program gospel, rhythm and blues, and public affairs features until 1992 when the station changed to a mainstream country format with the catchphrase “Bay Country 1190.” Around 1998, the station changed ownership and became WBIS, broadcasting a News Talk Information format.

Object Name
hat
date made
1950s
Physical Description
plastic (overall material)
fabric (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 6 1/2 in x 11 1/2 in x 14 in; 16.51 cm x 29.21 cm x 35.56 cm
ID Number
2002.0319.23
accession number
2002.0319
catalog number
2002.0319.23
Credit Line
Gift of Morris H. Blum
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
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Music & Musical Instruments
American Enterprise
Exhibition
American Enterprise
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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