Some years we took a lot of pictures. In the 80's we took "Official Staff Pictures". This is Bud Weiser's "Official" 1985 pic. 1985 would begin what we now call "The Modern Era" of WTIT. The first tape of 1985 was Tape 138. It featured three of the original five DJs: Bud Weiser, Johnnie Walker and Bouncing Billy. We introduced The Cosmic Commando that night. It would be Billy's final Tape Radio show and Cos would become a regular for over five years. Billy appeared on tapes 0-138, from 1967 to 1985. Cos appeared on tapes from 1985 to 1997.
In the eighties, Bud and his first wife took the kids to "Santa's Land" quite often in Vermont. When "Buffalo Bud" saw this buffalo, his wife insisted on this shot.
Al recorded at WTIT in 1975. Al returned once in 1988 being "in the neighborhood" on a night that we were recording. Al & Bud went to Emerson College together with Many Miles. This shot is from Al's wedding, circa 1980.
Debbie Sykura was apart of a lot of parties at WTIT in the late 60's and early 70's. She really was a good friend to all of us. Debbie dated Billy briefly, but worked out better for all of us as a friend. It was Debbie who brought her friend Sally to a WTIT party where she met Many Miles and eventually married Miles. Debbie was featured in a WTIT film, entitled "Film Zero".
WTIT recorded in the Maplewood Studio in 1975-1976. The DJ Staff was in a state of flux. DJs recording in this studio included: Al "Tonto", Many Miles, Bruce Freeman, Roscoe and Bud Weiser.
The top image shows the windows that led to an upstairs porch where we occassionally recorded. The bottom emage is the more tradional photo of a WTIT Studio.
The only WTIT Studio that was tacky enough to put their logo on the door. It was The Edgewood Studio (West Hartford) in 1974. It was a tiny cramped studio. We were only there 6 months. Our next studio, The Maplewood Studio did not even have a door. Much as out current digital studio, we took the door off to allow Bud's man-cave to extend from our den took a lit of work from both Kathy and all including Gary Townsend,
After Bud's first wedding in 1973, Johnnie Walker moved to Colorado. Many Miles took his place. After getting married, Miles moved to Atlanta. Ironicly, it was Johnnie Walker who took his place in 1976. Johnnie never left WTIT again.
This shot was taken at a WTIT party during the summer of 1973. In the fall, they left to tour the country together. Billy returned and Johnnie stayed in Colorado for quite a while.
Bud was a DJ at WILI and Ed at WDRC (as Ed Mitchell) when this photo was taken. Ed became the "voice" of WTIT (program aids & show openers) in 1973. Rod Allen had moved to Alaska, although most of his announcing work stayed with WTIT through the eighties. Bud also asked Ed to cut openers & aids for WILI. Bud had no idea if the station would use Ed's recorded promos, but thhe management loved them. At that particular time WILI & WTIT sounded a lot alike.
Rod Ewing of WDRC introduced Bud Weiser to a guy named Al Conrad. Al also had a Tape Radio station. Al had a state-of-the-art recording studio. Two of WTIT's announcers (Rod Ewing and Ed Scarborough, both of WDRC) recorded a lot of show openers and program aids in the WNR studio in Simsbury. Bud, Gary and Billy recorded WTIT's year end Countdown show's of the years top music for several years at Al's studio. While Al never appeared on WTIT, Al asked Bud to do two versions of the year end Countdown 1973, one for WTIT and one for WNR. We haven't hear from Al since the late 80's, but he has had a professional recording studio for years in Hartford.
This was Miles' first recording at WTIT. Normally we do not "debut" a DJ at a WTIT Event. The only other time has happened was on Tape 500, Harvey Walbanger's debut. Sally was Miles' first wife and they met at a WTIT party.
In 1971 Rod Ewing became a good friend of mine. He was the first "pro" DJ to record show openers and promos for WTIT. Here Rod is at a mutual friend's (Al Conrad) recording studio cutting the bits. His recordings were used for over ten years.
Killer Joe was one of the original five DJs. While he did not "join" the DJs until 1968, he was heard on WTIT Tape Radio Shows almost from the start of WTIT. The original five DJs were:
Bud Weiser, Bouncing Billy, Galloping Gary, Killer Joe and Johnnie Walker.
Bull Durham was part of the Kingswood DJs that recorded at WTIT in the late sixties and early seventies. It was at Bull's house we recorded the WTIT Marathon in 1968.