KINGSTON (CelebrityAccess) – Canadian radio and music industry veteran Bobby Gale passed away Friday night after being struck by a tractor trailer on his way home from a concert in Montreal.
J.J. Johnston, former VP and GM of Corus Entertainment and board chair of County FM, announced the news of Gale’s passing in a Facebook post Saturday (April 13) saying “he was devoted to music right to the end.”
Gale’s first on-air radio job was in his hometown of Windsor at progressive rock station CJOM in 1975. He went on to such stations as Montréal’s CHOM-FM, Detroit’s W4, Winnipeg’s Q94 and Toronto’s Q107. In the 1980s he moved into music promotions and publicity, working at PolyGram, starting his own company and later working at Global Live Artist Direction.
More recently, Gale had returned to his broadcasting roots and was producing and hosting the weekly, three-hour live show Sunday Glide on 99.3 County FM, in Prince Edward County where he had been a resident for the past 15 years.
Gale told All Access in 2010 that it was his passion for music that led him into a career in radio.
“I’m a music junkie. Essentially, I was nurtured by a mother who was like an older sister. She bought all the latest vinyl, and we faithfully watched Bandstand, Sullivan, Lloyd Thaxton, Shindig, Hullabaloo, etc. daily or weekly. Radio (Top 40: CKLW/WKNR/CHLO) quickly became a great source of many new songs and artists. My mother dated radio guys; some I now realize were/became legends. I knew as I entered my teens radio would be my ticket to ride (especially to get out of Windsor!) I did everything within my power to make radio my career. But I have to add that it was my burning desire to turn everyone onto music that made this pursuit to be on-air relentless.”
Gale was known throughout the music industry as one of the happiest radio broadcasters in North America. His generosity made him a friend to many while his passion for music truly knew no bounds.
He was 62-years-old.
