# For the S.W. ONT crowd...



## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Anybody here remember these?

The vast majority are mid-80's and picked up at concerts at Cobo or the JLA.


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

I had a few of those stickers.


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## Bastille day (Mar 2, 2014)

Your missing a 98.7 WLLZ Detroit Wheels sticker.

A little A.M. radio station, CKLW from Windsor, Ontario pre-ceded all of them turning the likes of Alice Cooper, The Guess Who, Kiss into household names.

A great documentary was made about that station and the impact it had.

Every time we got into the car we tuned the station to A.M. 800, must of drove my parents crazy.


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Beauty CKLW reference - Dick Purtan, the original Rosalie Trombley (in case anyone knows the tune Rosalie by Seger or Thin Lizzy). 

No WLLZ sticker - but I do have a couple of the little pins they gave away at shows. Nothing left from WABX I'm afraid.

How about Howard Stern getting his start as the morning dj on W4 back in the early 80's before they went country or the legendary Ernie Harwell on WJR doing the Tigers games?


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## Bastille day (Mar 2, 2014)

Thank God Howard Stern is out my broadcasting range, I do remember "DICK THE BRUISER" and actually listening the day he came and announced he was done, live on the air. I no longer listen to FM, the attempted humour is stale and the playlist hasn't changed in 30 years.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

I had a D.R.E.A.D. Card and shirt back in the day.


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## urko99 (Mar 30, 2009)

Born and live in Windsor so I've had exposure to all mentioned above! What a great place and time to grow up.


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

I got this button after a Faces concert at Cobo Hall. Really glad I never lost this. Detroit was and is indeed "Rock City".

Good times!


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

fretboard said:


> Anybody here remember these?
> 
> The vast majority are mid-80's and picked up at concerts at Cobo or the JLA.
> 
> ...


That is a impressive collection. How in the heck did you not lose them or use them?


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Hey Mario - I had a bunch from my youth, then my brother found some that he had and gave them to me when I helped him move once. I put them in a cookie tin and forgot about them for a couple decades until this spring. I was on another forum back around Xmas where someone had posted a "which instrument do you regret selling" thread and I replied that I didn't regret selling a guitar - but I wish I would have spent $40 on a generic case at the time and kept the case that I had covered in WRIF stickers. A guy there got a hold of me and asked for a mailing address, then sent me a couple dozen to try and replace some of the ones I'd lost with the guitar case. Turns out he worked for the company that maintained the phone lines for the station.

You know how it is - some stranger gets a hold of you for an address then sends you something to make your day...

My mom used to secretly send off self-addressed stamped envelopes to WRIF and my brother and I would get envelopes with stickers in them for our birthdays. By '81 or so, we were allowed to go to shows in Detroit and could pick up our own. 

Never had a DREAD card, but can remember them.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

mario said:


> I got this button after a Faces concert at Cobo Hall. Really glad I never lost this. Detroit was and is indeed "Rock City".
> 
> Good times!


Was, yes. Not is. More like rap city now.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Yeah, you can still see those on vehicles around here, especially on minivans with two child car seats in the back, trying desperately to show the world they're still cool.

Don't think I ever had one.


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

Growing up in Windsor I drove behind many of those bumper stickers.
I remember WABX 98.7 where I believe Steve Dahl held court in the mornings with his craziness before he left for Chicago and Disco Demolition night. WWWW had Howard Stern for a short time I believe and then JJ (Jim Johnson) and the morning crew who then went to WRIF. WRIF had Arthur P. And Karen Sevelle who was the feature "face" on their TV ads with the trademark "baby" coming from her lips in Arthur P's voicing at the end.
I remember CKLW, the Big 8, with its Byron McGregor 20/20 news updates and weekly or was it daily top 20 countdowns. Theses printed copies were available for free by the cash till at record stores so you knew who the top of the charts, newcomers and big movers were. Ah Grand times


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## Bastille day (Mar 2, 2014)

This is a copy and paste courtesy of the Top One Hit Wonders website.

“The Americans” by Bryon MacGregor may be one of the most bizarre one-hit wonders ever. It’s essentially a patriotic testimonial from a Canadian news anchor who applauds the pluck and moxie and charitable nature of Americans compared to many other countries across the world.

It’s a spoken-word piece with “America the Beautiful” as the background. And it was a huge hit, reaching #4 on the Billboard Top 40 in 1974. That made Bryon MacGregor a one-hit wonder.

Here’s the story behind the patriotic song: In 1973, newsman MacGregor read a newspaper editorial supporting America that was written by Gordon Sinclair of CFRB in Toronto. The reading was part of a public affairs program. No music. No drama. Just a fairly straightforward reading of another man’s opinion.

The commentary and message essentialy went viral (if such a thing was possible in the early 1970s) and MacGregor was asked to record “The Americans” with “America the Beautiful” as the background music. Amazingly, the song has sold more than 3.5-million copies. That makes “The Americans” a triple-platinum single. Best of all, MacGregor donated all of his royalties to the American Red Cross.


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## bluesician (Mar 14, 2007)

deleted


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Given my lack of guitar playing for the past 9 months (see my sob story in the Don't Turn thread I started last September or so) I have been in contact with a few guys who used to work at WRIF who have helped me try to round out my collection. I still have a few left to try and find - but we're talking maybe a dozen or so that would have any appeal to me. I've been framing them up and will be taking over the basement with them shortly, so figured I'd toss a some pics up for the few who remember their 80's Motor City rock.

There's really no logic to how stuff got grouped together. I have tried to leave a couple "placeholder" stickers on each so if I am able to track down an elusive Nazareth or Saga or one of the others I still need, I'll have somewhere to put them.

Bon Jovi & Ratt was my first concert with friends (not parents) so I did feel obligated to keep those 2 together.


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Let's go for some heavier stuff today.

Couple of the VH & the Metallica ones are reflective, so difficult to get a picture of.


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)




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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)




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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

I was totally immersed in Detroit rock radio as I grew up near Sarnia. So much so, that I'd never heard of Max Webster until I moved to Toronto in '79 

Very nice sticker collection BTW


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

Scottone said:


> I was totally immersed in Detroit rock radio as I grew up near Sarnia. So much so, that I'd never heard of Max Webster until I moved to Toronto in '79
> 
> Very nice sticker collection BTW


Same here. I grew up listening to those stations as well. When I moved to KW in '98 it was like moving to another country! I "discovered" a lot of great Canadian bands that got little or no notice in the U.S. 

I can still remember the scent of those stickers when they were new!


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

Hamstrung said:


> Same here. I grew up listening to those stations as well. When I moved to KW in '98 it was like moving to another country! I "discovered" a lot of great Canadian bands that got little or no notice in the U.S.
> 
> I can still remember the scent of those stickers when they were new!


They definitely had a very "focused" playlist. Hell, they didn't play Rush until Moving Pictures came out and no Supertramp until Breakfast in America


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

I lived in Amherstburg for a couple of years when I was younger and then Corunna (outside Sarnia) a few years after that. So had a good amount of exposure to WRIF and WLLZ(always knew there was another station I liked but couldn't remember name-thanks). I think you need a Rockets sticker. Only place I ever heard them played was Detroit radio. Oh Well......


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## LexxM3 (Oct 12, 2009)

Seems like quite a few of us are Sarnia area refugees. My formative high school years were in Sarnia -- Dad is a chemical engineer. WRIF and WLLZ were on all the time.

I used to do a passable Arthur Penhallow "IT'S THE WEEKEND!" on Fridays at 5pm that my friends started to insist I do -- would probably blow my voice out if I tried it now.

IT'S THE WEEKEEEEND!






Not me, but my best friend in those years:








Good times ...


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

LexxM3 said:


> Seems like quite a few of us are Sarnia area refugees. My formative high school years were in Sarnia -- Dad is a chemical engineer. WRIF and WLLZ were on all the time.
> 
> I used to do a passable Arthur Penhallow "IT'S THE WEEKEND!" on Fridays at 5pm that my friends started to insist I do -- would probably blow my voice out if I tried it now.
> 
> ...


Love the Crüe still!


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Hey Fretzel - for sure I have a Rockets (and The Look, a couple variations of Bitter Sweet Alley and some other "local" band ones) - just haven't gotten around to framing them yet. I still have a couple Rockets albums on vinyl (one with Oh Well, of course).

I was just down Hwy 40 from Sarnia in Wallaceburg during most of the 80's. My situation was very similar to Scottone's comments - I went to see Kim Mitchell at the Sarnia arena just after Lager & Ale/Go For Soda was out - but had never heard a Max Webster tune in my life. Not sure I could name one now to be honest.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Back in the 80's it was Q107. I don't even think we noticed how repetitive it was but it was "our" music. We just embraced it! 

Friday night listening to Q while hanging out with a bunch of grease monkeys. I wouldn't change it for the world.


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

If anyone has a line on a "Gibby" or "Lance", get a hold of me...


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## Tstanek2 (Feb 7, 2021)

fretboard said:


> Anybody here remember these?
> 
> The vast majority are mid-80's and picked up at concerts at Cobo or the JLA.
> 
> ...


Would you sell your collection?


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I grew up on Chum Fm, at the time they only played album sides. when they stopped doing that I eventually switched to Q107. 

I noticed someone mentioned the Rockets. Best opening band ever!! I think they opened up for REO Speedwagon at the Ex. Damn they made REO look like a bunch of losers.


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## Jim Wellington (Sep 3, 2017)

I had a gold dread card  Detroit Rockers Engaged in the Abolition of Disco...D.R.E.A.D

My teen years... WLLZ, WRIF, WABX
Preteen...CKLW.

Saw many of the super band concerts at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Cobo Hall, Joe Lewis .

Detroit...Rock City.


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Some WLLZ pins from the same era...

Not looking to sell any of my collection, Tstanek2.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Fretboardthe stuff you gave me, the EVH stuff was in perfect condition and still graces my wall today.


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Some obscure and early WRIF stuff - including a Gary Grimshaw sticker for anyone into concert posters. 

So - for the folks who had DREAD cards - you sure they weren't RIFF cards or Gold cards?


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