He was a part of Alabama’s golden age of radio.
James Lee Byard, Sr., better known in Montgomery’s radio region as “the Thin Man,” died Thursday in his adopted hometown of Phenix City after a battle with prostate cancer.
In the 1970s, Byard was the nighttime personality and then the afternoon drive time DJ on popular radio WHHY-AM. He was a contemporary of Larry Stevens, voice and character impressionist Jack Voorhies, and dramatic newsman Robert Charles – “The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on…”
Thin Man was often an on-air partner of Gerald Wilson.
From WHHY, Thin Man moved to Top 40 station WRMA. Then it was out West to Tucson, Phoenix and Houston. When it was back to Alabama, it was to Phenix City for almost two decades of work with the city’s parks and recreation department.
During the Thin Man era on Montgomery airwaves, he would use a Wolfman Jack type of voice.
Thin Man is the father and namesake of former Prattville Mayor Jim Byard, Jr., later in the governor’s cabinet as Director of Economic Development and now an economic development consultant. Another son is Jeff Byard, an emergency management consultant in Prattville.
Funeral services will be at Colonial Funeral Home, 613 14th Street, Phenix City on Saturday Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. EST. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. A private committal will be later at Fort Mitchell National Military Cemetery. Byard was an Air Force veteran.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler is a freelance writer about the colorful and positive in Alabama — her people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected]
