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The Hurricane Tapes

Factual: Life Stories

The true story of the triple murder convictions of boxer Rubin Hurricane Carter.

Racism, poverty and violence. Enter the world of Rubin Carter #HurricaneTapes

Meet Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter. To understand the events of June 1966 we must first understand him: the man, the boxer, his life and the times he lived in.

The previously unheard cassette recordings reveal his traumatic childhood, entwined with racism and violence; how he finds redemption in boxing, and how his violent persona in the ring spills out on to the streets of Paterson, New Jersey. It’s about why he thought cops targeted him, all set against the 1966 backdrop of civil rights era America.

The Hurricane Tapes: Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan

23/02/2019 GMT

Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan

BBC World Service - The Hurricane Tapes, Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan

Carter and Artis get some famous supporters

In 1976, some of America's most famous faces campaign to clear Carter and Artis's names.

In 1976, Rubin Carter became a cause célèbre. Eight years after he and John Artis were given a triple life sentence for murdering three people in a New Jersey bar, Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan put their celebrity might behind clearing their names. We hear from Ali himself, learn that he and Rubin hated each other, and meet the man who built bridges between them. Also, Tom Vicedomini, grandson of one of the Lafayette Bar and Grill victims, tells how he learned about his grandfather’s murder almost a decade after it actually happened.

Presented by Steve Crossman.
Produced by Steve Crossman and Joel Hammer for BBC World Service.

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