The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Wasn't It CHUM That Aired "The History Of Rock & Roll" In Toronto?

**Posted by RadioActive** August 10, 2025 4:13 pm

I ask in the form of a question not because we're playing Jeopardy but because of an old article I came across from this month in 1969. It clearly states that CKFH in Toronto was airing this special and then lists the various parts it was divided into.

My memory isn't great, but I could swear it was CHUM that brought the history of rock to Toronto radio in a marathon special that aired over many days or months. I'm sure Doug Thompson will know the answer but I'm curious about the article. Was it a different show with a similar title? I have no recall at all of it ever airing on 1430 but the story seems to indicate it was imminent. Either way, I'd love to hear this if any tape of it still exists.

**Posted by jon** August 10, 2025 5:30 pm

I just checked the Toronto Star from 1969 and CHUM did their own, while CKFH aired the version created at KHJ in Los Angeles. There was so much confusion at the time that they were advertised as "a chum history of rock and roll" and "The Original History of Rock and Roll" (CKFH).

Where I was at the time, KJR Seattle called theirs "The Story of Rock and Roll", contemplating another Seattle station would air the KHJ version, but it never happened, to the best of my knowledge. At least, not in 1969. As well as hearing KJR's, I also heard CKLG's.

**Posted by RadioActive** August 10, 2025 6:19 pm

I only remember the CHUM one, but that's very interesting that they both did the exact same thing. Here's something else I found that shows more about the CHUM effort. It's also from August 1969. The fact it says it was being made available free to other stations would probably have only increased its spread in Canada.

**Posted by Doug Thompson** August 10, 2025 7:25 pm

I produced "CHUM's History of Rock and Roll" in 1969. Didn't get a separate credit in that ad, but t'was I that produced all 28 hours. It was very CHUM specific. Larry's script mentioned CHUM all through it. CHUM's Program Director J. Robert Wood found out (about a month before) that CKFH had bought Bill Drake's History of Rock and Roll, so he had Larry start writing.

I literally had two weeks to produce all 28 hours. While I have written and produced many award winning programs and commercials since that time, "CHUM's History of Rock and Roll" was NOT one of them. We had very few interviews in it. I added a couple that Larry didn't have in the script, as I'd found them in the archives that CHUM had at the time and put them in, but it was nowhere near as elaborate or frankly, as good as the Bill Drake version that 'FH aired. CHUM aired their documentary 4 hours a night over 7 nights and beat CKFH to air. CKFH's Drake History tapes hadn't even cleared Canadian customs by the time CHUM aired ours.

The 28 hours originally aired in November of '69. CHUM's listener response was so great that it was repeated in early January 1970. The narrator was Chuck Riley, who was a DJ at WIBC in Indianapolis who flew in to Toronto over several weekends to record the script with me. Chuck was also CHUM's imaging voice at that time.

In 1975 when CHUM was putting their 64 hour rock history documentary together, written by Bill McDonald and produced by Warren Cosford, Bob McMillan and Zeke Zdebiak (I'd left CHUM in 1972 to start my own creative company with Bill McDonald), CHUM originally marketed it as "The History of Rock and Roll". Drake's company threatened a lawsuit, so the name was changed to "The Evolution of Rock". That special, which took over a year to produce, was syndicated by TM Productions in Dallas, Texas to hundreds of U.S. radio stations, including WLS, Chicago and KHJ in Los Angeles and in 1977, won Billboard Magazine's 'International Syndicated Special of the Year' award.

Last edited by Doug Thompson (August 10, 2025 7:34 pm)

**Posted by RadioActive** August 10, 2025 8:24 pm

This is one of the reasons I love this board. Where else are you going to hear a true behind-the-scenes story like that one? Thanks for the detailed answer Doug. That was an amazing thing to be able to put together than fast.

I remember some things I did at CFTR in the 80s that had to be done on a very tight schedule. Sometimes we got as little as 2 hours to edit together an elaborate 10-15 minute news piece from start to finish.

It could have and should have taken hours, especially in those tape editing days, but somehow we made it. Because we had to. I do remember some pretty late nights!

**Posted by RadioActive** Yesterday 9:28 am

Five parts of the "Evolution of Rock" are on YouTube. It's not the complete series, but it's nice to have at least this available.

**Posted by Neumann Sennheiser** Yesterday 11:12 am

Chuck Riley, who voiced the first 1969 CHUM History of R&R had history with JR Wood going back to their earlier time together at CKY in Winnipeg (where he went by Chuck Dann - same name he used even earlier while at KOMA Oklahoma City).

**Posted by Doug Thompson** Yesterday 12:36 pm

Chuck Dann/Riley (his real name was Charles Hanks) also voiced CHUM's "The Evolution of Rock". When I moved to LA to write and produce John Candy's radio series "Radio Kandy", I hired Chuck to voice many of our parody promos and commercials. Then later, as Creative Director of CHUM's The Team sports network in 2001, I hired Chuck's younger brother Michael D. Hanks to be our promo voice.

All in the family.

**Posted by SpinningWheel** Yesterday 2:03 pm

RadioActive wrote:
I only remember the CHUM one, but that's very interesting that they both did the exact same thing. Here's something else I found that shows more about the CHUM effort. It's also from August 1969. The fact it says it was being made available free to other stations would probably have only increased its spread in Canada.

I've passed by Walt Grealis' final resting place in Mt. Pleasant quite a few times. He's in the same area as Torben Wittrup, Larry Solway and Rush's John Rutsey east of Mt. Pleasant Rd. Also a few yards away from where Neil Peart's first wife and daughter are interred.

Not my photo, taken before Stan Klees, who was Walt's partner from what I've read, passed away in 2023.

Last edited by SpinningWheel (Yesterday 2:18 pm)

**Posted by jon** Yesterday 7:36 pm

Former CHUM Newsman Ed Mason listened to Chuck Dann on CKY and followed him to KOMA. Ed was still in his hometown of Flin Flon, Manitoba, at the time.