WINDSOR, ON (CelebrityAccess) – Open Streets Windsor, the popular annual street party taking place Sunday (September 17), will feature a special theme honoring “the girl with the golden ear” Rosalie Trombley.
Trombley began her career in radio as a part-time switchboard operator and receptionist at AM station CKLW – The BIG 8. While the station was based in Windsor, it reached audiences in much of the Northeastern US, including Detroit, a market in which the station tailored its programming.
Through her song selections while on radio, artists she is credited with breaking onto the Top 40 CHR charts include The Guess Who, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Anka, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Bob Seger, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Andy Kim, The O’Jays, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Parliament–Funkadelic, Queen, Aerosmith and more.
“This honor is so well deserved,” says CelebrityAccess senior writer Larry LeBlanc. “Rosalie broke records by Alice Cooper, Elton John, Bob Seger, Terry Jacks, and the Guess Who in America from Windsor. She was a major force in American radio for years.”
Open Streets Windsor is a free community event that offers an 8-kilometer route, spanning several neighborhoods from the west end of the city to the east, with streets temporarily closed to cars and open for people to walk or ride along with various activities. Along the route, eight hubs will include activities and entertainment. The City will also host special entertainment at each hub to honor Trombley’s contributions to the performing arts.
The Big 8 Kilometre Edition will feature a community celebration, including the unveiling of a bronze sculpture of Trombley – by local artist Donna Jean Mayne. Also included will be a commemorative exhibit about her life and career at the Chimczuk Museum, a screening of Michael McNamara’s documentary Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8 at the Capitol Theatre, and an evening of stories and music to remember Trombley.
Windsorstar.com reported that Trombley’s son Tim said, “We’re very humbled by all of the attention that’s being placed on Rosalie’s legacy.”
Trombley is the first woman to be honored with the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 45th annual JUNO Awards. An annual “Rosalie Award” is presented to female trailblazers in radio during Canadian Music Week.
