Dr. Hepcat
Albert Lavada Durst is remembered in Austin, Texas, by a stage name he gave himself for the radio: Dr. Hepcat. Jake Pickle, who worked with him, said Durst 'had a lingo all his own.' People listened to broadcasts of local baseball games, Pickle recalled, 'solely for the pleasure of hearing Dr. Hepcat.' He added that Durst 'became famous all over Austin.'
Long before any of that fame, Durst was still finding his way as a musician in his hometown. This program follows how he ended up behind a radio microphone. It asks why his broadcasts crossed a color line that few in Texas radio had crossed before him. And it follows what he did with his fame once his radio years ended.
Durst was born in Austin, Texas, on the 12th of January 1913, and learned to play piano there as a child. He grew up playing barrelhouse blues locally and developed a playful, fast talking style rooted in jive talk. That talent won him a job as an announcer at Negro league baseball games in Austin.
John Connally, the manager of radio station KVET and later the Governor of Texas, heard Durst announcing one of those games. With the backing of station owner Jake Pickle, Connally hired Durst in 1948 as KVET's baseball commentator, making him Texas's first black disc jockey. Durst named himself Dr. Hepcat for the airwaves. The Texas State Historical Association credits him with 'introducing an entire generation of white Austin listeners to jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues.'
That gift for jive talk would soon fill an entire book of its own.
In 1953, Durst published The Jives of Dr. Hepcat, a dictionary of the jive talk phrases he used on the air.
In 1978, the magazine Wax singled him out, crediting him as one of the inventors of rock'n'roll radio. His clout at the station also let him bring numerous well known black performers to Austin stages.
His reach into music extended beyond the airwaves and into a recording studio, too.
Durst recorded for Uptown Records, a label owned by Fred Caldwell, who served as KVET's program director.
He also managed a gospel group called the Charlottes. For another gospel act, the Bells of Joy, he wrote the song 'Let's Talk About Jesus.'
Years later, Durst would trade his broadcast booth persona for a pulpit of his own.
Durst retired from KVET in the early 1960s. In 1965, he was ordained as a minister at Mount Olive Baptist Church, and he gave up performing for several years afterward.
From the mid-1970s, Durst returned to playing the blues, appearing at festivals and other venues.
From the mid-1940s until he retired in 1979, Durst also worked as director of athletics for the Rosewood Recreation Center in Austin.
Durst died in Austin in 1995. The Rosewood job outlasted every phase of his public life. It ran through his radio years and his years in the pulpit alike, a quiet constant behind the more famous voice of Dr. Hepcat.
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Common questions
Who was Dr. Hepcat and why was he significant in Texas radio?
Dr. Hepcat was the stage name of Albert Lavada Durst, an American blues pianist, singer, and baseball commentator who became the first black radio DJ in Texas. He was influential in the spread of rhythm and blues and rock and roll music.
When was Dr. Hepcat born and when did he die?
Albert Lavada Durst, known as Dr. Hepcat, was born on the 12th of January 1913 in Austin, Texas. He died in Austin on the 31st of October 1995.
How did Dr. Hepcat get his start at radio station KVET?
KVET manager John Connally, later the Governor of Texas, heard Durst announcing Negro league baseball games in Austin. With the backing of station owner Jake Pickle, Durst was hired in 1948 as the station's baseball commentator and first black disc jockey.
What book did Dr. Hepcat publish about jive talk?
In 1953, Durst published The Jives of Dr. Hepcat, a dictionary of the jive talk he used on the radio.
What did Dr. Hepcat do after he retired from radio?
Durst retired from KVET in the early 1960s and was ordained as a minister at Mount Olive Baptist Church in 1965. He returned to playing the blues at festivals and other venues starting in the mid-1970s.
Why was Dr. Hepcat credited as an influence on rock and roll radio?
In 1978, the magazine Wax credited Durst as one of the inventors of rock'n'roll radio. The Texas State Historical Association also credited him with introducing an entire generation of white Austin listeners to jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues.
All sources
5 references cited across the entry
- 1BookBlues - A Regional ExperienceBob Eagle et al. — Praeger Publishers — 2013
- 2BookThe Guinness Who's Who of BluesGuinness Publishing — 1995
- 4BookJakePickle, J. et al. — University of Texas Press — 2010