Details have been released around a statue unveiling planned for next month in Windsor to honour broadcasting legend Rosalie Trombley, the former music director of the Big 8 CKLW.
The Rosalie Trombley Commemorative Sculpture will be unveiled by the City of Windsor at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 17 along the riverfront at the corner of Riverside Drive East and McDougall Street.
The unveiling of the bronze statute will happen the day before what would have been her 84th birthday.
Her son Tim Trombley says he, his brother Todd and sister Diane are very humbled by all of the attention placed on their mother's legacy.
"Donna Mayne, the sculpturist is so immensely talented, she's really captured the essence of our mother," he says. "Seeing the final clay rendering last year was really very emotional for myself and my siblings."
Photo courtesy: City of Windsor
Trombley was a trailblazer in the broadcasting industry as she served as the music director at The Big 8 CKLW in the late 1960 and 1970s.
She was known as "the girl with the golden ear" for her ability to select hit songs and her influence in selecting hits spanned across North America.
She played a key role in helping a number of musicians and groups launch their careers into new levels, including Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Elton John, Kiss, The Guess Who, Bob Seger, and Alice Cooper.
Trombley persuaded Elton John to release "Bennie and the Jets" as a single because she believed, correctly, that it would be a cross-over hit, appealing to both black and white listeners.
Bob Seger even immortalized the mother of three in his 1973 song "Rosalie."
Tim Trombley, the son of the late Rosalie Trombley, takes part in a news conference in downtown Windsor detailing events to celebrate the life of his late mother. Aug. 28, 2023 (Photo: Rusty Thomson)
Tim Trombley says his mom had a job she loved and a real gift to pick a hit song.
"As a major market radio station, they could have played it safe and only played the proven hits," he says. " That station, because of her gift, really lead the way on a multitude of records all through the late 60s and although the 70s. That's what really has created her legendary status."
Rosalie Trombley passed away in November of 2021 at the age of 82.
Trombley says the whole family is looking forward to the day but expects it to be emotional.
"She would be definitely somewhat embarrassed, frankly, and very humbled," he says. "For mom working at the station, she was the person, to a large extent, the person that picked the music that went on the radio station. But she would tell you that it was a family of very talented people that came together to create the magic."
The statue unveiling is all part of a day of celebrations to honour of Trombley and coincides with Open Streets Windsor.
Open Streets Windsor "the Big 8" Kilometre Edition will see eight kilometres of city streets closed to all vehicles from Sandwich Town to Ford City, allowing people to walk freely and interact with business and exhibitions.
The city will host a special entertainment at each hub along the route to honour Trombley.
The newly created Rosalie Trombley Commemorative Exhibition detailing her life and the radio station will also be opened at 2:30 p.m. at the Chimczuk Museum.
At 6 p.m., the Capitol Theatre's Kelly Theatre on University Avenue West will screen Michael McNamara's 2004 documentary, "Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8."
The screening will be followed at 8 p.m. by "The Big 8 CKLW" Remembers Rosalie. Special guests and former Big 8 personalities Ted Richards, Pat Holiday, Les Garland, and others will discuss the musical past of the region and share their memories of Rosalie.
