Byron MacGregor

In December 1974 we spent a couple of minutes on the phone with Byron MacGregor. He was a Canadian radio-TV newsman. This year he received a Legends Induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. In 1973 Byron read a Toronto newspaper editorial written by Gordon Sinclair. He read the article on the air and got such a tremendous response that he decided to make a recording of the piece. The record “Americans” was voiced by MacGregor and backed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra with their version of “America the Beautiful.” It was a hit on the Billboard charts and sold nearly 4 million copies. All of the proceeds were donated to the Red Cross. You’ll hear that record at the end of this conversation.