2016 Legacy Inductee
Jack "The Rapper" Gibson
1920 - 2000
Jack Gibson was born on May 13, 1920. His first experience in radio was as an actor with a stint of supporting roles in short dramas. He became a gofer for Chicago DJ Al Benson. It wasn’t long until Gibson go his turn at the microphone playing R&B records and ad- libbing between records. He called himself “Jockey Jack”, and his fast talking persona attracted the attention of Ken Knight, program director of WERD, a new radio station targeting the black audience Atlanta. In 1949 Blanton hired Gibson to be Atlanta’s first black disc jockey. He built enduring friendships with the royalty of black entertainment who passed through Atlanta: Sammy Davis Jr., Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Pearl Bailey, Nancy Wilson, and Ray Charles. Gibson went on to become publisher of Mello Yello, an influential black trade magazine. He also founded and produced “The Family Affair” black radio and music convention held in Atlanta for 22 years. Gibson died in 2000.
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