Jo Green
Submitted: August 22, 2014
I was hired as librarian and had to know a bit about the piano in the fall of 1952. Before going up to Sudbury from Toronto I was sent for an interview and audition at CFRB in Toronto and unbeknownst to me CKSO was informed that I had a natural radio voice and that I was a versatile pianist. There were two girls working in the library when I was there, one name Jeanne and the other I think was Tillie. They were both better at that the job than I was.
I worked at the studios on Elgin Street too. Working at CKSO at that time meant doing a bit of everything sometimes. That song “Sudbury Saturday Night” really told the tale at that time.
I had never expected it, but was called upon to do commercials and maybe it was because Trudy Manchester was away or someone had to do the social news. I remember sitting across a small table with Basil Scully on the other side of our shared mike when a girl came in from the Traffic dept. and inadvertently got her foot caught in the waste paper basket when stuffing something there. She couldn’t get it out and Basil and I were nearly killing ourselves trying not to laugh. Things like that happened all the time.
The Christmas Santa Claus show was completely ad-lib. I decided to be a doll. Nothing was ever rehearsed, but we did a good job and had lots of fun.
I was asked to do a piano show after the noon news until 1:00 pm. I had always played the piano for shows during WW II and afterwards around TO. I still know thousands of songs and still play to pass time away as I’m 91. I remember one day doing the show which again I never rehearsed, just went in and started banging away, when another announcer hadn’t seen the red light and came bounding into the studio shouting for me to play something or other. Of course he nearly died when he knew he’d been on the air, but I wasn’t really fazed. I’ve just got that kind of personality. I’m nothing marvelous and I tell my son I’m just glad to be Mrs. Nobody.
I enjoyed working there with Paul Heikila, and his future wife Marion, Betty Sellars whom I was friendly with until she died, Kenny Dobson and many more and of course Wilf Woodill. However I resigned in about 10 months as I really missed my little son who was with my parents in Toronto (was separated then and later widowed) and went to work at BMI Canada with Harold Moon. It was interesting there too. However I got out of the music field and eventually became a Business Education teacher in high schools, colleges and even universities. I’ve been many places in my career.
Jo Green
