Mississippi-born John Hardy studied stage and radio acting at Columbia College in Chicago, where he got his start in broadcasting. After a stop in New Orleans, John came to the Bay Area in 1955, first working at San Francisco R&B pioneer KSAN and later at Oakland’s Boss Soul KDIA. John was the first Black disc jockey on Top 40 KYA in the early 70’s and was also a popular personality on KSFO later in the decade. John Hardy passed away in July 2002.