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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).
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Thursday, July 1, 2010
CHUM SUMMER OF 66
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Top 66 from the '66 Summer sound Survey
SOURCE: http://craig.sowny.ca/www/www3.sympatico.ca/craig.smith/alltime.htm
HOME SITE: Craig's M. Smith's 1050 CHUM Chart fan site
Top 66 from the '66 Summer sound Survey
From the CHUM charts there is no listing that this chart made it to air but it was published in the July 11th CHUM Chart.
No. Title Artist
1 Satisfaction Rolling Stones
2 Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter Herman's Hermits
3 Help Beatles
4 Mr. Tambourine Man Byrds
5 Yesterday Beatles
6 Do Wah Diddy Manfred Mann
7 Johnny Angel Shelly Fabares
8 House Of The Rising Sun Animals
9 My Boy Lolipop Millie Small
10 Surfin' U.S.A. Beach Boys
11 Downtown Petula Clark
12 Hard Day's Night Beatles
13 Pretty Woman Roy Orbison
14 Down In The Boondocks Billy Joe Royal
15 I Got You Babe Sonny & Cher
16 Turn Turn Turn Byrds
17 Louie Louie Kingsmen
18 All My Loving Beatles
19 Get Off My Cloud Rolling Stones
20 She Loves You Beatles
21 I'm Henry VIII Herman's Hermits
22 You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling Righteous Bros.
23 Silhouettes Herman's Hermits
24 Memphis Johnny Rivers
25 Ferry Cross The Mersey Gerry & The Pacemakers
26 Love Potion #9 Searchers
27 Last Kiss J. Frank Wilson
28 I Want To Hold Your Hand Beatles
29 I'm Into Something Good Herman's Hermits
30 Day Tripper Beatles
31 This Diamond Ring Gary Lewis & The Playboys
32 Fun Fun Fun Beach Boys
33 Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying Gerry & The Pacemakers
34 Bits & Pieces Dave Clark 5
35 Mockingbird Inez Foxx
36 Heart Of Stone Rolling Stones
37 Town Without Pity Gene Pitney
38 California Girls Beach Boys
39 Baby Love Supremes
40 It's My Party Leslie Gore
41 Just One Look Doris Troy
42 Devil In Disguise Elvis Presley
43 Mohair Sam Charlie Rich
44 Sunshine Lollipops & Rainbows Leslie Gore
45 A Taste Of Honey Herb Alpert
46 Glad All Over Dave Clark 5
47 Tell Laura I Love Her Ray Peterson
48 I Feel Fine Beatles
49 Donna Ritchie Valens
50 Sheila Tommy Roe
51 Eight Days A Week Beatles
52 Trains & Boats & Trains Billy J. Kramer
53 Have I The Right Honycombs
54 Unchained Melody Righteous Brothers
55 Liberty Valence Gene Pitney
56 One-Two-Three Len Barry
57 Stop In The Name of Love Supremes
58 Cara Mia Jay & The Americans
59 Sealed With A Kiss Brian Hyland
60 Soldier Boy Shirelles
61 California Sun Rivieras
62 I'll Be There Gerry & The Pacemakers
63 Help Me Rhonda Beach Boys
64 Sugar Shack Jimmy Gilmer
65 I Hear A Symphony Supremes
66 Jailhouse Rock Elvis Presley
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 |
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1050 CHUM ORIGINAL AUDIO
John Gilbert "No Charge"
Mike Cooper's April Fools Joke
80's PROMO
Bob Sam Robbie - 1050 CHUM Morning Show - 1992
Tom Rivers 1982