"Diamond" Jimmy Roy

At one time "Diamond" Jimmy Roy owned half the businesses in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a steel town just outside Pittsburgh.

2001 / Dan Collison / This American Life, USA

At one time "Diamond" Jimmy Roy owned half the businesses in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a steel town just outside Pittsburgh.

Braddock's decline paralleled Roy's; he now sells jewelry out of a family restaurant. But somehow he's managed to remain optimistic with a self-styled philosophy that keeps him rich and happy.

Diamond Jimmy Roy was produced for This American Life in 1999.


produced by

Dan Collison

Together with his life and radio partner Elizabeth Meister, Dan Collison produces audio documentaries and song/stories that detail everyday life in America, work that has consistently garnered radio's top awards.


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