Raven is a podcast about the unforgettable man who founded Harlem's first and only wax museum and the extraordinary people who went out of their way to keep its memory alive.
Raven Chanticleer was a multi-talented artist and larger-than-life eccentric. For thirty years, he dreamed of opening a wax museum devoted to Black history in Harlem. In 1989, he finally did. The African American Wax Museum, as it was called, garnered widespread attention in New York and abroad, with Black artists, intellectuals, and politicians singing its praises.
When Raven died in 2002, his family gutted the museum and sold the property, destroying his life's work and outraging the community. For years, Raven's prized, handmade wax figures were thought to have been lost to history. After an eighteen-month investigation, host Gavin Whitehead discovered that a handful miraculously survived--you just had to know where to look for them.
If you like Raven, you might also like Gavin's other podcast, The Art of Crime. It's a history podcast about the unlikely collisions between true crime and the arts. New theme each season.
Raven is a production of Drum and Monkey Media.
From Lisbon With Love: Josephine Baker, Pt. II (The Art of Crime Bonus Episode)
This is part two of a two-part episode about Josephine Baker that I made for my other project, The Art of Crime, a history podcast about the unlikely collisions between true crime and the arts. The Baker episodes are part of my sixth season, Spy vs, Spy, which looks at artists who engaged in espionage. In this episode, we hear about how Baker risked her life to spy on the Nazis during World War II. If you like what you hear, check out The Art of Crime.
10 Nov 2026
A Spy is Born: Josephine Baker, Pt. One (The Art of Crime Bonus Episode)
Today, I'm sharing a sample of my other project, The Art of Crime, a history podcast about the unlikely collisions between true crime and the arts. It's a two-part episode about singer, dancer, and actress Josephine Baker, who also worked as a spy for the French Resistance during World War II. This seemed like the perfect story to release on Raven because Baker numbered among the he-roes and she-roes honoroed at the African American Wax Museum.
13 Mar 2026
Chapter Five: Legacy
Today, I talk to Stanley Watson, Raven's nephew, about why the family disregarded Raven's dying wishes and closed his museum.
If you like Raven, you might like Gavin's other podcast, The Art of Crime. It's a history podcast about the unlikely collisions between true crime and the arts.
Raven is a production of Drum and Monkey Media. For images and other cool stuff about Raven, check Gavin's socials. His Instagram and Blue Sky socials are @gavinwhitehead430. Want to get in touch? Feel free to DM or send an email to drumandmonkeymedia@gmail.com.
6 Mar 2026
Chapter Four: Who the F**k is Kit Kat Girl?
Early on in the process of researching this miniseries, I learned that a mysterious interior designer had rediscovered a handful of Raven's long-lost wax statues and saved them from certain destruction. Today, I track him down to talk about the rescue effort.
If you like Raven, you might like Gavin's other podcast, The Art of Crime. It's a history podcast about the unlikely collisions between true crime and the arts.
Raven is a production of Drum and Monkey Media. For images and other cool stuff about Raven, check Gavin's socials. His Instagram and Blue Sky socials are @gavinwhitehead430. Want to get in touch? Feel free to DM or send an email to drumandmonkeymedia@gmail.com.
27 Feb 2026
Chapter Three: Autopsy of a Wax Museum
Raven liked to tell visitors to the African American Wax Museum that his was the first and only wax museum devoted to Black history. But that wasn't true. Today, we take a trip to the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum of Baltimore. It turns out you learn a lot about why Raven's wax museum died along with him by looking at the establishment in Baltimore.
If you like Raven, you might like Gavin's other podcast, The Art of Crime. It's a history podcast about the unlikely collisions between true crime and the arts.
Raven is a production of Drum and Monkey Media. For images and other cool stuff about Raven, check Gavin's socials. His Instagram and Blue Sky socials are @gavinwhitehead430. Want to get in touch? Feel free to DM or send an email to drumandmonkeymedia@gmail.com.
20 Feb 2026
Chapter Two: A New York Story
When Raven Chanticleer died in 2002, his nieces and nephews shuttered the African American Wax Museum and made plans to sell the property, outraging members of the community. Several New Yorkers intervened in an effort to stop the family from destorying Raven's legacy before it was too late.
If you like Raven, you might like Gavin's other podcast, The Art of Crime. It's a history podcast about the unlikely collisions between true crime and the arts.
Raven is a production of Drum and Monkey Media. For images and other cool stuff about Raven, check Gavin's socials. His Instagram and Blue Sky socials are @gavinwhitehead430. Want to get in touch? Feel free to DM or send an email to drumandmonkeymedia@gmail.com.
13 Feb 2026
Chapter One: Wax to the Max
Raven Chanticleer was a larger-than-life eccentric and multi-talented artist. In the 1970s, he became a local New York celebrity by showing up to gala events in jaw-dropping outfits. In 1989, Raven fulfilled his long-held dream of opening a wax museum devoted to Black history. The African American Wax Museum, as it was called, garnered widespread attention in New York and abroad, gaining a reputation as a truly unique institution. In chatper one of Raven, we take a tour of the African American Wax Museum and get to know the founder.
For pictures of Raven and the African American Wax Museum, follow me on Instagram or Blue Sky: @gavinwhitehead430.
Raven is a production of Drum and Monkey Media.
18 Jan 2026
Trailer
Raven is a podcast about the unforgettable man who founded the African American Wax Museum and the extraordinary people who went out of their way to keep its memory alive.
For images of Raven and the African American Wax Museum, follow Gavin on Instagram and Blue Sky: @gavinwhitehead430.
Reach and audience
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.3 / 5
16 ratings
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