Chuck Taylor, the longtime WTJU general manager who led the radio station into a new era, passed away on August 11.
Chuck Taylor, the groundbreaking former WTJU general manager who died on August 11 at age 74, was, by most accounts, married to music. He had a collection of vinyl records numbering in the thousands. He kept a spreadsheet of all the concerts he attended over a 40-year period. More than 600 shows, many at beloved local venues, populate the sheet.
So when Taylor arrived at his WTJU retirement party in 2010 with a friend named Betty Jo Taylor, it caused a bit of a stir.
As it turned out, Taylor did not have a secret spouse that no one at the radio station knew about—just a close friend who happened to share his last name.
Chuck Taylor was born in Suffolk, Virginia, in 1952. He grew up in Virginia Beach and attended Elon University in North Carolina. Like so many other folks, he decided to move to Charlottesville just because he liked it here.
Taylor began his radio career as a DJ hosting WTJU’s eclectic “From A Whisper To A Scream.” By 1993, he was named the radio station’s general manager.
Taylor’s ascendance at WTJU marked a turning point, according to current General Manager Nathan Moore. Taylor was the station’s first-ever paid staff member and transitioned WTJU from a traditional student-centered outlet to a bridge between the University of Virginia and the surrounding area. Moore says the approach “pioneered a hybrid … radio model with a balance of community and student DJs.”
“He was Uncle Chuck, you know,” Moore says. “His knowledge of music was truly encyclopedic—every genre. I’m a big fan of the music we play on WTJU, but he really knew it all. Chuck could have hosted any show on the station.”
Taylor was known for his attention to the contemporaneous history of WTJU. He collected countless photos, posters, T-shirts, recordings, files, and other memorabilia during his more than three decades at the station. Moore says WTJU plans to use the trove to create a digital exhibition celebrating the outlet’s 70th anniversary next year.
In the wake of Taylor’s death, the local music community has flocked to online media outlets to pay tribute. Co-workers, musicians, friends, and loved ones have offered countless stories of Taylor bringing people together around music, and more than one tale of quiet love affairs and marriage engagements unfulfilled.
“My family and I loved him,” Susan Wysocki wrote on a public obituary forum. “He was a thoughtful, sweet man, an excellent driver, and music aficionado extraordinaire.”
Betty Jo Taylor remembers Chuck for the quiet nights they spent on his Woolen Mills porch, where they’d put on records and play Scrabble as neighbors passed by with a wave. She remembers the soundtracks he meticulously planned for their road trips.
“We had a relaxed, close friendship,” Betty Jo says. “He was very proud of working for ’TJU. That was his life and his love for the longest time, and he put his heart and soul into it.”
Taylor is survived by his sister, stepbrother, and stepsister. He lost his parents, another sister, and his stepfather years ago in relatively quick succession. He battled a difficult illness in his later years. A graveside service on August 19 at Holly Lawn Cemetery gave Uncle Chuck one final chance to bring people together.
