R&B /funk / disco group formed by students at Cardinal Gibbons High School. Members included Sharon Watts nee-Reed (guitar, vocals), Wayne Watts (bass, vocals), Michael Thompson (keyboards, lead vocals), Tony Yorkshire (drums), Warren Shaw (keyboards, sax), Floyd Pinkney (sax), John Shavers (trumpet), and Rhonda DeLaremore (background vocals). By late ‘70s members had completed school and began focusing on performing and recording, establishing their own Evergreen Records label. The group shortened their name to D.I.T. and performed locally at Johns Hopkins, Towson University, Western Maryland College…
Group bio by Anya B. DeLaremore:
“The D.I.T. Band, or Destiny In Time, is an underground R&B 80s group that originated in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1972, Bassist Wayne Watts and Trumpeter John Shavers, two high school [Cardinal Gibbons] best friends with a passion for music, formed a band in the Watts family’s basement. They recruited Michael Thompson and close friends Sharon Reed (who later became Sharon Watts) and Tony Yorkshire to do keys and lead vocals, guitar, and drums respectively. Early on, the group took inspiration from the memorable funk, disco, and pop genres of the decade and modeled their sound after famous artists like Earth Wind and Fire and Prince. By 1979, the group officially named themselves The D.I.T. Band.
The group continued to evolve during the early 80s, their most active years. Newcomers Rhonda DeLaremore and Floyd Pinkney joined the group soon after Shavers’ departure. DeLaremore and Thompson shared vocal and keyboard roles, while Pinkney replaced Shavers on trumpet. Together, they released the majority of their current music library, including “Long Gone”, “Got To Get It Together”, and “Let’s Start Dancin’”. They also continued to experiment with different music techniques to give their sound a personal touch. They produced and released their own music under their in-house record company, Evergreen Records.
In 1982, D.I.T. toured the West coast. They performed in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and California. While on tour, they released “Ooh Ah Jam” and “You Bring Out The Best In Me”, which was featured on Season 3 Episode 6 of FX’s hit show Snowfall.
In 1985, the band’s active years began to slow. The final members of D.I.T. included Wayne Watts, Sharon Watts, Michael Thompson, Johnny Shaw, and Steve Roybal. From recording songs on a Teac 2340-4 recorder in a basement to touring the west coast, members of The D.I.T. Band lived the dream.
Former members of the band are enjoying their lives out of the limelight. Evergreen music is still active.”
Sharon’s dad Thomas Reed wrote their signature song “Let’s Start Dancing” and he took an active role with the development of the group and their recordings.
A retrospective CD was released in 2022 featuring all their singles and bonus tracks. Their single “You Bring Out the Best in Me” b/w “Ooh Ah Jam” was released in 2023.
Sharon and Wayne’s son Wayne became a hip-hop/rap vocalist known as DK. Record releases include the album “That’s My Boy” on the Evergreen label.
1978 Carlisle 0001 Visions / Dance
1980(12”) Evergreen 0002 Let’s Start Dancin’ / (disco version)
1981 Evergreen 7 Long Gone / Got to Get It Together
1983 Evergreen 7A You Bring Out the Best in Me / Ooh Ah Jam
2022(CD) Evgr 7A Just In Time
1923 Evergreen 8A You Bring Out the Best in Me / Ooh Ah Jam
