Hunter Hancock(1916-2004)
Hunter Hancock was a disc jockey generally regarded as the first DJ in
the western U.S. to play R&B to a mostly white audience (in the
mid-1940s), and is also generally credited with being the first DJ to
play rock 'n' roll in the area in the early 1950s (most L.A. DJs of the
time wouldn't touch it). In 1950 the Arbitron radio ratings system
called Hunter's show the #1 program among black listeners in southern
California, and the black-owned newspaper The Los Angeles Sentinel said
that Hunter was the most popular DJ in L.A. among blacks--and Arbitron
and the Sentinel were both astounded to discover that Hunter was white.
He entered the radio field in San Antonio, Texas, soon took a
broadcasting job in Laredo, then moved to Los Angeles and got a job
with a radio station as a weekend announcer. A local clothing store
chain that catered specifically to blacks bought air time, and Hancock
was hired to host the show. He parlayed that into a career that saw him
become the most popular DJ in Los Angeles for years.
In his later years, however, he ran into some trouble. In 1961 he was convicted of failing to declare more than $10,000 on his income tax return, given a hefty fine and probation.
In his later years, however, he ran into some trouble. In 1961 he was convicted of failing to declare more than $10,000 on his income tax return, given a hefty fine and probation.