Larry Hoyt (1949-2024)

Photo by Tommy Honan

Larry was more than just the center of our music community in Central New York. He was a dear friend to so many of us. He not only hosted one of the longest-running radio shows in CNY, he was also a participant. A player. One of those guys you like to watch and listen to. A Larry Hoyt show was more than a bunch of tunes. He provided a narrative. The man had stories. And he was a fount of information.

We all knew he was battling. He was open and honest., the mark of a real man. He made it to the milestone three-quarters of a century mark on sheer determination.

A conversation with Larry was just a continuation of the weekly conversations we had with him via his legendary broadcasts. “Common Threads” was the weekly weekend chat we had with him. He would play new stuff, old stuff, friend’s stuff, his favorite stuff… and it was always casual and friendly.

There is no replacing a man like Larry Hoyt. He is the end of the line. The last of the titans. That’s why this loss is so great. We all know that we just lost our center.

Godspeed, my dear friend. We will meet again.