Remembering Atlanta Radio Legend, Alley Pat, And The Legacy He Left Behind

“On Second Thought” began celebrating Black History Month by
learning about the man who was nicknamed the “Mouth of the South,”
James “Alley Pat” Patrick. Atlantans heard the disc jockey in 1949
on the city’s first black-owned radio station, WERD . Patrick was
born on Dec. 2, 1919, in Montezuma, Georgia. His radio career began
in 1951 at WERD. In addition to hosting a radio show, Patrick was
instrumental in the Civil Rights movement. He was friends with
activists and leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea
Williams and Andrew Young. Patrick was also known as a bail
bondsman, as he bailed out activists from jail during the 1960s.