User:SonnyHopson/Sonny Hopson

Sonny "The Mighty Burner" Hopson (24 January,1937 born Harold Hopson  in Abington Hospital, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, was one of the pioneers of Black American Soul radio.Sonny’s cool sounding rapid rhythmic style set a new standard for Philadelphia DJs. Later Sonny, along with the Concerned Communicators, were instrumental in challenging Radio station programming as it relates to the African American community.

Beginning with a top rated radio program in 1965, Harold "Sonny" Hopson has been a permanent and immensely popular fixture of Philly's music scene. Over the years "The Mighty Burner" has maintained high ratings and popularity on WHAT 1340-AM, WIBF "Live From the Astro Disc" and WDAS where he served as an assistant to the president. Such excellence has allowed him to stretch into other endeavors.

Sonny has managed and produced many artists including Herb Ward, The Emanons, Fantastic Johnny C, The Cooperettes, Ann Robinson, George Freeman, Charles Earland and many others. Sonny's list of television credits includes serving as the co-host of the Ed Hurst Show on WPVI-TV6, the Georgie Woods Show on WPHL-TV 17 and CBS' host and M.C. of the Miss Black America Show. In addition, Sonny was the proprietor and manger of Sonny Hopson's Celebrity Lounge in Germantown, the proprietor of the Astro Disc Club in downtown Philly and the Executive Producer of WKBS-TV 48's Astro Disc Television Show.

Sonny Hopson was a popular soul DJ on Philadelphia radio in the 1960s. He was also involved in managing and producing artists (including the Fantastic Johnny C, Charles Earland, the Emanons, the Cooperettes, Ann Robinson, George Freeman, and Herb Ward), hosting TV shows, and owning local clubs. An excerpt (or possibly excerpts) from his 1969 radio show was issued on CD by Philly Archives in 1969, featuring his slithery, speedy announcements in front, in back, and over soul tunes of the period, interspersed with commercials and news bulletins.

Early Life
Sonny was raised in Ambler Pennsylvania on the just north of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He lived with his father Harold Hopson, his mother Christine and four sisters, Florence, Anna, June and Joyce at 10 North Street in a house that belonged to the members of his extended family, the Williams family.

In Ambler he attended Madison Avenue Elementary School, Forrest Avenue Junior High School and then on to Ambler High School.

After a year in Ambler High Sonny’s family moved to the Germantown section of Philadelphia where he began to attend the high school of the same name.

How "The Mighty Burner" name evolved
Prior to working on the Radio Sonny used to work for body shops, as an accident finder. Accident finders, better known as wreck chasers, listen on the police radios for broadcast of an accident. The object is to be the first person to the location of the accident. Sonny would get to the location so fast he could burn out set of brakes in less than a week, hence the nick name "Mighty Burner."

Selected sayings

 * Maka No Mistaka Jaka!

Also known as

 * The Mighty Burner
 * Soul Sound Sonny