ADVERTISEMENT


EULOGY

Born: October 28, 1945, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

After a few reincarnations 1050 CHUM quietly passed away on March 26, 2009

1050 CHUM was a legendary Top 40 powerhouse from the late 1950s through to the early 1980s.

The station had a formula no other station has been able to duplicate.

Through the formative ‘50s, the unforgettable ‘60s and the interesting ‘70s, 1050 CHUM played a major role in shaping the radio landscape in Toronto. Recording acts from Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Guess Who, Elton John, The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers and Bob Seger not only graced the airwaves but walked the halls of 1050 CHUM.

The radio station was famous for the CHUM Chart. From 1957 to 1986, 1,512 consecutive weekly charts were published, making it the longest-running chart of its kind in the world.

Also, 1050 CHUM was noteworthy for hosting many famous rock concerts including, among others, visits to Maple Leaf Gardens by Elvis Presley (1957) and The Beatles (1964, '65, and '66).

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

RECENT POSTS

Thursday, November 18, 2010

CHUM CHARTS: Week: 05/25/59

--------------------------------------------------------


Week: 05/25/59
Format: T40
CHUM DIAL 1050 - TORONTO                  
                         HIT PARADE 
                     WEEK OF MAY 25, 1959        
1. Kansas City - Wilbert Harrison                              1
    2. A Teenager In Love - Dion & Belmonts                        3
    3. Only You - Frank Pourcel                                    4
    4. Quiet Village - Martin Denny                                5
    5. Dream Lover - Bobby Darin                                   7
    6. Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home) - The Impalas                2
    7. Kookie Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) - Ed Byrnes & Connie
                                                         Stevens  11
    8. Guitar Boogie Shuffle - The Virtues                         6
    9. Personality - Lloyd Price                                  15
   10. Take A Message To Mary - Everly Bros.                      10
   11. Tell Him No - Travis & Bob                                 
   12. Frankie's Man Johnny - Johnny Cash                         
   13. Tijuana Jail/Oh Cindy - Kingston Trio                 
   14. A Fool Such As I - Elvis Presley                           
   15. Endlessly - Brook Benton                                   
   16. I've Come Of Age - Billy Storm                             
   17. Young Ideas - Chico Holiday                               
   18. The Battle Of New Orleans - Johnny Horton                   
   19. Goodbye Jimmy Goodbye - Kathy Linden                       
   20. Pajama Party - Bobby Pedrick Jr.
   21. Enchanted - Platters                                       
   22. The Happy Organ - Dave "Baby" Cortez   
   23. Lonely For You - Gary Stites                               
   24. Six Nights A Week - The Crests
   25. 77 Sunset Strip - Dan Ralke
   26. Turn Me Loose - Fabian
   27. Come Softly To Me - The Fleetwoods
   28. Come To Me - Marv Johnson
   29. Guess Who - Jesse Belvin       
   30. Rockin' Crickets - Hot Toddy's                           
   31. So Fine - The Fiestas                                      
   32. Three Stars - Tommy Dee
   33. Frankie - Connie Francis                      
   34. Hey Little Lucy - Conway Twitty                            
   35. Crossfire - Johnny & The Hurricanes                        
   36. My Melancholy Baby - Tommy Edwards                         
   37. First Sign Of Love - Billy Lehman                           
   38. Forty Days - Ronnie Hawkins                                
   39. Only Love Me - Steve Lawrence                             
   40. That's My Little Susie - Ritchie Valens
   41. Yep - Duane Eddy
   42. Sweet Lovin' Baby - Talkabouts
   43. I'm Ready/Margie - Fats Domino                             
   44. Gidget - Jimmy Darren                                      
   45. Morning Side Of The Mountain - Tommy Edwards
   46. That's Why - Jackie Wilson
   47. Almost Grown - Chuck Berry
   48. Holiday For Lovers/This Here Goat - Mitch Miller        
   49. I Can't Get You Out Of My Heart - Al Martino 
   50. Just Keep It Up - Dee Clark                                
   50. You Made Me Love You - Nat King Cole                       

       TOP TEN ALBUMS
    1. Still More Sing Along - Mitch Miller    
    2. Come Dance With Me - Frank Sinatra
    3. South Pacific - Movie Cast           
    4. Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini
    5. Ricky Sings Again - Ricky Nelson               
    6. Inside Shelly Berman - Shelly Berman 
    7. For LP Fans Only - Elvis Presley         
    8. Gigi - Movie Cast          
    9. More Songs Of Fabulous 50's - Roger Williams 
   10. The Buddy Holly Story - Buddy Holly


--------------------------------------------------

No comments:

CHUM HISTORY

"1050 CHUM" was a legendary Top 40 powerhouse during the late 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s.

Early history and Top 40 format

CHUM AM was launched as a dawn-to-dusk radio station on October 28, 1945 by Jack Q'Part, an entrepreneur in the business of patent medicines. The station, then operating from studios in the Mutual Street Arena, was taken over in December 1954 by Allan Waters, a salesman from Q'Parts' patent medicine business. Waters' first major move was to secure a license for 24-hour-a-day broadcasting for CHUM, along with a power increase to 5,000 watts. Less than three years after Waters acquired the station, and soon after bringing the new fulltime transmitter online, a major programming change was made. On May 27 1957, Waters switched to a "Top 50" format that had proven itself popular in some U.S. cities; Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" was the first song played. "1050 CHUM" pioneered rock and roll radio in Toronto, and was noteworthy for hosting many noteworthy rock concerts including, among others, visits to Maple Leaf Gardens by Elvis Presley (1957) and The Beatles (1964, '65, and '66). While the station was rising to the top of the popularity ratings in Toronto in the early 1960s, it also built yet another new transmitter in Mississauga, Ontario (a few miles west of the current Toronto city line) along the Lake Ontario shoreline, and raised its power once again to its current 50,000 watts around the clock.

CHUM DJs of the 1960s were zany morning man Al Boliska, who quit in late 1963 to go 'across the street' to CKEY.He was replaced by WKBW, Buffalo radio & TV personality Jay Nelson, popularly known as "Jungle Jay" from his role as host of a children's show on Buffalo's Channel 7 which was also popular among Toronto youngsters. He would be followed by housewives' jock John Spragge; singer/DJ Mike Darow; Pete Nordheimer, replaced in 1961 by witty Bob McAdorey; teen DJ Dave Johnson; and all night maven Bob Laine. Later additions to the CHUM DJ lineup included Duff Roman and Brian Skinner, both of whom came over from CKEY (then owned by Jack Kent Cooke). In the late 1960s, early 1970s, CHUM DJ's included Duke Roberts (also known as Gary Duke for a time), Johnny Mitchell (better known today as Sonny Fox), J. Michael Wilson, Tom Rivers, Scott Carpenter, Jim Van Horne, John Rode, Don Reagan, Terry Steele and Roger Ashby. Among their later mighttime hosts was John D. Roberts, who joined CHUM in 1977 and would eventually become known across North America as White House correspondent for CBS-TV and host of CNN's morning program "American Morning."

CHUM was also well known for its contests, like the 1970s' "I Listen to CHUM" promotion, in which DJs would dial phone numbers at random and award $1,000 to anyone who answered the phone with that phrase.

From gold-based to oldies

By the mid-1980s, CHUM had lost ground in the Toronto ratings to competitor Top 40 station CFTR and FM-based music stations. On June 6, 1986, CHUM dropped its Top 40 format for a heavily gold-based adult contemporary format ("Favourites of Yesterday and Today"). By 1989, CHUM adopted an oldies format, drawing heavily on its previous Top 40 reputation to cater to the fans of that era's music.

Chart #1 - Monday, May 27, 1957 - TOP 50

CHART NUMBER 1

Monday, May 27, 1957

Chart Number: 1
This
Week
Last
Week
ArtistTrackTotal
Weeks
10Presley, ElvisAll Shook Up0
20Boone, PatLove Letters In The Sand0
30Williams, AndyI Like Your Kind Of Love0
40Everly Brothers, TheBye Bye Love0
50Mineo, SalStart Movin' (In My Direction)0
60Storm, GaleDark Moon0
70Robbins, MartyA White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)0
80Gracie, CharlieFabulous0
90Como, PerryGirl With The Golden Braids, The0
100Ray, JohnnieYes Tonight, Josephine0
110Diamonds, TheLittle Darlin'0
120Dell-Vikings, TheCome Go With Me0
130Boone, PatWhy Baby Why0
140Husky, FerlinGone0
150Como, PerryRound And Round0
160Berry, ChuckSchool Day0
170Knox, BuddyParty Doll0
170Lawrence, SteveParty Doll0
180Dorsey Orchestra, JimmySo Rare0
190Domino, FatsI'm Walkin'0
190Nelson, RickyI'm Walkin'0
200Gracie, CharlieButterfly0
200Williams, AndyButterfly0
210Belafonte, HarryMama Look At Bubu0
220Lowe, JimFour Walls0
220Reeves, JimFour Walls0
230Dee, JohnnySittin' In The Balcony0
230Cornell, DonSittin' In The Balcony0
230Cochran, EddieSittin' In The Balcony0
240Mathis, JohnnyWonderful! Wonderful!0
250Mello-Tones, TheRosie Lee0
250Tune Drops, TheRosie Lee0
260Coasters, TheYoung Blood0
270Domino, FatsValley Of Tears0
280Draper, RustyFreight Train0
290Gilkyson, Terry & The Easy RidersMarianne0
290Hilltoppers, TheMarianne0
300Bowen, JimmyI'm Stickin' With You0
310Laine, FrankieLove Is A Golden Ring0
320Platters, TheI'm Sorry0
330Hunter, Ivory JoeEmpty Arms0
330Brewer, TeresaEmpty Arms0
340Sands, TommyTeen-Age Crush0
350Little RichardLucille0
360Sands, TommyMy Love Song0
370Starr, KayJamie Boy0
380Starr, RandyAfter School0
390Johnson, BettyLittle White Lies0
400Bennett, TonyOne For My Baby (And One More For The Road)0
410Knox, BuddyRock Your Little Baby To Sleep0
420Clooney, RosemaryMangos0
430Cornell, DonMama Guitar0
440Belloc, DanFlip Top0
450Baker, LavernJim Dandy Got Married0
460Boone, PatBernardine0
470Copeland, KenPledge Of Love0
470Torok, MitchellPledge Of Love0
480Four Lads, TheI Just Don't Know0
490Armenian Jazz SextetHarem Dance0
500Williams, BillyI'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter0

John Gilbert "No Charge"

Mike Cooper's April Fools Joke





80's PROMO





Bob Sam Robbie - 1050 CHUM Morning Show - 1992




Tom Rivers 1982


John Majhor CHUM 1050 Morning show 1986





1050 CHUM Card 1983