The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
He has been gone more than seven years, but the legacy of Flin Flon-born broadcasting icon Wes Montgomery remains very much alive. Montgomery, who passed away in 2005, became an airwave institution in Edmonton after leaving his hometown. The website Lastlinkontheleft.com, out of Edmonton, runs the following obituary on Montgomery: Good morning, good morning, it's a Wes Montgomery morning. Here to wake you with a smile to get you up on time. Two generations of Edmonton radio listeners woke up to Wes. For the last twelve years he co-hosted the AM drive slot at CFCW with Jackie Rae Greening, who described him as 'a fun guy ... and a thirsty guy.' Born in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Wes moved to Fort Saskatchewan in the 1950s. His radio career started in 1958 at CKYL Peace River. In 1959, he moved to CKSA Lloydminster, hosting a morning show as well as doing television sports. Two years later he joined CFQC handling sports duties on radio and TV. In January of 1964, Wes became the sports director at 630 CHED radio, replacing Bryan Hall. In 1968, he became the morning guy for a run that lasted 17 years, achieving ratings never likely to be repeated. Montgomery then hosted the morning show for CKRA K-Lite for a year, before moving to CISN _ Kissin' 104 for six years. Moving then to CFRN, he did the morning show as well as Edmonton Eskimo play by play broadcasts for three years. He joined CFCW in October of 1993. No matter what format he hosted _ be it rock or country _ Montgomery's audience would follow him to whatever station he was working at. Despite working as a morning man for 45 of his 47 years in radio, Wes hated to get up early. His show's start times often varied as a result. However, his dedication to, and involvement with, local sports was a constant. An avid curler, Montgomery was a frequent host of Eskimo football dinners, an emcee for the Canadian Football League Coach Of The Year Dinners, and a participant in numerous sports celebrity roasts _ giving and receiving the barbs. Montgomery was also known for a series of breathtakingly bad carpet commercials he did with Eskimo Tom Wilkinson. Edmonton's radio scene will never be the same. Wes Montgomery died April 25, 2005 at the age of 66 from cancer. In 2008, the late Wes Montgomery was inducted into the Broadcaster Hall of Fame by the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA). Induction into the Hall of Fame recognizes long-term contributions to the development of country music in our country and was voted on by a cross Canada jury. Wes's memory was also honoured in 2005 at the CCMA Awards when he and morning co-host Jackie-Rae Greening were named On-Air Personalities of the Year, Major Market.
