THE FIRST CHUM CHART 54 YEARS AGO TODAY

The first 1050 CHUM Chart, May 27, 1957



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Chart #1 - Monday, May 27, 1957 - TOP 50
1. All Shook Up Elvis Presley
2. Love Letters In The Sand Pat Boone
3. I Like Your Kind of Love Andy Williams
4. Bye Bye Love The Everly Brothers
5. Start Movin' (In My Direction) Sal Mineo
6. Dark Moon Gale Storm
7. A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation) Marty Robbins
8. Fabulous Charlie Gracie
9. The Girl with the Golden Braids Perry Como
10. Yes Tonight, Josephine Johnnie Ray
11. Little Darlin' The Diamonds
12. Come Go With Me The Dell-Vikings
13. Why Baby Why Pat Boone
14. Gone Ferlin Husky
15. Round and Round Perry Como
16. School Day Chuck Berry
17. Party Doll Steve Lawrence
17. Party Doll Buddy Knox
18. So Rare Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
19. I'm Walkin' Fats Domino
19. I'm Walkin' Ricky Nelson
20. Butterfly Charlie Gracie
20. Butterfly Andy Williams
21. Mama Look At Bubu Harry Belafonte
22. Four Walls Jim Reeves
22. Four Walls Jim Lowe
23. Sittin' in the Balcony Don Cornell
23. Sittin' in the Balcony Johnny Dee
23. Sittin' in the Balcony Eddie Cochran
24. Wonderful! Wonderful! Johnny Mathis
25. Rosie Lee The Mello-Tones
25. Rosie Lee The Tune Drops
26. Young Blood The Coasters
27. Valley of Tears Fats Domino
28. Freight Train Rusty Draper
29. Marianne The Hilltoppers
29. Marianne Terry Gilkyson & The Easy Riders
30. I'm Stickin' With You Jimmy Bowen with The Rhythm Orchids
31. Love is a Golden Ring Frankie Laine
32. I'm Sorry The Platters
33. Empty Arms Teresa Brewer
33. My Empty Arms Ivory Joe Hunter
34. Teenage Crush Tommy Sands
35. Lucille Little Richard
36. My Love Song Tommy Sands
37. Jamie Boy Kay Starr
38. After School Randy Starr
39. Little White Lies Betty Johnson
40. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) Tony Bennett
41. Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep Buddy Knox
42. Mangos Rosemary Clooney
43. Mama Guitar Don Cornell
44. Flip Top Dan Belloc
45. Jim Dandy Lavern Baker & The Gliders
46. Bernardine Pat Boone
47. Pledge of Love Ken Copeland
47. Pledge of Love Mitchell Torok
48. I Just Don't Know The Four Lads
49. Harem Dance Armenian Jazz Sextet
50. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter Billy Williams



CHUM signed on the air on October 28, 1945 as a daytime-only station operated by Jack Q'Part, a manufacturer of patent medicines. The station's first decade was marked by a weak signal from Don Mills, struggles to attract advertisers, and programming ranging from country music to horse racing. As far as consistent streams of revenue went, the station relied on ethnic programming (including large chunks of time bought by future CHIN radio operator Johnny Lombardi) and recorded sermons from Southern preachers. After a decade, Q'Part sold the station to Allan Waters, who had worked for CHUM in various capacities since its early days. While on vacation in Miami, Waters paid attention to WQAM, one of the first stations to run a rock-based Top Forty format. Waters found listening to WQAM an experience akin to "rocks smashing together. Very hard to listen to."
Though Waters may not have enjoyed what he heard in Miami, he felt the format might be the station's salvation. Staffers at CHUM were shocked by a tape Waters played of fast-talking DJs, perky jingles, and that crazy rockin' and rollin' music. After studying tapes from several American Top Forty stations that finished first in the ratings in their markets, Waters settled on six key points that made these stations successful:

1. Exciting news all day and night, with regular newscasts at five minutes to the hour;
2. Playing the top forty tunes all the time, plus some standards;
3. Concentrating on "personality" shows;
4. Using announcers with enthusiasm and zip in their voice;
5. A fast and exciting pace all the time;
6. Unlimited on-the-air promotion.

On May 26, 1957, The Telegram tipped off the public that changes were coming to CHUM:

Radio station CHUM, whose work, like man's has been ending with the dying sun is taking on a woman-sized job tomorrow night. That's right—CHUM's work will never be done. With stepped up power (from 3,000 to 3,500 watts) and with new transmitter moved from Don Mills to Algonquin Island, CHUM, "the friendly station," aims to make more friends and influence more people with clearer signal and continuous programs for Metro and immediate areas.

At all hours of the day, listeners could now enjoy "the top 50 on 1050." The station's first published chart showed Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" at number one, followed by the morals-destroying music of Pat Boone and Andy Williams. Opening day DJs included Phil Ladd, Harvey Dobbs, Josh King (sound sample), Phil Stone, Peter Nordheimer, and Hank Noble.