40 Years Later: Remembering the Legacy of John Hunt

Remembering the Voice That Shaped Buffalo Jazz for Decades

(With the kind permission of Marty Biniasz and the Buffalo Broadcasting website and Facebook page, I’m honored to share Marty’s thoughtful reflection on the 40th anniversary of the passing of John Hunt.

As a college student, musician, and young jazz fan in the 1970s through the mid-1980s, John Hunt profoundly shaped my love for jazz and all it represents. Many daytime studying for classes and late nights were spent listening to John Hunt on WBFO and Al Wallack on WEBR—a true golden era of jazz on Buffalo radio.

Marty’s eloquent remembrance captures the spirit of John Hunt and offers the JazzBuffalo community a deeper understanding of why we created the John Hunt Jazz Artist of the Year award in our annual JazzBuffalo Poll to honor his lasting influence.)

by Marty Biniasz

Sunday, September 21st, marks the 40th anniversary of the passing of WBFO Music Director John Hunt, a pivotal figure in the revival of Buffalo’s jazz scene. Hunt, who tragically lost his life to cancer in 1985 at just 33, left behind a legacy that reshaped the city’s cultural and broadcasting landscape. The Buffalo News once described him as “the most dedicated proponent of jazz in Buffalo, a tireless proselytizer for jazz radio and the music itself.”

During his tenure, Hunt transformed WBFO-FM from a modest university station with limited jazz content into a nationally recognized powerhouse for the genre. His leadership culminated in 1976 when WBFO expanded its schedule to feature an unprecedented 60 to 72 hours of jazz programming each week—an ambitious leap that solidified the station’s reputation on the national stage.

John was born and raised in Buffalo. He attended college in Ohio. While there, he worked in broadcasting and played in a jazz group called Jive Soup. As a child, he played the trumpet and was self-taught on the piano. When he returned to Buffalo after college, he seemed to be on a mission to bring back an appreciation of jazz to our area. He began his journey at WBFO as a devoted volunteer. Alongside colleague Paul Gresham, he successfully convinced station manager Marvin Granger to embrace an all-in commitment to jazz broadcasting, a decision that proved to be a turning point for both WBFO and Buffalo’s wider jazz community.

Thank you, Mark Wozniak & Jeff Gaudioso, for remembering.

Listen

(Marty also shared a rare gem—a 1982 recording of John Hunt interviewing then-Mayor Jimmy Griffin about Buffalo’s commitment to the arts. The conversation, and the perspectives of Mayor Jimmy Griffin at the time, feel strikingly relevant today, as we continue to seek—and truly need—the city’s strong support for arts and culture as a vital force for renewal and revitalization.)

WBFO, 88.7 FM Music Director John Hunt interviews Buffalo Mayor James D. Griffin about the City’s commitment to the arts before a July 1982 Buffalo Sesquicentennial jazz festival at City Hall.

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