David Dye
David Dye is a longtime Philadelphia radio personality whose music enthusiasm has captivated listeners of World Cafe® since 1991. World Cafe is produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dye launched his distinguished broadcasting career as host of a progressive music show on WMMR 93.3 FM, a pioneering progressive rock station in Philadelphia. During his four-year tenure, Dye won accolades for his taste and laid back presentation. After a five-year stint programming radio stations in Maine, he returned to Philadelphia where he gained public radio experience at WHYY before being recruited in 1981 by alternative rock station WIOQ 102.1 FM where he made his mark on the music scene for nearly a decade.
In 1989, Dye took his musical quest to WXPN where he hosted the station's Sleepy Hollow radio program. Two years later, Dye was asked to spearhead research on the viability of a new public radio program. The research revealed an audience need for a new kind of musical format - one that was intelligent, diverse and would give musical guests a showcase for their artistic expression. Based on the findings, Dye went to work to create a unique program of musical discovery where listeners would be introduced to an eclectic blend of contemporary sounds from legendary and up-and-coming artists. World Cafe was born.
Dye is the founding host of World Cafe, which launched in 1991. During his tenure as host, Dye brought out the best in interviews with internationally known artists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Joni Mitchell. He conducted nearly 4,500 interviews during his over 20 years with the program. In 2017 Dye took on a new role as contributing host with the program.
World Cafe and Dye have received numerous awards including: two NFCB Gold Reel Awards, Album Network's "Best Triple A Air Talent," five Philadelphia Magazine's "Best of Philly Awards," the Philadelphia Chapter of NARAS "Hero Award," the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and numerous radio industry trade magazine citations. In 2006, Dye was named the "Triple A Air Personality of the Year" by Radio & Records.
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Hear the fiercely intelligent singer-songwriter perform four songs from The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You live in the studio. -
The Welsh performer sings blues, gospel and Leonard Cohen on his new album, Spirit in the Room. -
Helm, an Americana legend and drummer for the '60s rock group The Band, died in 2012. In this week's Vintage Cafe, we remember Helm with an archived interview and performance from WXPN. -
The rock group continues its engaging discussion with comedy director and producer Judd Apatow in the final installment of a two-part broadcast interview. -
In the first installment of a two-part interview, the rock veterans sit down with comedy mastermind Judd Apatow to discuss the creative process behind making their new album, Lightning Bolt. -
Hear the entertaining, theatrical folk group perform four songs from Nobody Dances in This Town. -
The music superstars appear in the studio to perform songs from their new collaborative album, Wise Up Ghost. While the record is structurally based in hip-hop, it comes out as a little something else. -
Recorded with the help of The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, the Tuareg guitarist's latest album, Nomad, is packed with hypnotic and exciting guitar lines. -
Shifting from punk to folk, the British singer-songwriter inspires a dedicated, fanatical following. Hear him perform four songs and talk about everything from songwriting to politics — and even a little bit about his tattoos -
Watch a performance by the duo as they play material from their latest album, Love Has Come For You, live at WXPN's Non-COMMvention in Philadelphia.
