David Marsden, a legend in the world of rock radio who brought alternative music from Brampton to the rest of Canada in the 1970s, has died. (Photo: NYthespirit.com)
David Marsden, a legend in the world of rock radio who brought alternative music from Brampton to the rest of Canada in the 1970s, has died.
The death of the Toronto-born Marsden, who was 85, was announced last week by the online broadcaster founded called NYthespirit.
Marsden took over programming director duties of Brampton’s CFNY-FM in 1979, and would go on to help turn the station into a powerhouse of DJ talent and one of Canada’s most influential alternative radio stations.
A recent documentary about the iconic station includes appearances from a wide range of artists and industry figures connected to CFNY’s rise, including members of New Order, Simple Minds, The Cure, and Canadian acts such as Blue Rodeo, Metric and Billy Talent.
“As ‘The Spirit of Radio’, the ground-breaking station began a journey as a free-form alternative outlet that would influence both the format and new music itself for the next decade and beyond,” reads Marsden’s obituary published by NYthespirit.com.
Marsden brought his Spirit of Radio show to Oshawa station 94.9 The Rock from 2003-2014.
The station’s tagline even inspired Rush’s song “The Spirit of Radio” about the station.
It would later go on to be rebranded as 102.1 The Leading Edge before being shortened to The Edge.
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“David will be remembered as a kind, introspective and passionate leader. His commitment to new ideas and supporting new Canadian talent will be sorely missed,” NYthespirit says of its founder.
Part of Marsden’s obituary follows below.
David was born on March 2nd, 1941, in Toronto, Ontario. He was raised as David Michie in Stratford, where at a young age his fascination with music and radio began. As a teenager he produced ‘sock hops’ and became manager for local band, The Revols.
His radio career was extensive. David knocked on the door of at least 30 radio stations, and then got his start at CFCO-AM in Chatham, Ontario. After another short stint at CHLO in St. Thomas, David quickly jumped to evenings at CKEY-AM Toronto, now known as Dave Mickie. His outrageous presentation style there earned him a mention in media guru Marshall McLuhan’s Understanding Media. He also appeared on CBC-TV’s Music Hop and CHCH-TV’s Mickie A Go Go.
In the late 1960’s, David moved to Montreal and became David Marsden. He worked first at CKGM-AM, then moved to progressive rocker CHOM-FM. From there he returned to Toronto and joined the then free-form CHUM-FM. It was at CHUM-FM that David convinced promoters to book Pink Floyd in Toronto for the first time.
A cause of death has not been disclosed, however, Marsden reportedly suffered a serious fall recently.
A documentary titled “The Spirit of Radio,” which chronicles the early, rebellious years of CFNY-FM, held its final public screening in June in Brampton, where the station first began broadcasting in 1976.
The screening featured a live Q&A with Marsden and other CFNY personalities including Humble and Fred, Alan Cross, Ivar Hamilton, Liz Janik and Scot Turner.
The documentary traces that evolution, focusing on what Hamilton and others describe as the station’s defining “Spirit of Radio” years, roughly the late 1970s through the end of the 1980s.
– With files from Steve Pecar and Glenn Hendry
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