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Paul Harvey Biography

Radio Personality

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Name at birth: Paul Harvey Aurandt

The radio show Paul Harvey News and Comment was first broadcast nationally in 1951 and continued into the 21st century, making Harvey one of the longest-lasting and best-known voices on American radio. Harvey's program -- an idiosyncratic mix of headlines, comments, quips and advertisements, all voiced by Harvey -- was syndicated at its peak to more than 1200 radio stations around the country each day. Harvey was famous for his work ethic: he wrote and recorded his shows six days a week from studios in Chicago. His brisk, quirky delivery and signature greeting "Hello, Americans!" were widely (if fondly) parodied. In 1976 Harvey began a companion radio feature, The Rest of the Story, telling little-known tales from the lives of famous people. He continued working right up until his death at age 90. Harvey was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990.

Extra credit: Harvey's nickname for his wife (the former Lynne Cooper) was "Angel"... The two were married for nearly 68 years -- from June of 1940 until her death in May of 2008. Harvey died less than a year later.

Paul Harvey joins Garrison Keillor and Rush Limbaugh in our loop on the Legends of Radio.

Blog posts mentioning Paul Harvey:

• Paul Harvey Goes to That Great Broadcast Studio in the Sky
• Good Day, Paul Harvey!