Now and then, I pause on my computer and listen to some old shows, including one which played late at night on the radio for more than twenty-five years. It's a show which hosted a gospel jazz musician who spent many years on Chicago radio and took his show nationwide.

His name is Bill Pearce. He's no longer with us, as he passed away in 2010, not long after his longtime radio show ceased first-time production. Reruns of "Nightsounds" still live on today, both...