Talent: JOCKO HENDERSON
Station: WOV New York
Date: June 10, 1957
Time: 10:59

"Eee-tiddlee-dock, this is the Jock!"

"Oo-papa-doo, how do you do?"

Rhymin', jivin' and jockin' - that was Jocko Henderson, the fast-paced deejay often called the original rapper.

He was born Douglas Wendell Henderson, on March 8, 1918 in Baltimore. His father wanted him to become a teacher, but he was bitten by the radio bug in his first radio job at WBAL Baltimore in 1950. Six months later, he was off to WHAT Philadelphia, where he took the on-air name Jocko. He soon moved to Philly station WDAS and never looked back.

Henderson was more than just a jock - he was also a music promoter and a stage performer in his own right in the way he introduced the acts. He would enter the stage on a rocket ship suspended by wires, accompanied by sound effects and smoke. Now that must have been be a sight to see!

After seven years at WDAS, he started doing a live morning show at WLIB New York. At the same time, he also continued his live afternoon show at 'DAS - commuting back-and-forth from New York and Philadelphia. Later, he dropped the morning show at WLIB but added an evening gig at WOV (later WADO) while still doing afternoons at WDAS and commuting every day. Eventually, the travel got to be too much for him so he taped the New York show while adding several other cities to his network. He still did the WDAS gig live and continued there until 1974.

In the '80s and '90s, Henderson entertained a whole new generation of fans at New York oldies station WCBS-FM. He made several on-air appearances at the 'CBS deejay reunions and still sounded as fresh as ever playing the tunes he helped make famous so many years ago.

This popular and personable announcer died July 15, 2000 in Philadelphia after a long illness. He was 82.

Hear Jocko Henderson on WOV here. 
 

(The Russ Horton Collection)