MP3 of the Day

Vanessa Williams, the first African American woman to be crowned Miss America, resigned her crown on this day in 1984 (ten months into her reign) when nude photos of her, prior to her pageant days, had surfaced. Williams believed the photographs were private and had been destroyed. Hugh Hefner, the publisher of Playboy, was initially offered the photos, but turned them down. Hefner stated: "Vanessa Williams is a beautiful woman. But the photographs clearly weren't authorized and because they would be the source of considerable embarrassment to her, we decided not to publish them. We were also mindful that she was the first black Miss America." Days later, Bob Guccione, the publisher of Penthouse, announced that his magazine would publish the photos in their September 1984 issue. Today we have the song Miss Nude Black America by BMX BANDITS.