[UPDATED] Walt Boatner, a pioneer in black New Orleans broadcasting and music retailing, died January 12, 2011. He was 72.

Born in Centerville, MS, November 10, 1938. Boatner moved to New Orleans in the early 1960s after a stint in the Air Force. He landed his first job at WYLD spinning the hits on the graveyard shift. After two years he moved to a station in Shreveport, LA, before turning right back around and getting hired by WBOK. At WBOK, Boatner became the third Okey Dokey on-air personality.

Those were the days of personality radio,” Boatner told OffBeat in 2001. “We had Hot Ziggity, Honey Boy, Screamer Teamer, Groovy Gus and Mama Lou. Everybody had their own on-air personality.”

An astute business man, Boatner parlayed his radio contacts into other ventures—a record store and a night club.

“I was back at WYLD [in 1969],” said Boatner. “I wanted a way to advertise my business’ [on television], so I approached WGNO and bought an hour of broadcast time. I thought a show with African-American kids dancing to the hits of the day might work and be good for the community.

Boatner got in touch with several local schools who alerted their students to the show. The response was overwhelming and the show was an immediate hit. After six months, WGNO hired Boatner to host a weekly show in exchange for two hours of free broadcast time Sunday afternoon.

Boatner’s show also featured live appearances by artists lip-synching their latest record.

“I had all the local people on it. K-Doe, Willie West, King Floyd, the Meters, Irma Thomas. The first national artist we had was Lou Rawls. Concert promotors would arrange for artists to make appearances to advertise their dates.”

The Walt Boatner Show lasted until 1972 when WDSU was sold and the new owners decided to go in different direction. Boatner continued to operate his record store and a new venture—a flight school. Boatner rented a hangar at Lakefront Airport and eventually owned eight planes.

Faced with stiff competition from the major chains, Boatner shuttered his store in 1983. He also folded his flight school, moving to Alexandria, Louisiana, where he worked at KBEC and founded a successful monthly newspaper that catered to the black community. He sold the newspaper after a year and opened a nightclub.

By the late 1990s though, Boatner was back in New Orleans, working part time at WODT. Early in the new decade, Boatner again moved, this time to Thibodeaux.

UPDATED 10/4/11, 1:45 p.m.: Walt Boatner is survived by two sons, two daughters and four grandchildren.