RIP Webb Hunt

[Seansvoice]

I was talking to Ronnie Renfrow last week and he told me that Webb Hunt passed away within the last few weeks. Webb had apparently left his wife of many years and had gone to live with his son where he died of congestive heart failure at the age of 82ish.

The youngsters among us may not remember Webb who did PM drive at KQUE forever. Webb always seemed old to me, but paradoxically drove a '69 Corvette with factory sidepipes that he bought new.

That Corvette had the usual oxidized 'vette finish that FINALLY got painted due to an incident some may remember: Several years back they moved Webb to overnights and he was on his way to work one night, when a transvestite jumped from (I think) the Hazard Street overpass onto SW Freeway. Several cars hit the guy, and Webb's was the second. As I recall he was more upset about the car than he was the accident!

Webb is namelessly immortalized on a "bloopers" CD that I found at Cracker Barrel. Webb was introducing an instrumental version of "Twilight Time," which when he said it sounded like "Toilet Time."

Hearing about Webb made me think that it seems like just in the last few years we have lost many Houston greats and unsung greats: Royce Guinn, Chuck Shramek, Kevin Dorsey, Steve Lundy...just to name a few.

Vaya con Dios, Webb!

 

[ChuckTiller]

When I got to KNUZ in 1975, Webb was doing the afternoon shift on KQUE. Eventually, he was moved to the overnight shift, Webb had been with Texas Coast Broadcasters since the early 50s, when he started at KNUZ. I always liked Webb and enjoyed his conversations.

Another KNUZ alumn passed away last year. Lawrence Swikard (Larry Vance) succumbed last summer due to complications of a difficult back surgery. As a coworker, Larry was cool dude. Joe Ford, who was doing mornings at KNUZ in '75, agreed, but he told me that when Larry was a program director in KNUZ's rock days he was a tyrant. That proved to be true when he took over as PD from Arch Yancey in the late '70s. As many before me and since, Larry and I shared some hard words between each other. Great to work with but not under his leadership.

I had a few cordial emails with him a couple of months before he died. He was the GM of a 4 station group in the upper midwest. Like him or not, he was a part of KNUZ history.

 

[Seansvoice]

Another KNUZ alumn passed away last year. Lawrence Swikard (Larry Vance) succumbed last summer due to complications of a difficult back surgery. As a coworker, Larry was cool dude. Joe Ford, who was doing mornings at KNUZ in '75, agreed, but he told me that when Larry was a program director in KNUZ's rock days he was a tyrant. That proved to be true when he took over as PD from Arch Yancey in the late '70s. As many before me and since, Larry and I shared some hard words between each other. Great to work with but not under his leadership.

I had a few cordial emails with him a couple of months before he died. He was the GM of a 4 station group in the upper midwest. Like him or not, he was a part of KNUZ history.[/b]

That's a shocker Chuck. Larry hired me in September 1979. I interviewed for the afternoon shift, and as I was in Larry's office Bruce Nelson called saying that Rick Libby had just given him the boot at KENR (as opposed to the boot-eye-boot-boot). Suddenly my interview became for the 7-midnight shift. I was going back to Florida (having myself been exited from KLAK/Denver). I decided I liked Houston, and the minute I said "OK, ya gotta deal" to LV, my long weekend turned into 27 years...28 this coming September.

KNUZ was a fascinating place -- 4701 Caroline at Blodgett was locked in a time warp...everyone there was either on the way up, on the way down, or looking for a place where one could get away with smoking Lefty Luckies while on the air. I guess I was someplace between the latter two.

Having just buried my mother-in-law of 25 years last week, I am in something of a reflective mood. And it occurs to me that to get a quorum for a KNUZ alumni meeting we'd just about have to get Shirley MacLaine involved. Buddy Covington (one of the sweetest guys I have ever known), John Conner, Webb, LV, Dave Morris, Lil Killough, Thom Beck, Lea Foxe, Royce...and I know I am forgetting somebody. Suffice it to say they are dropping like flies.

 

[rogergray]

Wow. Two shockers. Ok, I’ll add my story. I worked at KQUE from 1974-1977 with Walt Hammock, Berlin, etc. Webb was the last human on the planet in this business to cup his hand behind his ear when he cut spots in lieu of headsets. A guy who worked with us for a time, Steve Young, did a dead-on impersonation of Webb. My father for years, due to his bad hearing, thought Webb introduced the Webb Hunt Show as the “Wet Honcho.” Webb was a gunner or some such on B-17’s in the war and had that stooped, bad neck posture we all remember. I recall Vance passing him in the narrow confines of the old house on Caroline and saying “straighten up, Webb.” Vance was hilarious, but then again, I never worked for him. Webb’s ‘Vette cranking up in the parking lot could be heard though the cheaply insulated walls of the station. About the only kind thing I can say about the boss, Dave Morris, was that he was loathe to fire anyone. How else to explain guys like Webb hanging around for so long doing 1940‘s radio in the 70’s? Now, it’s official. I feel old.

 

[Seansvoice]

My father for years, due to his bad hearing, thought Webb introduced the Webb Hunt Show as the “Wet Honcho.” Webb was a gunner or some such on B-17’s in the war and had that stooped, bad neck posture we all remember.

Two tie-ins, Roger:

1) KQUE has some sort of contest where the listeners had to mail in their entries to whichever DJ they listened to. We were cackling at the way some of Webb's mail was addressed...one listener heard it the same way your dad did, and addressed it to "Wet Honcho." Our favorite was addressed to "Webb Hung." ;D

2) Dave Morris was a WWII bombardier, and of course relayed tidbits now and again. Sometime circa 1981, Dave had hired a new secretary -- a striking, blonde middle-aged woman with a thick German accent...you could tell that this woman was just a heartbreaker when she was young.

As anyone who was ever associated with the 4701 Caroline gang knows, KNUZ-KQUE was one of the only radio stations that had organized coffee breaks...all of the office people had a cuppa at 10 and 3. One afternoon in the German lady's first week the folks were gathered for their afternoon Java jive. Someone said "So Helga (or whatever her name was), where are you from originally?" She said "I was born in Schnitzengruber" (or someplace). Dave did not even look up from his paper as he said "I think we bombed there one time."

 

[ChuckTiller]

The 4701 Caroline at Blodgett crew knew how to have fun. If those walls could talk. Yeah, we all complained about the pay. However, it was a lot of fun. They didn't mess with you that much.

 

[pepe]

A reminder of how things have changed is painfully obvious when you drive by the intersection of Blodget and Caroline. The old multi-remodeled home studio is gone, replaced with a new, non-descript condo project.....but the memories are alive.

You're right Chuck, we weren't paid much.....but that place and those people gave us a lifetime of memories.

 

[Bill Cherry]

I am REALLY sorry to learn Webb has passed away. He had one of the great voices of all times. I never met him, have no idea what he looked like, but I heard him for years on KQUE. If memory serves me, the owner, Dave Morris, told me that he and Webb had been in the service together.

 

[jriggenbach]

I worked at KNUZ-KQUE from 1967 to 1972. At that time, Webb was PD at KQUE and worked morning drive (6 AM to 10 AM); Buddy MacGregor was PD at KNUZ and worked a short air shift right after lunchtime. When I first signed on in '67, I worked a split shift on KQUE - four hours of news (working out of the joint KNUZ-KQUE newsroom), then four hours of music (10 PM to 2 AM). I also compiled and recorded the KNUZ Fishing Report each evening. Gary DeLaune was news director at KNUZ at that time, and the news staff contained such luminaries as David Fowler, Chuck Scott, and Laurence Jolly (who was seriously injured in a late-night mugging that took place right out in front of the station one night). Paul Berlin was working morning drive on KNUZ; Joe Ford was on in afternoon drive.

I spoke with Webb at some length on the telephone about three years ago and meant to look him up again when I moved back to Houston from California at the beginning of 2006. Alas, I didn't get around to it. He was one of a kind. And those days at Caroline and Blodgett are still fresh in my memory after all these years.

JR

 

[rogergray]

It's good to hear from Jeff. My debate partner Steve Jarrard and I were mentored by Jeff and his partner Junior Ware at the Univ. of Hou. debate workshop in 1966 when Jeff was one of Bill English's debaters. Unfortunately, it seems to have led all and sundry into the nether regions of broadcasting. I started at KTRH in 1970 working for Frank Boardman in part after Jeff told me it was a much better college job to have than pumping gas or tending bar. For the most part, he has proven to be right. As I mentioned earlier, there is quite a crew of folks who passed through the turnstiles on Caroline and are better at what we do because of it. Even if I did get my ass chewed by Berlin on my VERY LAST day there for playing one song out of rotation. Tough crowd.

 

[FilioScotia]

Boardman was at KTRH?

I thought he worked at KTHT 790 when it was in that old studio down on Travis street in midtown, south of Elgin. That's where it was when I got to know him. KTHT later moved into the old Cork Club on the top floor of the old Century National Bank bldg next to the Pierce Elevated.

I was chasing news for KIKK and KPRC Radio in those days, and Frank and I crossed paths countless times out on stories. We got to know each other, and I remember him as one of the really nice people I've met in this business.

I swear I don't remember Frank working at KTRH, but you know what they about memory. It's the second thing to go when you pass 60. I forgot what the first thing was.

 

[Bill Cherry]

KTHT 790 was one of the old line stations. Heck, I remember listening to them as a kid when they were the Mutual Network affiliate. And then I guess when I was just out of high school they had some ****-a-mammie music format where they segued a piece of Ray Conniff's version of "'S Wonderful" between every song.

I was sorry when it went away.

 

[FilioScotia]

S'Wonderful was KTHT's theme song

That Ray Conniff version was the theme of KTHT's Demand Radio 79 format. It sounded great. Big and brassy, with voices doubling the instruments.

 

[Bill Cherry]

You're right! Thanks for shoring that up for me. I doubt I would have ever been able to bring that from the back of my mind to the front.

 

[fritobandito]

Another KNUZ alumn passed away last year. Lawrence Swikard (Larry Vance) succumbed last summer due to complications of a difficult back surgery. As a coworker, Larry was cool dude. Joe Ford, who was doing mornings at KNUZ in '75, agreed, but he told me that when Larry was a program director in KNUZ's rock days he was a tyrant. That proved to be true when he took over as PD from Arch Yancey in the late '70s. As many before me and since, Larry and I shared some hard words between each other. Great to work with but not under his leadership.

I had a few cordial emails with him a couple of months before he died. He was the GM of a 4 station group in the upper midwest. Like him or not, he was a part of KNUZ history.

You'll be happy to know that Larry apparently mellowed considerably in his later years. I worked for him in the early to mid 90s and it was always a pleasure. Great guy, and I regret that we lost touch and I never got to say goodbye.

I'm curious, was the phrase "Shut up and play another record!" something he coined later on or did he always use it? He used to say that to the jocks a lot, sometimes as a joke, sometimes not.

 

[hrhwebmaster]

Re: S'Wonderful was KTHT's theme song

That Ray Conniff version was the theme of KTHT's Demand Radio 79 format. It sounded great. Big and brassy, with voices doubling the instruments.

Do you remember Downbeat? Was that the format that followed or preceded Demand Radio 79? Or was Downbeat the name of the format and Demand Radio 79 the name of the radio station? It was a very small library as I recall.

KTHT moved around a lot it seems. I remember the old studios on Travis - formerly a movie house? or something. Earlier they had had street side picture window studios on Jefferson at Smith or there abouts -- would have passed them coming in to town off of 45 except 45 wasn't there then.

 

[Bill Cherry]

I do remember Downbeat and I believe it came before. That station, as I recall, reduced its power at night so it had trouble reaching all of its daytime audience. But it's for sure that it changed its format everytime the wind blew from the south. And its spot book couldn't have been more than 2 pages long, both PSAs.

 

[Unregistered]

Gone but not forgotten...

It has been 8 years since dad passed away. He always had some great stories about all the people he worked with at KNUZ and KQUE. He mellowed a lot in his later years and he wished he had stayed in contact with the people that had been a part of his career in radio. Best wishes to everyone.
T. Hunt