Johnny Lombardi
Encyclopedia
Johnny Barbalinardo Lombardi, CM
, O.Ont
(December 4, 1915 – March 18, 2002) was a pioneer of multicultural broadcasting in Canada. He has received many decorations and honours.
Lombardi was married to Lena, with whom he had one son, Leonard (also known as Lenny), and two daughters, Donina and Theresa. He was sometimes referred to as "Mr. Toronto", and usually wore a baseball cap.
section of Toronto
. His father Leonardo Barbalinardo changed his name to Leonardo Lombardi shortly after moving to Canada because the Anglo-Saxon community of Toronto at the time had difficulty pronouncing his name.
He was lead trumpet player for the Benny Palmer Orchestra in London
, a popular Ontario big band during the 1930s. He enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War II
in 1942, and was soon stationed in Europe. He was Sergeant in the army, and during the war he entertained the troops with his trumpet.
before it was implemented as Canadian government policy, he founded the multilingual radio station
s CHIN
in 1966 and CHIN-FM
in 1967, which now serve over 30 ethnic communities. By 1968, CHIN was broadcasting in 32 languages, with Italian language programming predominant, at 60 hours per week.
Lombardi later hosted an Italian-language television program on CITY-TV
. He was also known for hosting the annual CHIN Picnics at the Canadian National Exhibition
, featuring bikini contest
s derided by many feminists.
He would later explain the choice of CHIN using a backronym
:
Lombardi ran for a seat on Toronto City Council
in the 1969 municipal election
in Ward 4 which included Toronto's Little Italy
but was defeated by less than 200 votes.
was held at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Little Italy on 25 March, and was attended by over a thousand people, including former Premier of Ontario Mike Harris
.
The day after his death, York West
representative Judy Sgro
paid tribute to him in the Canadian House of Commons
. Mel Lastman
, then mayor of Toronto, stated that ""Johnny invented multicultural radio in Toronto". On 20 March, Eglinton—Lawrence
Member of Parliament Joe Volpe
also paid tribute to Lombardi in the Commons, referring to him as "king of Little Italy" and the "father of multicultural broadcasting", also stating:
He would complete his tribute with a statement spoken in Italian. On 26 March, Lombardi received tributes in the Canadian Senate from Frank Mahovlich
and Consiglio Di Nino
.
and was invited by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the D-Day
invasion of Normandy
on June 6, 1994, in which he had originally participated.
Often referred to as the "mayor of Little Italy," Lombardi lived in the neighborhood all his life, and a memorial to him was installed at the southwest corner of College Street and Grace Street, in an area known as Piazza Johnny Lombardi in Little Italy. It is a bronze statue of Lombardi, seated on an arced granite bench, with a statue of a seated boy nearby. It was designed by Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales.
In Pisticci
, a comune
of the Basilicata
region in southern Italy
, a square was restored and renamed Piazza Johnny Lombardi (also known as Piazza Lombardi) in his honour. It will "function as the main focal point for all musical shows and exhibits in Pisticci", a tribute to Lombardi's trumpet playing. A ceremony held on 11 August 2007 in Pisticci, declared Johnny Lombardi Day, officially twinned the Piazza in Pisticci with Piazza Johnny Lombardi in Toronto.
Lombardi was also bestowed with the Cavaliere Ufficiale (Official Knight of the Italian Republic), awarded a Federal Citation of Citizenship, and won Broadcaster of the Year Award. The municipal government of the city of Toronto officially named a segment of College Street
between Clinton Street and Grace Street as Johnny Lombardi Way in his honour. That area houses the CHIN Radio building, and was the location of Lombardi's grocery store.
His son Lenny and daughter Theresa, along with Joe Pantalone
, established The Johnny Lombardi Multicultural Foundation on 21 May 2008.
The hour-long documentary Johnny Lombardi: The Great Communicator about his life contains interview clips from many well-known Canadians, including Jean Chrétien
and Ted Rogers
.
Lombardi was one of six original inductees into the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, honouring Italians or descendants of emigrant Italians "who have demonstrated an exceptional level of accomplishment within their respective fields". The others were Rudolph Bratty, Phil Esposito
, Julian Fantino
, Connie Francis
and Giancarlo Giannini
.
The Ethnic Broadcasting Award in honour of Johnny Lombardi at Ryerson University
awards $1,000 to a student in the School of Radio and Television Arts program at the university "who demonstrates a special proficiency in ethnic broadcasting".
In Portrait of the Street: The Soul and Spirit of College, a documentary by Sandra Danilovic of the history of College Street and the surrounding area, Lombardi recounts an anecdote from his youth. He had walked for more than an hour to a pool in Mimico
with friends, only to be turned away:
His son Lenny remains active in the CHIN and Italian communities.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, O.Ont
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
(December 4, 1915 – March 18, 2002) was a pioneer of multicultural broadcasting in Canada. He has received many decorations and honours.
Lombardi was married to Lena, with whom he had one son, Leonard (also known as Lenny), and two daughters, Donina and Theresa. He was sometimes referred to as "Mr. Toronto", and usually wore a baseball cap.
Early life
The son of Italian immigrants, Lombardi was born in the Little ItalyLittle Italy, Toronto
Little Italy, sometimes referred to as College Street West, is a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its numerous Italian Canadian restaurants and businesses. There is also a significant Latin American and Portuguese community in the area...
section of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. His father Leonardo Barbalinardo changed his name to Leonardo Lombardi shortly after moving to Canada because the Anglo-Saxon community of Toronto at the time had difficulty pronouncing his name.
He was lead trumpet player for the Benny Palmer Orchestra in London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, a popular Ontario big band during the 1930s. He enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1942, and was soon stationed in Europe. He was Sergeant in the army, and during the war he entertained the troops with his trumpet.
CHIN Radio
He returned to Canada in 1946, and in 1948 he opened a supermarket named Lombardi's Italian Foods Ltd., or simply Lombardi’s Supermarket, at 637 College Street, an area which came to be known as Little Italy. He began his broadcasting career as a producer for an hour-long Italian music program in which he advertised his supermarket. The show was successful and his store flourished. Lombardi became a promoter of concerts and sporting events. A champion of multiculturalismMulticulturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
before it was implemented as Canadian government policy, he founded the multilingual radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s CHIN
CHIN (AM)
CHIN is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts multilingual programming at AM 1540 in Toronto, Ontario. The station, owned by CHIN Radio/TV International, also has an FM rebroadcaster at 91.9 to fill in reception gaps in parts of the Toronto area — this should not be confused with CHIN-FM,...
in 1966 and CHIN-FM
CHIN-FM
CHIN-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts multilingual programming at FM 100.7 in Toronto, Ontario. It should not be confused with FM 91.9, a rebroadcaster of AM sister station CHIN with a different programming schedule...
in 1967, which now serve over 30 ethnic communities. By 1968, CHIN was broadcasting in 32 languages, with Italian language programming predominant, at 60 hours per week.
Lombardi later hosted an Italian-language television program on CITY-TV
CITY-TV
CITY-DT, Channel 57 , is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada owned and operated by Rogers Media...
. He was also known for hosting the annual CHIN Picnics at the Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition , also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...
, featuring bikini contest
Bikini contest
A bikini contest is a beauty contest where women compete against each other in bikinis.Bikini contests can take place in bars, nightclubs, at beaches, and beauty pageants. Related companies regularly sponsor such contests to discover and attract new talents to promote their products...
s derided by many feminists.
He would later explain the choice of CHIN using a backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
:
Lombardi ran for a seat on Toronto City Council
Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
in the 1969 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 1969
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on December 1, 1969. Across Metro Toronto there were few surprising results, and city of Toronto incumbent mayor William Dennison was easily re-elected...
in Ward 4 which included Toronto's Little Italy
Little Italy, Toronto
Little Italy, sometimes referred to as College Street West, is a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its numerous Italian Canadian restaurants and businesses. There is also a significant Latin American and Portuguese community in the area...
but was defeated by less than 200 votes.
Death
He died in hospital on 18 March 2002 after a brief illness. A funeral massRequiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
was held at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Little Italy on 25 March, and was attended by over a thousand people, including former Premier of Ontario Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
.
The day after his death, York West
York West
York West is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1904 and since 1917.Its population was 110,384 in 2001...
representative Judy Sgro
Judy Sgro
Judy Sgro, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she currently represents the electoral district of York West in the Canadian House of Commons.-Councillor:...
paid tribute to him in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
. Mel Lastman
Mel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
, then mayor of Toronto, stated that ""Johnny invented multicultural radio in Toronto". On 20 March, Eglinton—Lawrence
Eglinton—Lawrence
Eglinton—Lawrence is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999....
Member of Parliament Joe Volpe
Joe Volpe
Giuseppe Joseph "Joe" Volpe, PC, was a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until the 2011 federal election, being surpassed by the conservative member Joe Oliver Joe Oliver, and held two senior positions in Prime Minister Paul Martin's Cabinet...
also paid tribute to Lombardi in the Commons, referring to him as "king of Little Italy" and the "father of multicultural broadcasting", also stating:
He would complete his tribute with a statement spoken in Italian. On 26 March, Lombardi received tributes in the Canadian Senate from Frank Mahovlich
Frank Mahovlich
Francis William "The Big M" Mahovlich, CM is a Canadian Senator, and a retired NHL ice hockey player, nicknamed the "Big M." He played on six Stanley Cup-winning teams and is an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Playing career:...
and Consiglio Di Nino
Consiglio Di Nino
Consiglio Di Nino is a businessman and Canadian Senator.Born in Italy, Di Nino immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 13...
.
Legacy
Lombardi was a recipient of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
and was invited by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
invasion of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
on June 6, 1994, in which he had originally participated.
Often referred to as the "mayor of Little Italy," Lombardi lived in the neighborhood all his life, and a memorial to him was installed at the southwest corner of College Street and Grace Street, in an area known as Piazza Johnny Lombardi in Little Italy. It is a bronze statue of Lombardi, seated on an arced granite bench, with a statue of a seated boy nearby. It was designed by Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales.
In Pisticci
Pisticci
Pisticci is a town comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata....
, a comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of the Basilicata
Basilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
region in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, a square was restored and renamed Piazza Johnny Lombardi (also known as Piazza Lombardi) in his honour. It will "function as the main focal point for all musical shows and exhibits in Pisticci", a tribute to Lombardi's trumpet playing. A ceremony held on 11 August 2007 in Pisticci, declared Johnny Lombardi Day, officially twinned the Piazza in Pisticci with Piazza Johnny Lombardi in Toronto.
Lombardi was also bestowed with the Cavaliere Ufficiale (Official Knight of the Italian Republic), awarded a Federal Citation of Citizenship, and won Broadcaster of the Year Award. The municipal government of the city of Toronto officially named a segment of College Street
College Street (Toronto)
College Street is a principal arterial thoroughfare in downtown Toronto, connecting former streetcar suburbs in the west with the city centre. The street is home to an ethnically diverse population in the western residential reaches, and institutions like the Ontario Legislature and the University...
between Clinton Street and Grace Street as Johnny Lombardi Way in his honour. That area houses the CHIN Radio building, and was the location of Lombardi's grocery store.
His son Lenny and daughter Theresa, along with Joe Pantalone
Joe Pantalone
Joe Pantalone is a former Canadian politician, city councillor for Ward 19, one of two wards in Trinity—Spadina. He served as deputy mayor under David Miller from 2003 to 2010...
, established The Johnny Lombardi Multicultural Foundation on 21 May 2008.
The hour-long documentary Johnny Lombardi: The Great Communicator about his life contains interview clips from many well-known Canadians, including Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
and Ted Rogers
Ted Rogers
Ted Rogers was a fast-talking English comedian and light entertainer who started his career as a Redcoat entertainer and is best remembered as the only host in the original series of the Yorkshire Television gameshow 3-2-1....
.
Lombardi was one of six original inductees into the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, honouring Italians or descendants of emigrant Italians "who have demonstrated an exceptional level of accomplishment within their respective fields". The others were Rudolph Bratty, Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
, Julian Fantino
Julian Fantino
Julian Fantino is a retired police official and the elected Member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of Vaughan following a November 29, 2010 by-election...
, Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
and Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini is an Italian actor and dubber.Giannini was born La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. He studied at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome, and made his film debut in a small part in Fango sulla metropoli in 1965...
.
The Ethnic Broadcasting Award in honour of Johnny Lombardi at Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
awards $1,000 to a student in the School of Radio and Television Arts program at the university "who demonstrates a special proficiency in ethnic broadcasting".
In Portrait of the Street: The Soul and Spirit of College, a documentary by Sandra Danilovic of the history of College Street and the surrounding area, Lombardi recounts an anecdote from his youth. He had walked for more than an hour to a pool in Mimico
Mimico
The historic Town of Mimico is a neighbourhood in the south-western part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the south-east corner of the former Township of Etobicoke, and was an independent municipality from 1911 to 1967....
with friends, only to be turned away:
His son Lenny remains active in the CHIN and Italian communities.
Further reading
- Joseph Erdelyi (24 September 1977). Multicultural TV is aim of impresario, Ottawa CitizenOttawa CitizenThe Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
. - Lombardi-Hartig, Donina. "A Man Called Johnny Lombardi," Italian Canadiana 17 (2003), 97-108.
- Decision CRTC 86-233