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{{Short description|American disc jockey}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Dick 'Huggy Boy' Hugg
| name = Dick 'Huggy Boy' Hugg
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==Rock and Roll==
==Rock and Roll==
Hugg, known to his listeners as "Huggy Boy", was instrumental in the promotion of rock and roll in the 1950s. He is credited with bringing rhythm and blues to the airwaves of Southern California, as well as bringing the "Eastside Sound" to large audience. He was the first white disc jockey to broadcast (on station KRKD) from the front window of [[John Dolphin (music producer)|John Dolphin's]] popular all-night record store, Dolphin's of Hollywood, at the corner of Central and Vernon Avenues. He also co-produced several artists, such as vocalist [[Jesse Belvin]] and saxophonist [[Joe Houston]], on Dolphin's various record labels, including Cash and Money. With his own record label, Caddy Records, Hugg recorded local favorites [[Jim Balcom]], [[Jeanette Baker]], [[Chuck Higgins]] and [[Johnny Flamingo]]. Hugg later promoted bands like [[The Jaguars]], the Village Callers, [[Thee Midniters]] and [[The Champs]]; these groups were part of what was later known as the [[Chicano rock]] movement.<ref name="documentary">{{Cite web |title=THE STORY-TELLERS |url=http://www.wilkman.com/LTD/LTD3.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927224425/http://www.wilkman.com/LTD/LTD3.htm |archive-date=2007-09-27 |access-date=2007-10-10}}</ref>
Hugg was the first white disc jockey to broadcast (on station KRKD) from the front window of [[John Dolphin (music producer)|John Dolphin's]] popular all-night record store, Dolphin's of Hollywood, at the corner of Central and Vernon Avenues. He also co-produced several artists, such as vocalist [[Jesse Belvin]] and saxophonist [[Joe Houston]], on Dolphin's various record labels, including Cash and Money. With his own record label, Caddy Records, Hugg recorded local favorites [[Jim Balcom]], [[Jeanette Baker]], [[Chuck Higgins]] and [[Johnny Flamingo]]. Hugg later promoted bands like [[The Jaguars]], the Village Callers, [[Thee Midniters]] and [[The Champs]]; these groups were part of what was later known as the [[Chicano rock]] movement.<ref name="documentary">{{Cite web |title=THE STORY-TELLERS |url=http://www.wilkman.com/LTD/LTD3.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927224425/http://www.wilkman.com/LTD/LTD3.htm |archive-date=2007-09-27 |access-date=2007-10-10}}</ref>


Though originally an R&B disc jockey, Hugg gradually aimed his radio and television shows at Los Angeles' burgeoning Latino population and featured almost every young [[Chicano]] group coming out of [[East Los Angeles (region)|East Los Angeles]], the [[San Gabriel Valley]], the [[Pomona Valley]], and the [[San Fernando Valley]]. He promoted dances and shows in the [[barrio]] and was important to the growth of the city's so-called ''Eastside Sound''. He also brought to East Los Angeles groups such as [[Them (band)|Them]], [[Sonny and Cher]], [[The Righteous Brothers]] and [[Dusty Springfield]], acts that may otherwise have not been accessible to [[Mexican-American]] audiences.
Though originally an R&B disc jockey, Hugg gradually aimed his radio and television shows at Los Angeles' burgeoning Latino population and featured almost every young [[Chicano]] group coming out of [[East Los Angeles (region)|East Los Angeles]], the [[San Gabriel Valley]], the [[Pomona Valley]], and the [[San Fernando Valley]]. He promoted dances and shows in the [[barrio]] and was important to the growth of the city's so-called ''Eastside Sound''. He also brought to East Los Angeles groups such as [[Them (band)|Them]], [[Sonny and Cher]], [[The Righteous Brothers]] and [[Dusty Springfield]], acts that may otherwise have not been accessible to [[Mexican-American]] audiences.


Hugg was on [[KEIB|KRKD]], 1951–55; [[KWKW]], 1954; [[KMRB|KALI]]; [[KYPA|KGFJ]], 1955; [[KROQ (1500 AM)|KBLA]], 1965;<ref>"[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-02-27.pdf KBLA Hikes Power; Bows New Personnel]", ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. February 27, 1965. pp. 50, 51. Retrieved May 14, 2019.</ref> KRKD, 1965–66; [[KRTH]], 1975; [[XEPRS|XPRS]], 1981–82; [[KRDC (AM)|KRLA]], 1983–98; KRTH, 1998-2002.<ref name="laradio">{{Cite web |title=~Los Angeles Radio People, Where Are They Now?h |url=http://www.laradio.com/whereh.htm |website=www.laradio.com}}</ref> He hosted an oldies show on KRLA and for a time, a dance program, "The Huggie Boy Show", which aired weekly on [[KWHY]] channel 22. His popularity continued to increase long after the show went off the air.<ref name="documentary" />
Hugg was on [[KEIB|KRKD]], 1951–55; [[KWKW]], 1954; [[KMRB|KALI]]; [[KYPA|KGFJ]], 1955; [[KROQ (1500 AM)|KBLA]], 1965;<ref>"[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-02-27.pdf KBLA Hikes Power; Bows New Personnel]", ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. February 27, 1965. pp. 50, 51. Retrieved May 14, 2019.</ref> KRKD, 1965–66; [[KRTH]], 1975; [[XEPRS|XPRS]], 1981–82; [[KWVE (AM)|KRLA]], 1983–98; KRTH, 1998–2002.<ref name="laradio">{{Cite web |title=~Los Angeles Radio People, Where Are They Now?h |url=http://www.laradio.com/whereh.htm |website=www.laradio.com}}</ref> He hosted an oldies show on KRLA and for a time, a dance program, "The Huggie Boy Show", which aired weekly on [[KWHY]] channel 22. His popularity continued to increase long after the show went off the air.<ref name="documentary" />


Hugg was one of the [[Master of ceremonies|masters of ceremonies]] for the fourteenth [[Cavalcade of Jazz]] concerts being produced by [[Leon Hefflin, Sr.|Leon Hefflin, Sr]]. held at that year at the [[Shrine Auditorium]] on August 3, 1958. The last Cavalcade of Jazz concert was a tribute to the city's most prominent r&b disc jockeys - Charles Trammel, [[Hunter Hancock]] and Jim Randolph teamed up with Hugg. [[Lionel Hampton]], [[Big Jay McNeely]], [[Dinah Washington]], [[Betty Carter]], [[Billy Eckstine]], [[Jimmy Witherspoon]], [[Louis Jordan]], [[Nat King Cole|Nat "King" Cole]], [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Count Basie]], [[Sam Cooke]] were just a few of the numerous artists that performed over the years.<ref name="Guralnick2005">{{Cite book |author1=Peter Guralnick| |url=https://archive.org/details/dreamboogietrium00gura |title=Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke |date=2005 |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=0316377945 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=57393650 |url-access=registration|page=250}} }}</ref><ref>"Disc Jockeys Working Mike At Cavalcade" Article The California Eagle July 10, 1958.</ref><ref>"Top Deejays to Emcee Cavalcade Of Jazz Aug. 3" Los Angeles Sentinel July 10, 1958.</ref>
Hugg was one of the [[Master of ceremonies|masters of ceremonies]] for the fourteenth [[Cavalcade of Jazz]] concerts being produced by [[Leon Hefflin Sr.|Leon Hefflin Sr]]. held at that year at the [[Shrine Auditorium]] on August 3, 1958. The last Cavalcade of Jazz concert was a tribute to the city's most prominent r&b disc jockeys - Charles Trammel, [[Hunter Hancock]] and Jim Randolph teamed up with Hugg. [[Lionel Hampton]], [[Big Jay McNeely]], [[Dinah Washington]], [[Betty Carter]], [[Billy Eckstine]], [[Jimmy Witherspoon]], [[Louis Jordan]], [[Nat King Cole|Nat "King" Cole]], [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Count Basie]], [[Sam Cooke]] were just a few of the numerous artists that performed over the years.<ref name="Guralnick2005">{{Cite book |author1=Peter Guralnick| url=https://archive.org/details/dreamboogietrium00gura |title=Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke |date=2005 |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=0316377945 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=57393650 |url-access=registration|page=250}}</ref><ref>"Disc Jockeys Working Mike At Cavalcade" Article The California Eagle July 10, 1958.</ref><ref>"Top Deejays to Emcee Cavalcade Of Jazz Aug. 3" Los Angeles Sentinel July 10, 1958.</ref>

Following passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which deregulated how many radio and television stations one corporation in the United States can own, CBS ended up buying KRLA in 1998. CBS also owned K-Earth 101, which was also an oldies station. Alhough KRLA was very much an "Eastside Sound" oldies station as opposed to K-Earth, which was a general oldies station, CBS ended the oldies format on KRLA turning 1110 AM into a talk station. While some people were out of a job, Hugg was given a nightly spot on 101.1 FM, a position in L.A. radio for which there was much competition.

Despite the gesture on CBS' and KRTH's part, The Huggy Boy Show on K-Earth was not the same as before. K-Earth had a highly restrictive oldies playlist in 1998, and Hugg was able to play only one tune from his oldies collection per hour. Listeners to the radio station at 101.1 FM were aware that K-Earth was a tightly run on-air operation, which for Hugg meant that his occasional rambling between the music, or during requests and dedications, was greatly limited.

Hugg's influence was noted on [[Lighter Shade of Brown]]'s record "Huggy Boy Show." and [[The Blasters]]’ classic "Border Radio" was inspired by Hugg’s dedication show on XPRS.<ref name="laweekly">{{Cite web |last=Heller |first=Skip |date=13 September 2000 |title=He's an Angel |url=https://www.laweekly.com/music/hes-an-angel-2132494 |website=L.A. Weekly}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Hugg was married to Emily for 25 years and had three girls: Darlene, Lisa & Tiffany. He was in a later relationship for seventeen years with Sandy Flores with whom he had a son, Richard Hugg, Jr., a stepson Mikey, and two more grandchildren.{{cn|date=August 2020}} He died of [[cardiac arrest]] on August 30, 2006, at age of 78.<ref name="AP">{{cite news |title=‘That’s All’ for former DJ ‘Huggy Boy’ |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2006/09/01/thats-all-for-former-dj-huggy-boy |work=Daily News |agency=Associated Press |date=2006-09-01}}</ref> He is interred at [[Rose Hills Memorial Park|Rose Hills]] Memorial Park in [[Whittier, California]].
Hugg was married to Emily Hugg for 25 years and had three girls: Darlene, Lisa, and Tiffany. He was later in a relationship for 17 years with Sandy Flores with whom he had a son, Richard Hugg Jr.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} He had seven grandchildren. Dick Hugg died of [[cardiac arrest]] on August 30, 2006, at age 78.<ref name="AP">{{cite news |title='That's All' for former DJ 'Huggy Boy' |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2006/09/01/thats-all-for-former-dj-huggy-boy |work=Daily News |agency=Associated Press |date=2006-09-01}}</ref> He is interred at [[Rose Hills Memorial Park|Rose Hills]] Memorial Park in [[Whittier, California]].


==In popular culture==
==In popular culture==


Hugg 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]]?"
Hugg 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]]?"

At the beginning of the 1987 comedy ''[[Born in East L.A. (film)|Born in East L.A.]]'', Hugg can be heard doing a radio aircheck.

He is also featured in the introduction of the music video for [[On a Sunday Afternoon]] by the Chicano rap group [[Lighter Shade of Brown]].

In the '80s, Hugg had frequently hosted live shows at the former Red Mill Theatre in East Los Angeles, then known as the Boulevard Theatre, which had been operating as a movie house showing Spanish language films and Spanish-dubbed or subtitled versions of English-language films. In 2004, while the theatre had been converted into a church, the name "Boulevard" on the vertical blade marquee were replaced with the words "Huggy Boy" in tribute to him. The theatre continues as a church today, and the "Huggy Boy" marquee still remains.{{cn|date=May 2024}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{youtube|zeJDDXJpe5A|Huggy Boy at KRLA radio}}
*{{YouTube|zeJDDXJpe5A|Huggy Boy at KRLA radio}}
* {{cite web | url = http://www.electricearl.com/dws/huggyboy.html | title = Doo wop Society}}
* {{cite web | url = http://www.electricearl.com/dws/huggyboy.html | title = Doo wop Society}}
* {{cite book | url = https://www.allmusic.com/album/huggy-boy-presents-rare-r-b-oldies-mw0000042211/releases | title = Huggy Boy Presents Rare R&B Oldies |publisher = Aries Music Entertainment Inc. | format = CD}}
* {{cite book | url = https://www.allmusic.com/album/huggy-boy-presents-rare-r-b-oldies-mw0000042211/releases | title = Huggy Boy Presents Rare R&B Oldies |publisher = Aries Music Entertainment Inc. | format = CD}}
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==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugg, Dick}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugg, Dick}}

Latest revision as of 16:03, 20 May 2024

Dick 'Huggy Boy' Hugg
Born
Richard James Hugg[1]

June 9, 1928
DiedAugust 30, 2006 (aged 78)
Occupationdisc jockey
Years active1950s–2006

Richard James "Dick" Hugg (also known as "Huggy Boy") (June 9, 1928 – August 30, 2006) was a radio disc jockey in Los Angeles, California.[2][1]

Rock and Roll

[edit]

Hugg was the first white disc jockey to broadcast (on station KRKD) from the front window of John Dolphin's popular all-night record store, Dolphin's of Hollywood, at the corner of Central and Vernon Avenues. He also co-produced several artists, such as vocalist Jesse Belvin and saxophonist Joe Houston, on Dolphin's various record labels, including Cash and Money. With his own record label, Caddy Records, Hugg recorded local favorites Jim Balcom, Jeanette Baker, Chuck Higgins and Johnny Flamingo. Hugg later promoted bands like The Jaguars, the Village Callers, Thee Midniters and The Champs; these groups were part of what was later known as the Chicano rock movement.[3]

Though originally an R&B disc jockey, Hugg gradually aimed his radio and television shows at Los Angeles' burgeoning Latino population and featured almost every young Chicano group coming out of East Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley, the Pomona Valley, and the San Fernando Valley. He promoted dances and shows in the barrio and was important to the growth of the city's so-called Eastside Sound. He also brought to East Los Angeles groups such as Them, Sonny and Cher, The Righteous Brothers and Dusty Springfield, acts that may otherwise have not been accessible to Mexican-American audiences.

Hugg was on KRKD, 1951–55; KWKW, 1954; KALI; KGFJ, 1955; KBLA, 1965;[4] KRKD, 1965–66; KRTH, 1975; XPRS, 1981–82; KRLA, 1983–98; KRTH, 1998–2002.[5] He hosted an oldies show on KRLA and for a time, a dance program, "The Huggie Boy Show", which aired weekly on KWHY channel 22. His popularity continued to increase long after the show went off the air.[3]

Hugg was one of the masters of ceremonies for the fourteenth Cavalcade of Jazz concerts being produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. held at that year at the Shrine Auditorium on August 3, 1958. The last Cavalcade of Jazz concert was a tribute to the city's most prominent r&b disc jockeys - Charles Trammel, Hunter Hancock and Jim Randolph teamed up with Hugg. Lionel Hampton, Big Jay McNeely, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter, Billy Eckstine, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louis Jordan, Nat "King" Cole, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Sam Cooke were just a few of the numerous artists that performed over the years.[6][7][8]

Personal life

[edit]

Hugg was married to Emily Hugg for 25 years and had three girls: Darlene, Lisa, and Tiffany. He was later in a relationship for 17 years with Sandy Flores with whom he had a son, Richard Hugg Jr.[citation needed] He had seven grandchildren. Dick Hugg died of cardiac arrest on August 30, 2006, at age 78.[9] He is interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.

[edit]

Hugg 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?"

At the beginning of the 1987 comedy Born in East L.A., Hugg can be heard doing a radio aircheck.

He is also featured in the introduction of the music video for On a Sunday Afternoon by the Chicano rap group Lighter Shade of Brown.

In the '80s, Hugg had frequently hosted live shows at the former Red Mill Theatre in East Los Angeles, then known as the Boulevard Theatre, which had been operating as a movie house showing Spanish language films and Spanish-dubbed or subtitled versions of English-language films. In 2004, while the theatre had been converted into a church, the name "Boulevard" on the vertical blade marquee were replaced with the words "Huggy Boy" in tribute to him. The theatre continues as a church today, and the "Huggy Boy" marquee still remains.[citation needed]

[edit]
  • Huggy Boy at KRLA radio on YouTube
  • "Doo wop Society".
  • Huggy Boy Presents Rare R&B Oldies (CD). Aries Music Entertainment Inc.
  • "Richard James "Huggy Boy" Hugg". findagrave.com.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Miller, Martin (2006-09-01). "Dick 'Huggy Boy' Hugg, 78; DJ Introduced White L.A. Listeners to Rhythm & Blues". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ "Soul Strut - World Famous Forums". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  3. ^ a b "THE STORY-TELLERS". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  4. ^ "KBLA Hikes Power; Bows New Personnel", Billboard. February 27, 1965. pp. 50, 51. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  5. ^ "~Los Angeles Radio People, Where Are They Now?h". www.laradio.com.
  6. ^ Peter Guralnick (2005). Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke (1st ed.). New York: Little, Brown. p. 250. ISBN 0316377945. OCLC 57393650.
  7. ^ "Disc Jockeys Working Mike At Cavalcade" Article The California Eagle July 10, 1958.
  8. ^ "Top Deejays to Emcee Cavalcade Of Jazz Aug. 3" Los Angeles Sentinel July 10, 1958.
  9. ^ "'That's All' for former DJ 'Huggy Boy'". Daily News. Associated Press. 2006-09-01.