| Summary: | Radio host Pervis "the Blues" Spann was born on August 16, 1932. Raised in Itta Bena, Mississippi, he moved to the Midwest in 1949, enlisting in the U.S. Army. After completing his tour of duty, he moved to Chicago, where he attended broadcasting school. In the 1950s, Spann was hired in a four-hour overnight time slot on WOPA. In 1960, he organized his first concert, showcasing B.B. King and Junior Parker. In 1963, Spann became the "all-night blues man" on WVON, a twenty-four-hour blues station. In 1975, WVON was sold and changed frequency. With Vernon Jarrett and Wesley South, Spann bought the license to the original frequency in 1979. WXOL had an all-blues format and many of the same voices from the old WVON. The station reclaimed its old call letters in 1983 and Spann's daughter, Melody Spann-Cooper, served as the station's general manager. Spann co-hosted Blues and More, on Chicago cable.
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