- Hunter Hancock
Hunter Hancock (
1916 -August 4 2004 ) was adisc jockey regarded as the first in theWestern United States to playrhythm and blues records on the radio, and among the first to broadcastrock and roll .He was born in
Uvalde, Texas , and raised 90 miles away inSan Antonio . After school, he took on many jobs, including singing in avaudeville troupe and a stint at a Massachusettsburlesque club.He then entered radio, and was heard on a number of stations from 1943 to 1968. He called himself "Ol' H.H." He hosted popular radio shows, including "Harlem Holiday," "Harlematinee," "Huntin' With Hunter" and the gospel show "Songs of Soul and Spirit."
He also appeared briefly on the L.A. CBS TV station, KNXT in 1955 with the Friday night show "Rhythm and Bluesville," interviewing such musicians as
Duke Ellington ,Fats Domino ,Little Richard andThe Platters .For several years, the Pulse survey rated Hancock's shows No. 1 among black listeners in Southern California. In 1950, the
Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper rated Hancock the most popular DJ in Los Angeles among blacks. He was also one of the first DJs to play rock and roll music, and landed a cameo spot in a 1957 British rock and roll film called "Rock Around the World".A recreated example of Mr. Hancock's program on Los Angeles' former R&B radio station
KGFJ can be found on Ron Jacobs' "Cruisin' 1959" (Increase Records INCR 5-2004). This recreation includes several classic R&B songs of that era, contemporary commercials (e.g., Champion spark plugs, theSaturday Evening Post , and others), and DJ patter.(1) He was convicted in 1962 and sentenced to probation for failing to report $18,000 income on tax forms for 1956-1958. Allegedly, the money waspayola from record companies. He thought the money had been given asgifts .Hancock died August 4, 2004 of natural causes in a
retirement home inClaremont, California .External links
* [http://www.electricearl.com/dws/hunter.html Huntin' with Hunter]
* [http://www.reelradio.com/rj/cruisin/index.html "Cruisin 1959" reelradio.com]
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