‘Chatty Hatty,’ North Carolina’s first Black woman radio broadcaster, dies at 98
Before becoming a Charlotte radio icon, Hattie “Chatty Hatty” Leeper was a pioneer, breaking barriers across North Carolina airwaves as the state’s first Black female broadcaster.
Read more Deputy fired for misusing county’s license plate reader system, NC sheriff says
The industry, family and friends are now mourning her passing. Leeper died on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at her home in Fort Mill, S.C.
She was 98.
In a statement sent to The Charlotte Observer, her daughter Hatiya Dunlap said Leeper was a multifaceted broadcasting pioneer whose lasting legacy extends far beyond her on-air work.
“She was an entrepreneur, educator, and deeply engaged member of the Charlotte community who created opportunities for others and invested in young people,” Dunlap said. “Our family is grateful for the outpouring of love and for the many ways people across North Carolina continue to honor her life and the doors she opened.”
Leeper was born in Edgemoor, S.C., in 1928 and attended Second Ward High School in Charlotte.
Her journey in the radio business started in 1951 after securing an internship with WGIV-AM. After graduating from high school, she became a DJ for the station, which ruled the airwaves at the time, according to the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture.
As one of the few Black women in radio in the 1950s and 1960s, she made history in Charlotte.
The center honored Leeper with a public message on Facebook, calling her a beloved “Charlotte icon and trailblazer.”
“Her impact extended beyond the microphone into education, mentorship, and opening doors for future generations,” the center said.
The Observer once called WGIV “the soul of Charlotte’s black community during segregation.” Leeper was among the station’s DJs whose R&B and rock ’n’ roll playlists drew both Black and white teenagers, even as many adults disapproved of the music.
During segregation, performers such as Tina Turner, Mary Wells, and Gladys Knight sometimes struggled to find service elsewhere when they came to town. They knew they could visit Leeper’s home for her mother’s soul food, Leeper told The Charlotte Post. “They could come in, wash their hands, and my mother would feed them until they dropped,” she recalled.
Leeper’s influence extended beyond broadcasting. She produced music, wrote liner notes for Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle, and founded AwarE, a record label supporting local artists.
Read more NASCAR Hall of Famer diagnosed with CTE, first known case in racecar driver
After earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree from UNC Charlotte, she taught students at Johnson C. Smith University and Gaston College. Leeper chaired Gaston’s television and broadcasting program until her retirement in 1998.
Jesse Caldwell, chairman of the Gaston College Board of Trustees, said he grew up listening to Leeper in Gastonia, according to a recent post from the college’s foundation.
“In the ‘60s, I used to listen on WGIV radio,” Caldwell said. “It was rare to hear a female DJ back then. So Chatty Hattie was a trailblazer and, really, she was a visionary.”
The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame said she was a giant in the state’s broadcasting and music history.
“Chatty Hatty was more than a broadcasting pioneer; she was a force whose voice, vision, and determination helped shape the sound and culture of our state,” the organization said. “Her impact will continue to resonate for generations to come.”
Among many honors, she became one of the 20 original inductees into the Black Radio Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C., and its only woman in 1989.
Later, in 2004, Leeper was one of 14 inaugural inductees—and the only woman and Black person—to join Gaston College’s “Wall of Fame.”
Leeper became the first woman and Black person inducted into the Charlotte Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015.
In 2023, Leeper participated in the Library of Congress’ Black Women in Radio Historic Collection and Oral History Project. The following year, she told Observer news partner WSOC how her prominent radio role brought her into contact with stars including Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown, and Nat King Cole.
Leeper also self-published her autobiography, Chatty Hatty: The Legend.
A lie-in-state service for Leeper is scheduled for 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Saturday, followed by the funeral service at 11:30 a.m., at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Old – Intergenerational Center, 3301 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte.
Burial will follow at Oaklawn Cemetery, 1615 Oaklawn Ave., according to Grier Funeral Service and Legacy obituary information.
Read more Two deputies hurt, suspect killed during domestic dispute call, NC sheriff says
