# Melissa Block NPR

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melissa-block-npr/691819
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 27, 2014, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melissa-block-npr/691819 "2014-06-27T21:47:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 4

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melissa-block-npr/691819/61 "2014-06-30T02:21:42Z")

</div>

> [@Evil\_Captor](#):
>
> There used to be an NPR commentator named Bailey Quarters, she was from south Georgia, and she had vocal fry beat all hollow. Her voice was so gravelly you coulda polished diamonds with it.

> [@Tangent](#):
>
> :dubious:

Heh, it was [Bailey White](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_White), a retired teacher essayist who told down home stories about her native southern Georgia. I don’t think she was purposely using vocal fry.

(E.C., Bailey Quarters was a character played by Jan Smithers on _WKRP in Cincinnati_. She was the Maryann to Loni Anderson’s Ginger.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melissa-block-npr/691819/62 "2014-06-30T03:23:31Z")

</div>

After 35 years of mornings with Carl Kassel, I’m just glad when NPR people don’t have their dentures clacking around their mouths.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melissa-block-npr/691819/63 "2014-06-30T04:37:05Z")

</div>

> [@Acsenray](#):
>
> Heh, it was [Bailey White](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_White), a retired teacher essayist who told down home stories about her native southern Georgia. I don’t think she was purposely using vocal fry.
> 
> (E.C., Bailey Quarters was a character played by Jan Smithers on _WKRP in Cincinnati_. She was the Maryann to Loni Anderson’s Ginger.

Right, it was Bailey White, not Bailey Quarters, who was much easier on the eyes but lacked that voice that sounded like several miles of gravel road bleaching in the south Georgia sun. And it was definitely not vocal fry, as ALL the words were raspy. But it DID have vocal fry beat twelve ways from Sunday.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melissa-block-npr/691819.md?page=3)