Walt Says – the end!© Walt Grealis (co-founder, with Stan Klees; founding publisher and editor), brings down the curtain on more than 36 years of RPM Music Weekly, which created the Canadian Music Industry.The last words!!! Ellie, it would be rude, crass, ignorant and uncaring to leave with this last issue and not say thank you to a lot of people. (EC: But no sour grapes! After all it has been a wonderful journey over the 36 plus years!!!) It was truly an adventure. (EC: Is that a tear in your eye???) No! Just a lump in my throat. I'll miss writing this column and tussling verbally with you every week. It was a labour of love and maybe we just didn't want to admit the end was coming. We hung on too long because we may have thought that closing would mean we were deserting the people who depended on us over the years. The singers, musicians, songwriters, producers, managers, bookers, engineers, radio personalities, TV guys, they all made it possible to tell the stories! (EC: Sheila Copps! ! ! ) hear the voices! ( EC: Capps again! ! ! ) The sound heard 'round the world. ( EC: CanCon!) The hitmakers! The radio people who played CanCon and got the artists started. Look at the stars they produced and think of how proud Canadians must be to travel the world and hear Canada's artists being accepted in other countries. That was really what it was all about and there were people in radio who cared. I feel like I'm standing on a soapbox. (EC: It's allowed! Continue!!!) It matters. It's a case of being proud of what you do and doing it well. Canadian radio did it well and look at the results. Or, if you weren't around in 1964, ask somebody! Back then, it was Canada? Who cares? Everything helps!!! The promotion, publicity and merchandising people, the photographers and graphic artists who all worked to create the image of the stars and started the hits on their climb up the charts, all contributed to the industry. In a business where a small thing can make the difference, they look after the details. It must have worked often. There are a great number of Canadian artists who have become world class stars. Who would have believed in the mid-sixties that Canada would emerge as a power on the international scene? (EC: I'm about to take my hat off and put my hand on my heart! ! ! ) Around the world. I can't help but mention the people around the world who helped along the way. The legends who agreed to come to Canada and speak at our conferences; the people who opened door and did so just to be good people with no hint of profit; the business that was done in the south of France; the contacts and connections that were made. It all had to happen to build CanCon. ( EC: And it all happened. It worked!!!) Fuelling the fire! I have to thank the advertisers who found it useful to put their messages in RPM over the years...the people who came to our events and helped us create that star image for Canadian artists. What a great time we had at all the events across Canada. How soul satisfying it was to stand back and see all the people in the industry together and communicating and making the business grow. (EC: You mean the communication meetings and the awards shows. ) It was about building an industry and creating a star system. (EC: And making it fun to be in the business, selling records, playing records, making records!!!) The alumni. I have to thank the people who worked for RPM over the years...right back to 1964 when it all began. Many of them went on to become very important in our industry. Many went on to become famous in other industries. They wrote, interviewed, tabulated and socialized in the industry to come up with over 1700 issues of RPM that informed, entertained, amused, (EC: My department!!!) and promoted and sold records. It was a pleasure and an honour to work with them. The "R" word!!! Yes, I've heard that this is my retirement, but with all the knowledge, history and with the ability to go on, I hope I don't have to get a job as a greeter at Zellers. (EC: They're hiring???) I'd like the industry to think of it as going on to bigger and...well, it couldn't be better...things. This was the best. Doing what I did best...informing the industry! The end…! That's it I guess...and I would like to leave with the famous words of Arnold Schwarzenegger who said, "I might be back!" (EC: I think he said "I'll be back!!!") Whatever! |