Another excellent post from Flint's past. I was related to the late Dick Petty who was a WTAC disc jockey in the early to mid 1960's. I also met the late Jack Hood on several occasions and he was a really nice man...I for one miss the good old days of live AM radio, just like WTAC, WTRX, WFDF to name a few. The Jones Boys, Dan Hunter, Les Root, Ed Berryman...I could go on and on...
One of my favorite playlists on my ipod is titled WTAC. When I was in about the 5th grade, I was invited to make a radio commercial for a YWCA fundraiser that I did every year (swim-a-thon). I felt like a rock star in that little studio, and they were great at coaching me through my many mistakes. Good times.
Somewhere at my parents' place I still have a WTAC top 40 playlist from 1975 with songs from Hot Chocolate (probably "You Sexy Thing")and KISS ("Detroit Rock City") on it. Might be an Aerosmith song on it, too, most likely "Walk This Way," probably also from Sweet ("Fox on the Run"), David Bowie ("Golden Years"), and I'm sure there was something from Isley Brothers on it, too. I picked it up on a trip to Grapevine Records on Clio Rd. after conning my dad into driving me over there to "look around." A poster of Ace Frehley on a motorcycle & one of Led Zeppelin were the two results of that trip, much to my mother's dismay.
Is that the one with "Rock Lobster" on it? I bought that same album at Grapevine, in fact I bought two albums that day, the other one from the Clash. Why is it I can remember exactly where I bought which music 25-30 years ago, but I can't remember what I was supposed to do yesterday?
I remember Grapevine (yes, on Clio Rd) - there I bought Gary Numan & Tubeway Army's album with Are Friends Electric? on it. I still have -and listen to- that album! I also remember the last day of WTAC as a rock/pop station... those last weeks with tons of In the Air Tonight and I Got You (Split Enz)... which brings up another question: Who remembers the movie station (was it channel 50?) that used the instrumental from Split Enz's True Colors LP for its movie time theme?
Boy, THIS brought back memories! That is the month I graduated from Clio High and life was only beginning. That September I hired in at AC Spark Plug on Industrial Avenue. Remember when anybody in Genesee County could hire in at the shops after high school?
I just spent several minutes reading the top 40 in detail and going over the songs in my mind.
Footnote: The "Summer Of '67" was NOT called, "The Summer of Love" until someone cooked that up about 20 years later.
Of all the stations I've worked WTAC "The Big 6!" was the best. I had a great time running the oldies. I wish the owners had never sold out to a religious format. Too bad. Tom Crown, announcer, circa 1987-89.
There's a website that is looking for any and all local radio surveys, ceedeepee. I think the website is
http://www.las-solanas.com/arsa//index.php
You can send copies if you can't part with them. I would like to see complete survey collections for WTAC, WFDF, and WTRX like they have for WKNR and CKLW.
I think Pete and Darrell at Musical Memories have some.
Great posts -- thanks! Grapevine was definitely on Clio Rd, between Pierson and Carpenter near Woolco. I was at the grand opening in either 1976 or 1977 -- interviewed the manager for the Northern HS paper! They gave away a 4-song Burton Cummings EP to everyone who showed up ("My Own Way to Rock"). Grapevine was Flint's first big record store, a' la Harmony House. A good place, though Rock-A-Rolla Records was still my fave. Lots of great memories of WTAC -- staying up late on New Years Eve to listen to the year's top 100 was always cool. And Gary Raymond was the DJ at my sister's wedding in 1973 -- a real brush with greatness for a 13 year old!
Hey Bach, I remember the Jayhawkers. They were led by a guy named Jay Walker who I think was a DJ at a Saginaw radio station. In the mid sixties they played venues like Mt. Holly, Daniel's Den in Saginaw and Band Canyon in Bay City.
How you can spin off on these posts. " The Early Bird " Dan Hunter, a man with real class and talent. We worked the Buick Open together in the sixties. He was a pro himself, and was always willing to help with your game. He was an icon in Flint broadcasting. I'm a better man for knowing him. R.I.P. unclebuck
JBING50: Thanks, I forgot his last name. Our band played with them a couple times at the Blue Light in Midland. I am trying to get some info on there song or a copy. Also, trying to get info on Mid Michigan bands 1965-1970. ie: Count and the Colony, The Bonnivilles, etc.
JBING50: Thanks, I forgot his last name. Our band played with them a couple times at the Blue Light in Midland. I am trying to get some info on there song or a copy. Also, trying to get info on Mid Michigan bands 1965-1970. ie: Count and the Colony, The Bonnivilles, etc.
I'm not a Flint ex-patriate, but I came across this post in a Google search and was delighted to find it. WTAC was a great station and I'm glad to see it remembered. What I wouldn't give for some tapes of the station in its heyday. I wonder if any exist.
Speaking of WTAC Wee-TAC 600, brings back a memory. I was fortunate to be at the old station some years ago when they were remodeling an interior studio. I bought two Gates-Inter-type turntables that were being replaced. I was told by the engineer that these were the main turntables that were used by all the DJ's, especially Bob Dell, to spin the records and, in some cases, make instant hits for unknown artists or groups. These turntables are large, heavy monsters that sat in a countertop, one on each side of the DJ. I showed these to the late Ed Berryman when he was employed at St. Joesph Hospital in Flint (after his WTAC days) and he confirmed that these were, indeed, the two original turntables used the most to spin out thousands of records on WTAC. I still have them and might donate them to the Flint museum since they are so rich in musical top 40 history. Fred S.
Grapevine Records opened in the old Robert Hall Clothing store on the west side of Clio Road, just 1/2 mile north of Pierson Road. I obtained a near life sized cardboard stand-up of the rock band POLICE, when visiting the store in 1980 and finding out that they threw most of those in the dumpster when changing record campaigns. My first recollection of a Flint record store in the early 1960's was Brice Sales on Saginaw Street where you could rent the top 40 for 10 bucks, play them at the school sock hop on Saturday night and return them to the store Monday morning and get 5 bucks refund if no records were broken or missing. Also, when the radio DJ's did a gig, they usually had a stack of "promo only" 45's to give away, promoting a new, unknown artist or group. These were furnished by the record labels and were stamped "Promo only - not for sale." I still have some of these in my dusty collection. Fred S.
Someone wished that there were tapes of the old WTAC in existence. When I was in the Army, mid-1960's, my parents recorded Wee-Tac on an old reel-to-reel AMPEX recorder and would sent them to me overseas so I could hear the familiar sounds of the Big Six DJ's and a little bit of entertainment from the good old Flint, Michigan radio music scene. For my part, I recorded Pirate radio programs on Radio Caroline (ship in the North Sea broadcasting into England, France & Germany the "illegal" top forty format)and sent them back home. I still have these reels but with their age, 50 years old, the condition of the tape would be questionable. Fred S.
Here is a link to a WTRX survey with a Jayhawkers song, but not the one you are looking for. There's also some WERX Wyoming Grand Rapids surveys for still another song by the group.
"Love Have Mercy" is number 38 on the chart pictured above, in case you didn't see it, BACH. I know it's hard to see, but I zoomed in and saw it. It is one of the few I don't know off hand.
I grew up across the street from Charlie Speights, the general manager for many years of WTAC. I was very close friends with his children and I'm still in contact with Charlie and his kids today. I love seeing all this memorabilia and have forwarded it on to all of them. I'm sure they will love it as much or more as the rest of us do. Thanks so much for sharing.
Laurie White (Berryman) here.... Dad, Ed Berryman, would have been 90 years old today, March 31, 2011. Great seeing some of the memories posted here about Dad.
Ref. Anonymous...Dan Would have been 88 this year. Saw a very dapper Dan picture of him once in uniform - (US Army Air Force officer) next to his lovely wife and they both looked like movie stars. He was from Pottstown,Pa. I think he was a graduate of Slippery Rock State Teachers College or was that Charley Russion? They were a pair of great guys in my life. Dan had a son too but, I forgot his name..he went to Southwestern.
Just click on the playlist for a larger view.
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