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 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, the Saturday Evening Post, and others), and DJ patter. 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 was payola from record companies. Hancock believed the money had been given as gifts. Hancock died August 4, 2004, of natural causes in a retirement home in Claremont, California. In popular culture Hancock is referenced in Season 2, Episode 14 of The Rockford Files, "The Hammer of C Block". Isaac Hayes's character, Gandolph Fitch, while searching for a radio station says, "Nobody's playing music anymore? Where's Huggy Boy or Hunter Hancock?" In Stan Freberg's song "Rock Around Stephen Foster" the record producer threatens "You want me to tear up your autographed pictures of Hunter Hancock?". References External links Huntin' with Hunter "Cruisin 1959" reelradio.com American radio DJs Vaudeville performers 1916 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American musicians