Bob Dockery Jr.

Bob Dockery Jr. is a radio and television producer, playwright, and former advertising executive. He was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, and then moved with his parents and sister to Louisville, Kentucky. While the family lived in Alabama, Dockery’s father, Bob Dockery Sr., was a prominent physician who practiced family medicine at the Army Air Force Base. The family soon left Alabama, and Dockery Sr. decided to leave his practice to study ophthalmology. He was the first Black ophthalmologist in the state of Kentucky. Dockery Jr.’s mother, Vera, was a homemaker who eventually went on to work at the elementary school Dockery attended with his younger sister.

From a young age, Dockery became familiar with living in the Jim Crow South. Most of the schools he attended while his family lived in Alabama, South Carolina, and Kentucky were segregated. During the third grade, Dockery Jr.’s teacher was Ms. Alberta Richie, Lionel Richie’s mother, whom he credits for teaching him the “King’s English.” A couple of years after the landmark Brown V. Board of Education, Dockery Jr. and his sister attended the newly integrated Parkland Junior High School in Louisville, Kentucky. Despite the displeasure some Black teachers expressed because of their enrollment, Dockery Jr.’s parents felt compelled to uphold the decision for integrated schools. Many Black families at that time agreed with that sentiment.

During this period, Dockery Jr. became increasingly involved with the Civil Rights Movement. He marched with friends throughout the city and got arrested one night with 300 other children who were protesting racial segregation. Dockery Jr.’s childhood experiences created a deep passion for highlighting stories about African American lifestyles and culture. He attended Morehouse College with a major in history and political science.

After graduation, he went on to work for Aetna Insurance in New York, where he integrated the previously all-white group division. This experience led to opportunities in building a successful track record in marketing and sales. He took on the role of Eastern Sales Manager for Shindana Toys, a black doll company, then briefly worked as an Ad Sales Manager for Ebony Magazine. Shortly after, Dockery Jr. decided to launch an advertising agency, Polymedia Advertising, along with his friend, Lee Triggs. The company produced highly successful Ad campaigns for clients such as Pro-Line, Curley Kit, Ralph Groceries and others. They then won a major account with the Los Angeles Department of Airports and launched the tremendously successful Flyaway Bus advertising campaign. After five years at Polymedia, Dockery Jr. and Triggs closed the company. Triggs went to work for Pro-Line and Dockery Jr. went to work for Columbia Pictures Merchandising as Director of West Coast Operations.

Dockery Jr. left Columbia in 1980 and started a radio production company, Only Just a Minute. This career shift was life changing for Dockery Jr. Since launching Only Just A Minute, he has launched groundbreaking programming highlighting African American culture around the globe. His first radio program was “Jazz Chronicles.” In 1982, he created the highly acclaimed, “King: A Musical Tribute,” hosted by Brock Peters. That program has aired for the past 30 consecutive years. The next project Dockery Jr. introduced was the highly acclaimed 24-hour radio epic, “The Music of Black America,” which was hosted by Lou Rawls and JJ Johnson. Dockery Jr. followed that successful program with, “Story of a People,” hosted by James Earl Jones and Alfrie Woodard. The program told the history of Black America with narration and music. Since 1980, Dockery Jr. has produced and aired more than 100 different radio programs.

Dockery entered television production in 1987, producing over 45 documentary episodes under the title “Story of a People,” which aired for more than 23 years. These documentaries highlight African American lifestyles and culture with topics ranging from education and civil rights to Hollywood and Broadway. Other television programs produced by Dockery Jr. included “The Other Side of Victory,” hosted by Arthur Ashe, James Brown and Robin Roberts, “Red, Hot and Cool,” hosted by Nancy Wilson, the special Black comedy, A Laugh/A Tear hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. Overall, Dockery Jr. has produced over 100 television programs that have aired worldwide. In 2008, Bob Dockery, Jr. produced a one-hour documentary for TV ONE entitled, “MLK- A Dream Deferred,” celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. 40 years after his assassination.

In 2018, Dockery created a non-profit theatrical production company, Only Just A Minute Theater Company that now owns two stage plays: a musical entitled Aspirin – For One Less Headache, and a play entitled, Only Just A Minute, which is a drama about Benjamin E. Mays and his mentorship of Martin Luther King, Jr. Only Just A Minute had two successful runs in 2014 and 2015 at The South West Arts Center (SWAC) in Atlanta, and at the Florissant Civic Center Theater in St Louis, MO.

Dockery Jr. has served on several nonprofit boards including the International Children’s School, Communications Bridge, Crossroads, and the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles. Currently, Dockery Jr. is working on his autobiography, ‘Swimming Upstream,’ and is planning a national theatrical tour for his play, Only Just A Minute. Dockery Jr. gives speeches around the country, is an avid traveler and enjoys singing jazz and playing golf.

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