Harold Lee RushMaster of the Media
The creative genius and performance energy of Harold Lee Rush has been recognized and celebrated for over four decades. At Chicago’s famed Englewood High School, Harold was a multi-year President of the Drama Club and was voted Most Talented and Most Likely To Succeed of the class of 1968. He then toured nationally with the Robin Hood Players Professional Children’s Theatre Company and appeared in the first Black produced dramatic TV series, “Bird of the Iron Feather” on Chicago’s Public Television Station WTTW. During this time, he also performed with various Black theatre organizations in a variety of roles. In addition, Harold was among the voices in the first radio commercials produced by Black ad agencies in the ‘Black Pride’ era.
During the 1980’s, Harold became the producer and co-host of the powerhouse morning show at WGCI radio, first with Bob Wall (as the only Black-White morning duo in a major market), then with the legendary Doug Banks, where he created the “Front Page” segment, which has been copied across the country. Harold became one of the most well-known media personalities in Chicago, hosting several TV shows, teaching at Columbia College and speaking at high schools, universities and organizations all over the U.S.
The new millennium found Harold in Atlanta, having expanded his broadcast horizons to include talk radio and emerging Internet technologies. In 2003, he relocated to Chicago to take up marketing responsibilities for The Bronzeville Press’ release of ‘KINGS: The True Story of Chicago’s Policy Kings and Numbers Racketeers’, which has become a Best-Seller for author Nathan Thompson. Harold also returned to the airwaves at WKKC FM, the official radio station of the City Colleges of Chicago.
During his 40 year career, Harold has honed his skills as a poet, creating a unique body of work written in ‘Spoken Word’, meant to be read aloud, to oneself and with others. His award winning poetry has gained an international following.
