R.I.P.: Legendary Macon Radio DJ 'King Bee' Hamp Swain

Hamp Swain

Legendary Macon disc jockey "King Bee" Hamp Swain died Tuesday night at age 88, a natural cuases

Swain, who was the first black disc jockey in the city, began broadcasting at WBML-AM in 1954.

Accoridng to macon.com, his influence will reverberate through history, living on in the timeless music he shared with listeners, the musicians he put in the spotlight and the lives he touched.

While spinning records, the Macon native helped launch the careers of such greats as James Brown, Otis Redding Jr. and Little Richard.

Before Swain became one of Macon radio's most famous personalities, his band the Hamptones played across the Southeast. He gave voice to Richard Penniman, the lead singer of the band.

"Hamp is gone," Penniman told The Telegraph on the phone from his home in Nashville, Tennessee. "Old Hamp Swain, my buddy. He gave me my first job as a vocalist."

The two were "like family," playing saxophone together in high school. Swain's mother served as the Avon lady in their Pleasant Hill neighborhood.

Penniman, who will be 86 this year, was about two years younger than Swain.