I Am... Tom Joyner, born on November 23, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama, the son of Frances and Hercules L. Joyner. I came from an educated family, my grandfather was one of 3,000 black physicians in the United States, earning a degree in medicine in 1909. Both of my parents were graduates of HBCUs, me and my brother Albert attended Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).

While at Tuskegee, I joined the fraternity Omega Psi Phi and was involved with the college radio station. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology in 1978. After graduation, I began my broadcasting career in Montgomery, Alabama, and worked at a number of radio stations in Memphis and St. Louis, before moving to Chicago in 1978. In Chicago, I first worked at WVON, doing the morning show, but left the station after only three months to work at WBMX-FM.

By July 1978, I was hired by Charles Mootry, general manager of station WJPC (AM) (now WNTD). This station, named for "Johnson Publishing Company," was named by John H. Johnson, owner of black magazines, Jet and Ebony. In 1985, I was simultaneously offered two positions: one for a morning show at KKDA-FM (K104) in Dallas and one for an afternoon show at WGCI-FM in Chicago. Instead of choosing one, I end up taking both jobs, and for eight years, I commuted daily by plane between cities, earning the nickname "The Fly Jock". In 1994, I was signed by ABC Radio Networks to host a nationally syndicated program, The Tom Joyner Morning Show.

I also founded The Tom Joyner Foundation, which has provided financial assistance to students at HBCUs. Since 1998, it has raised more than $60 million to help keep students enrolled in HBCUs. In 1998, I was the first African American to be inducted into The National Radio Hall of Fame.

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