Black Radio

Why should black radio be expected to support non-mainstream black artists when most “white” stations ignore black acts altogether (“Radio Blackout,” by Connie Johnson and Don Snowden, Nov. 22)?

The only reason such performers as Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson have made that crucial crossover to the pop market is because they’ve mastered a method of diluting genuine soul music until it becomes a bland approximation more palatable to mainstream America.

Rather than Whitney’s next collection of calculated pop formula, why not take a chance on a few lesser-known black singers?

Miki Howard, Tawatha, Vesta Williams, Jennifer Holliday, Jocelyn Brown, Angela Winbush, Vaneese Thomas, Tramaine Hawkins, Meli’sa Morgan and Vanessa Bell Armstrong are among those who deserve the kind of audience they’re not getting.

Buy their records and help save them from an untimely death at bargain bins across the nation.

GREGG MITCHELL

Pomona College

Claremont

Angela Winbush and Meli’sa Morgan’s new LPs are reviewed in Record Rack on Page 73.