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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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RECENT POSTS
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Tokens topped the CHUM Charts in December 1961 with 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'
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"The Lion Sleeps Tonight", also known as "Wimoweh" and originally as "Mbube", is a song recorded by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. It was covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including The Weavers, Jimmy Dorsey, Yma Sumac, Miriam Makeba, and The Kingston Trio. In 1961, it became a number one hit in the U.S. as adapted by the doo-wop group The Tokens. It went on to earn at least 15 million US dollars in royalties from covers and film licensing. Then, in the mid-nineties, it became a pop "supernova" (in the words of South African writer Rian Malan) when licensed to Walt Disney for use in the film The Lion King, its spin-off TV series and live musical, prompting a lawsuit on behalf of the impoverished descendants of Solomon Linda. - Wikipedia
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CHART NUMBER 246
Monday, December 25, 1961
This Week/Last Week/Artist/Track/Total Weeks
1 1 Tokens, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, The 4
2 2 Checker, Chubby Twist, The 5
3 10 Helms, Bobby Jingle Bell Rock 1
3 10 Rydell, Bobby Jingle Bell Rock 2
4 8 Checker, Chubby Let's Twist Again 2
5 4 Presley, Elvis Can't Help Falling In Love 4
5 4 Presley, Elvis Rock-A-Hula Baby 4
6 3 Dee, Joey & The Starliters Peppermint Twist, The (Part 1) 3
7 9 Sedaka, Neil Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen 4
8 6 Vee, Bobby Run To Him 4
10 7 Highwaymen, The Cotton Fields 6
10 7 Highwaymen, The Gypsy Rover 6
11 11 Shannon, Del Hey! Little Girl 3
12 12 Francis, Connie When The Boy In Your Arms (Is The Boy In Your Heart) 3 12 12 Francis, Connie Baby's First Christmas 2
13 14 Ives, Burl A Little Bitty Tear 3
14 5 Darren, James Goodbye Cruel World 9
15 16 Dion Majestic, The 3
16 17 Tillotson, Johnny Dreamy Eyes 3
17 15 Loudermilk, John D. Language Of Love 5
18 20 George, Barbara I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) 2
19 24 Showmen, The It Will Stand 2
20 26 Mitchell, Guy Soft Rain 3
21 49 Campbell, Glen Turn Around, Look At Me 1
22 22 Nelson, Sandy Let There Be Drums 5
23 18 Van Dyke, Leroy Walk On By 7
24 19 Zentner, Si Up A Lazy River 4
25 23 Scott, Linda I Don't Know Why 5
26 45 Anka, Paul Bells At My Wedding, The 1
27 21 Curtola, Bobby Hitchhiker 8
28 41 Black's Combo, Bill Twist-Her 1
29 27 Burke, Solomon Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms) 6
30 43 Domino, Fats Jambalaya (On The Bayou) 1
31 0 Dean, Jimmy Dear Ivan 0
32 30 Boone, Pat Johnny Will 4
33 25 Newley, Anthony Pop Goes The Weasel 3
34 29 King, Claude Comancheros, The 7
35 38 Sands, Tommy Jimmy's Song 2
36 47 Dana, Vic Little Altar Boy 1
37 32 Draper, Rusty Signed, Sealed And Delivered 8
38 28 Dion Runaround Sue 12
39 50 Williams, Roger Maria 1
40 0 Thompson, Sue Norman 0
40 43 Domino, Fats I Hear You Knocking 1
41 31 Duals, The Stick Shift 10
42 35 Williams, Andy Danny Boy 8
42 35 Williams, Andy Fly At Night 7
43 33 Dean, Jimmy Big Bad John 14
43 33 Dean, Jimmy I Won't Go Huntin' With You Jake 5
44 0 Darin, Bobby Multiplication 0
44 0 Darin, Bobby Irresistible You 0
45 34 Washington, Dinah September In The Rain 6
46 0 Page, Patti Go On Home 0
47 39 Nelson, Ricky Everlovin' 11
47 39 Nelson, Ricky A Wonder Like You 11
48 36 Edwards, Bobby You're The Reason 14
49 0 Fisher, Eddie Milk And Honey 0
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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
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