Rock ‘n’ Radio

Montreal was the epicentre of the rock radio revolution in Canada, attracting talented DJs from the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Their stories, and the inevitable collision with the power of alternative FM rock radio in the late 60s take the reader through some of the best rock music recorded and the social changes percolating in the background.rnrnTo everyone’s surprise, radio survived the incursion of television to live another Golden Age—the 1960s and 1970s when rock ‘n’ roll music seeped onto mainstream radio. This era spawned what would eventually be called Top 40 AM radio, built on the philosophy: play all the hits, then play them again. Pioneer DJs like Alan Freed, who coined the phrase “rock ‘n’ roll,” spawned a new breed of radio personalities, and a legion of young, hungry Top 40 DJs such as Dave Boxer, Ralph Lockwood and Doug Pringle, began looking for jobs at stations across Canada.