Brooks Long, the dynamic Baltimore R&B and soul singer-songwriter, will be joining the WTMD family as the host of a new three-hour weekly show, 6 Degrees of Soul, starting Saturday April 24.

6 Degrees of Soul with Brooks Long

Brooks Long hosts 6 Degrees of Soul 9 p.m.-midnight starting April 24. Logo by Scott Sugiuchi.

From 9 p.m. to midnight each Saturday, Brooks will be spinning soul classics and deep cuts, and also exploring the connections between soul and R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, hip-hop, jazz, country and other genres. Shows will have themes, from highlighting the unheralded women of soul to drummers from the city of Chicago.

“Soul music is my love language and I want to spread that love, especially in these times,” Brooks says. “While I’ve stretched into lots of different genres as a musician, soul is home base. Our Saturday nights are going to be packed with dance-floor stompers, heart-beat ballads and irresistible sing-a-longs.”

6 Degrees of Soul is the natural successor to the Dirty Soul Party, which has been hosted by WTMD’s General Manager and Program Director, Scott Mullins, for the past 10 years and who built the program around his extensive record collection.

“As a life-long collector and aficionado of vintage funk, soul, r&b and blues, I put my heart and soul into creating and curating the Dirty Soul Party and I’ve been very particular about finding just the right successor to hand that time slot off to,” Scott says. “I’ve known Brooks for years and over the course of many conversations came to realize that he is the right person for the job. Brooks will bring his own insight and perspective to the air and will make Six Degrees of Soul a very unique, informative and entertaining experience for WTMD listeners.”

For nearly a decade, WTMD has championed Brooks Long’s music, and hosted him and his band in studio for interviews and live performances. He’s played a First Thursday Festival, a Virtual First Thursday Festival, and is now officially a member of the WTMD staff.

“WTMD and its listeners have been an incredibly supportive part of my musical story and that of many other local artists,” Brooks says. “I cherish this new opportunity.”

6 Degrees of Soul with Brooks Long debuts at 9 p.m. Saturday April 24 and runs 9 p.m.-midnight each Saturday on 89.7 WTMD.

Listen to a sneak preview of the show: