Rosalie Trombley: 1939-2021
• Rosalie Trombley, the legendary Music Director at the equally legendary 50,000-watt CKLW-AM (The Big 8)/Windsor-Detroit, who became one of North America’s most powerful Top 40 radio programmers, died Tuesday, Nov. 23 of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 82. Trombley had moved back to her hometown Leamington, Ontario six years ago and was in an assisted living facility there at the time of her death. Her obituary is posted online.
Trombley’s career and passing were reported in an excellent in-depth piece in the Detroit Free Press, which back in 1971 had accurately described her as “the most powerful woman in popdom” and a “music-industry force” starting in the late ’60s, “breaking hits, playing musical kingmaker and turning the station into an influential continental player.” Trombley first got her foot in the door at CKLW in 1963 as part-time weekend switchboard operator, back when that was a thing. She eventually took on a role in the station’s record library, and by 1967 was elevated to Music Director — the rest is radio history. “She just had this innate sense for what artists, what songs, could have mass appeal,” said her son Tim Trombley. “The power of AM radio back then was really immeasurable. It was a pretty special time.”
Trombley gave many mainstream radio listeners their first taste of music from Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, Funkadelic and other Detroit-related acts, and helped introduce American audiences to such emerging Canadian artists as The Guess Who, Gordon Lightfoot, Bachman Turner-Overdrive and Paul Anka. Trombley’s adventurous song picks — from rock to R&B — were boosted by the powerful reach of CKLW, which was heard across Canada and nearly two dozen U.S. states at night. Other radio programmers came to follow her lead. In 1971, she was among the first programmers who helped make a hit out of Marvin Gaye‘s “What’s Going On,” and in 1974, when she heard Detroit R&B station WJLB spinning an Elton Johnalbum cut, Trombley added the track to CKLW’s rotation. “Bennie and the Jets” instantly ignited the station’s request lines, and John’s record label was soon convinced to release it as his next single. Tim Trombley noted, “A week later, Elton called her from England and wanted to know the whole story.”
Trombley, who once called herself “a lyric freak,” was a bona fide Bob Seger fan, embracing his music for the CKLW airwaves. “It didn’t matter what it was by Bob,” she said. “He didn’t miss too often.” In a statement, Seger said, “Rosalie was an icon, a trailblazer and our friend. Through her hard work and incredible instincts, she achieved a rare level of influence and power in music. When she got behind your record, other stations would follow suit. She was a literally a gatekeeper to national success and we were so fortunate to have her support, especially on many of our early records. She was an integral part of our journey and we are eternally grateful. We will miss her.” Trombley’s hit-making power back in the day was immortalized by Seger in the 1973 tribute track “Rosalie,” which goes, “She’s got the plastic / It comes from all the corners of the world / So fantastic / She’s everybody’s favorite little record girl.”
• In June 2011 Trombley was honored at a huge gala in Windsor, Ontario, and naturally, this important event was captured on video by Art Vuolo, who painstakingly edited the original 105-minute video down to just 42 minutes.
