Quiet storm

Quiet storm is a late-night radio format, featuring soulful slow jams, pioneered in the mid 1970s by then station intern Melvin Lindsey at WHUR-FM

Quiet storm is a late-night radio format, featuring soulful slow jams, pioneered in the mid 1970s by then station intern Melvin Lindsey at WHUR-FM, in Washington, D.C. Smokey Robinson's like-titled hit single, released in 1975 as the title track to his third solo album, lent its name to the format and to the radio program that introduced it to the public, as well.

Lindsey first deejayed for WHUR in 1976 as a stand-in for an employee who failed to report for work because of violent storm that caused power outages and knocked some area radio stations off the air. The first record on the turntable was the seven-minute-long Robinson hit "A Quiet Storm." The response from listeners was positive, and Lindsey stayed on two more nights. Founder of Radio One Cathy Hughes, then WHUR station manager, heard of the tremendous positive feedback from station listeners and responded by giving Lindsey his own show.