Recording introduces first-ever dramatic interpretations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s essays and speeches

(Black PR Wire) NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Audible Inc., the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, today announced the release of The Radical King. This collection of twenty-three of Martin Luther King Jr.’s essays and speeches, curated by Cornel West, is performed by LeVar Burton, Mike Colter, Leslie Odom, Jr., Colman Domingo, Danny Glover, Gabourey Sidibe, Wanda Sykes, Michael Kenneth Williams, and more. The Radical King is now available for download at www.audible.com/theradicalking.

In The Radical King, which marks the first time the Martin Luther King Estate has allowed professional actors to perform King’s seminal words, Audible has assembled a remarkable cast of charismatic performers who bring their own passion, enthusiasm, and activism to their readings of the essays and speeches. Compiled and edited by Cornel West, the anthology of essays and speeches highlights King as a revolutionary and a democratic socialist who sided with poor and working people. The recording’s gifted cast showcases King’s compassion, outrage, insight and vulnerability.

“Reading Dr. King’s words was extremely daunting, but if this would introduce his lesser-known works to more people, then I needed to do it. I tried to channel what the words meant to me, and what he meant to me,” said Emmy Award-winning actress and comedian Wanda Sykes, who recites two speeches in the collection.

“I am humbled and honored that my voice and my performance of Dr. King’s essays and speeches will be the first way that a new generation of people hear them aloud,” said Mike Colter. “Dr. King’s words, still so timely and important, are meant to be heard. Listening to these key pieces is sure to be a powerful experience for the listener, and a meaningful way to preserve Dr. King’s legacy.”

“Dr. King is celebrated as one of the greatest orators in American history, and the performances of these incredible actors remind us why,” said Audible EVP and Publisher Beth Anderson. “This captivating recording is a testament to Dr. King’s enduring vision.”

With a 30-day membership trial at Audible, new listeners can enjoy any one audiobook, including this performance of The Radical King, free.

Among the acclaimed performers who have narrated works of literature for Audible are Zachary Quinto, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins, Emma Thompson, and Jesse Eisenberg. Audible Studios has won a Grammy Award, for its production of Janis Ian’s memoir Society’s Child, and has also been recognized with the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, for Colin Firth’s performance of Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair. Audible invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2017, listeners around the world downloaded over two billion hours of Audible content.

ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.

Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio content, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 400,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.