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A: In retrospect,
the hiring of Reeth and King at WDRC was like dropping a number
16 bowling ball into a peaceful game of marbles. Eddie and I were,
first and foremost, night club entertainers, accustomed to a world
of late hours, smokey dives and the imbibing of much booze. They
never put the clause in our contract forbidding us from doing night
club shows, as Buck Forker suggested in his letter, so we continued
to do them. We would often roll into the station late at night,
straight from some night club, half-loaded, and interrupt poor Jim
Raynor's show. I'm sure he cringed whenever he saw us coming.
Then we'd sleep on Buck Forker's sofa or Charlie
Parker's floor until the engineer woke us for showtime at five
AM.
One morning,
after our show, Buck called us into his office. His eyes filled
with tears when he told us it was over and they had different plans
for the WDRC morning show. He gave us our audition tape and the
note he sent to John Jaeger telling him about us. Then, he reached
into his desk drawer and pulled out a half empty bottle of bourbon
in a paper bag and handed it to me. I realized that Buck, a genuine
nice guy, needed a few drinks before giving us the news, the drinks
were, no doubt, the reason for his tears. We shook hands, then Eddie
and I left his office.
We locked ourselves
in the production studio and emptied the bottle, while planning
our next move. Then we went out to say goodbye to the gang. Everything
went well, until we walked into the music library. Dizzy Gillespie
had dropped in to visit and Bertha introduced
us. By then, the booze had taken hold and when we shook hands with
Dizzy and tried to say hello, Eddie and I started to bawl and rushed
out the door. Later, Bertha told us she had no idea we were fired.
Both she and Dizzy thought we were nuts.
Q:
You indicated a friend hired you and Eddie for a new endeavor at
WZUM. Were your sorry to leave Hartford?
A: A friend
from WHOL was going to manage WZUM in Pittsburgh and had been trying
to get us to leave WDRC and join him, so we quickly took advantage
of our sudden unemployment and took the job. Before leaving for
Pittsburgh, I quit drinking and married my fiancee of four years.
Charlie continued his lifestyle and had a late night brawl with
the new GM at WZUM. He left for a station in Hagerstown, Maryland
and I stayed.
Later, I also
left WZUM and became Vice President of Dynamic Broadcasting, programming
WAMO AM and FM in Pittsburgh, WUFO in Buffalo, WILD in Boston and
WOAH in Miami. In the late 60's as a hippie character named Brother
Love, I introduced Psychedelic/Rock music to Pittsburgh on WAMO
FM. Later, I moved to Miami and managed WOAH. When Dynamic was sold
in 1973, the National Sales Manager and I bought KKAR, a country
station in Pomona.
My air name
was Romeo Jones. At that time, I spent two years on the board of
directors of the Academy of Country Music. Three years later we
sold KKAR and I accepted a position as Vice President of Parker
Broadcasting in San Diego, owner of KYXY. For twelve years, as Ken
Richards, I worked mid-days and programmed the station.
I retired, to
pursue a writing career. My first novel, "Dreamland",
has been e-published by Mystic ink and a second, "Sudden Discomfort",
about a dysfunctional radio comedy team, (Guess who) is due soon.
Q:
And what happened to Eddie?
A: Eddie King
and I remained close friends over the years. He stayed in Hagerstown,
but left radio to pursue a career in social services, working with
kids. He also did an occasional weekend show. Still dreaming in
vain about re-forming the night club comedy team, Eddie passed away
in 1988. I was with him when he died. He is buried in Allentown.
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