Remembering Hunter Hancock

Hunter Hancock ("Ol' H H")
1916-2004

Those of you not of my generation and not from Southern California, probably never heard of Hunter Hancock. Originally from Texas, "Ol H H" was a local disc jockey in Los Angeles back in the 40s 50s and 60s, whose show ("Huntin' with Hunter") I used to listen to in the afternoons. Though he was white, he had a love for black music, generally doo-wop and rythem and blues, which most of my generation also grew up with. Hunter was one of those white figures who was loved by the black community and considered one of their own. Many of his listeners didn't even know that he was white. He is credited with being one of the first DJs to introduce rythem and blues to radio audiences on the West Coast. I didn't realize it until I did a recent Google check on him, but Hancock passed away in 2004 at the age of 88.

I remember that Hunter's show also featured his assistant, the lovely Margie Williams, who also happened to be the wife of Tony Williams, the lead singer of the Platters. While Tony had one of the great melodic voices of the 50s, Margie (when she spoke) had the sultriest, sexiest voice you ever heard.

In those years (I guess I was about 12-13), I had an interest in record labels. Believe it or not, there were a few times I actually called the number for the radio show. Margie would actually answer the phone, and I would ask her what label such a such a song was on. She would go and check it for me if she didn't know off the top of her head.

Marjorie (Margie) Williams

I also remember one day Hancock was discussing Ray Charles' hit "What'd I say" on his show. Apparently, there were different edited versions of the song and there was a certain longer version that was not generally heard on the radio. I remember Hunter stating that this particular version "was not fit to be played on the radio".

Well, time moved on, and over the years, I forgot about Hunter Hancock until, as I sometimes do, I take advantage of the technology now to see what ever happened to so and so. Among his following, Hancock appeared in the Southern California area from time to time showing up on shows and concerts with some of the artists whose records he used to play. Here is a clip from a 2000 appearance.




Margie Williams died in 1999. Her husband, Tony, passed on in 1992. Hunter Hancock died at a nursing home in Claremont, California in 2004.