Posted on 06/17/2012 8:44:19 AM PDT by Hojczyk
update????
There he was: a distinguished fellow wearing a navy blue beret and John Lennon sunglasses at a local Starbucks yesterday. It took a moment to identify him. Egad, it was the long lost Ken Hamblin. I bribed him to talk with a cup of Joe.
The blogosphere and fans have written him off as missing or dead at age 70. Those in Colorado at the millenium remember Hamblin as the “Black Avenger,” a most controversial conservative talk-show host. Now there’s a term that needs explaining...
The tale ends well for Hamblin, but not for those left in the vacuum of his absence. After a squabble with his syndicator, Hamblin bailed as a public figure in 2003 and slipped into quiet anonymity. Today he rides his Harley Davidson motorcycle, travels back and forth to Paris, France, and enjoys life with best friend Sue. If looks are any indication, he is winning the race to inner peace.
Editor’s note: Hamblin wrote two books in his heyday, “Pick a Better Country” (1997) and “Plain Talk and Common Sense from the Black Avenger” (1999). Both are available through Amazon.com. Google “Ken Hamblin” and discover the remarkable life of Ken Hamblin - photographer, author, producer, Denver Post columnist, husband, father and grandfather... just to name a few.
I had wondered what happened to Mr. Hamblin. Always enjoyed his show.
This is wierd. I was just wondering and talking about him a couple of days ago. I loved him. I am so glad he is doing well.
Ken Hamblin; pariah with panache. On his radio show, Hamblin was consistently controversial, once calling himself “a messenger from the ghetto that got through.” He was once heard on 100 stations throughout the U.S. and one of Colorado’s most influential media personalities.
I loved his show when I lived in Colorado Springs..
I miss hearing The Black Avenger’s voice.
Glad to hear he’s healthy and happy. He is one of The Good Guys.
Wooo Castle Rock! Class of 82!
Thanks for posting. My cronies and I have been wondering what happened to him for years. We could use him back on the air now.
The last I heard Ken on the air was right about the time he was criticizing Limbaugh for the pill problem.
At the time I had not caught on to the fact that Limbaugh had sold out as a “truth detector.” I didn’t get it until I reluctantly put together the fact that Limbaugh was pushing Romney in the 2008 primary and then doing the same thing this year.
Unlike Rush and many others among current radio hosts, I don’t recall Hamblin ever selling out.
I still have my Certificate of Absolution from White Guilt issued by the Black Avenger (aka The Unassuming Colored Guy) in 1999.
Loved his show, and that’s when the competition included G. Gordon Liddy, Oliver North, and a little known newcomer named Glenn Beck.
Ken Hamblin used to go to commercials with bumps from hostile listeners (”You don’t know jack, you race traitor!”). Glad to hear he’s doing well but I do miss his show.
As I recall he had an accomplished daughter in broadcasting.
I still have my Certificate of Absolution from White Guilt issued by the Black Avenger
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Didn’t Dr. Walter Williams (”Black by Popular Demand”) issue a like certificate?
I did(do) enjoy both and was there any truth to the ‘rumor’ years ago that R. Limbaugh was really a ‘replacement’ for “BO SNERDLEY” (James Golden)who ‘they’ figured wouldn’t be able to draw and hold an audience?
I always enjoyed tuning him in.. a good man and Patriot.
How the heck does he ride his Harley back and forth to FRance?
Oh wait. He is The Black Avenger. never mind. ;-)
Great American. It would be nice to have him back in prime time. I always listened to him -— read both his books -— good man.
Probably out riding his motorcycle now :-)
Good for him! It sounds like he’s reached the point in his life where he can just go do what he wants to; that’s terrific. Glad he’s still riding. I can still hear his theme song in my mind’s ear.
I used to very much enjoy his show.
Don’t know if James Golden was being considered as a talk show host, but I started listening to Rush in 1990, and he had four different Snerdley pseudonym sidekicks:
Bo Snerdley (black)
Mario Snerdley (Italian)
Mervin Snerdley (Jewish, I guess)
Chin-yang Snerdley (Asian)
Anyway, Ken, Dr. Williams, now Herman Cain & Lt Col West, all prove the point that it takes courage to be black and conservative in America.
I wonder if he'll ever tell the story about the Christmas party incident at KOA and why it was the reason he was let go. Boyles talked about it once and called Hamblin a SOB on the air.
IIRC, the “squabble with his syndicator” was that they told him directly to stop using the word “nigger” on his show. He told them directly that he would rather quit the radio business than be told what he could and couldn’t say. So he did.
I loved his show, and his first book. Glad to see he’s doing well.
I remember listening to him back when I first got into listening to talk radio. I always enjoyed his show.
Then suddenly he seemed to disappear. Just the other day I was wondering whatever happened with him. Good to see he’s still alive, well, and happy.
I grew up in SW Michigan, and always enjoyed his show. He got thrown off the air in Kalamazoo. Holder’s people didn’t appreciate his sense of humor.
Speaking of other radio talk hosts, I’m trying to think of the one who would broadcast out of Florida around the same time frame as Hamblin. It may have been out of St. Pete. He and his wife had bought an old hotel, and believe that’s where his show was aired. Sort of a strange duck, but became quite famous. I think he also had some severe health problem that caused him to finally use a wheelchair. Sorry I just cannot remember his name, hopefully someone here knows who this is. Just wondered whatever happened to him.
Anyway, Ken, Dr. Williams, now Herman Cain & Lt Col West, all prove the point that it takes courage to be black and conservative in America
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I realize there are a ‘few’ more but one musn’t forget Dr. Thomas Sowell, another brave American.
I have likened todays ‘Black Conservatives’ to us young, white Catholic lads in late 50’s early 60’s NOT being Democrats. Especially if one was from the Northeast.
My GF got ‘upset’ because I joined the Navy with Ike in office and no war going on... He also ‘refused’ a Civil Servant ‘discharge’ (40+ years USPS) signed by Ike...Could never understand that till Clinton and DEFINITELY BO.
I loved listening to Ken Hamblin.
I wondered what happened to him. Glad to hear he is doing well.
My list of American black conservatives is woefully incomplete.
I was only eleven, but I remember the 1960 election and what it was like for those who were Catholic & NOT voting for JFK in majority working class Catholic Green Bay, WI.
Asked my Dad why he voted for Nixon & the reply was, “the Kennedys are a bunch of crooks. Start with Jack’s father.”
He didn’t hate Democrats. Chicago under the elder Daley was a great place to visit.
Thanks for finding and posting this. I miss Ken.
I'll never forget when Williams was subbing for Rush and was talking about how schools were printing CPS phone numbers on report cards, just in case parents starting beating their kids for bad grades.
And Walter Williams said something to the effect, "if my kid brought that number to me I'd slap his 'fro."
I am still laughing. It was hilarious the way he said it.
I believe you're thinking of Chuck Harder,who had a show operating out of the old Telford Hotel in White Springs Florida.
White Springs is off the beaten path ,north of Lake City and off of I-75 in rural North Florida.
Chuck was an odd duck and a little bit of a charlatan espousing things like the "N" machine which was a perpetual motion gizmo you could supposedly "plug" into the ground to generate an endless supply of electricity. He was confined to a wheelchair for a time as he was severely obese due to an unspecified illness.
He tried to make a go of the old hotel as a restaurant and did not succeed.
AFAIK he just faded away and I have no idea what ultimately became of him.
BTW I sent another reply to you, but for some reason I haven't seen it pop up yet, so sorry if this turns out to be a double reply.
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