R.I.P.: Houston Radio Personality Skipper Lee Frazier

Skipper Lee Frazier

The Houston radio community has lost another legend and civil rights activist, according to ABC-TV13.

Skipper Lee Frazier died Friday night at his home surrounded by family. Frazier has been a fixture on Houston radio since 1954, with him airing a show on KWWJ 1360 AM each day at 2pm.

Frazier was also a music act promoter and friend of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

"He became friends with Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali in his heyday would just drop in on his show like he was a regular guest," KCOH's Ralph Cooper said. "He would come in and sit for hours with Skipper Lee and in fact he even mentioned Skipper Lee's name on national TV after one of his fights."

Back in the '60s, Frazier produced the 1968 gold number one R&B hit "Tighten Up" for Archie Bell & the Drells. "Tighten Up" reached #1 on both the Billboard R&B and pop charts in the spring of 1968. It is ranked #265 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and is one of the earliest funk hits in music history.

At the time, he  was a star disc jockey at radio station KCOH in Houston, TX. Tighten-Up was the B side of  the single, "Dog Eat Dog" A fellow DJ convinced Frasier to flip the record.

Skppier Lee Frazier at WCOH

During this tenure at KCOH, which covered more than 22 years, he either MC'd or promoted shows for James Brown, B.B. King, Wes Montgomery, the O'Jays and the Kool Jazz Festival which was presented in cities all over the country.

Frazier played a distinctive sign-on at the beginning of each show and its most memorable line, that he was implored by voices to "steal away and carry a mountain of soul to Houston," is still associated with him.

After a 22-year career, Frazier retired and became a partial owner of the station. But Frazier’s career was not limited to the radio industry. He hosted a television variety show named "The Skipper Lee Show," ran an advertising business, and operated several budget motels. Frazier also had a long career in the music industry in tandem with his duties as a disk jockey.