Guy Lombardo was London’s first pop star, leading the way for our City of Music
Long before London was named a UNESCO City of Music, it was already on the world's musical map thanks to one of the biggest pop stars of the 20th century, Guy Lombardo.
CBC London Morning is launching a new segment with local music historian Mario Circelli. This month, he takes us back a century when Lombardo and his band, The Royal Canadians, became mainstays in the popular music scene.
Lombardo and his band sold more than 250 million records over their decades-long career, a staggering number that puts them alongside icons like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, according to Circelli.
"You could easily state he's Canada's first bona fide pop star," Circelli said. "Over the course of their career, they outsold some of the biggest names in the business. They weren't just popular, they were a phenomenon."
The Lombardo story begins with a twist of fate. The family originally set sail from Naples, Italy, bound for Buenos Aires, Argentina, but their ship ran into trouble near New York Harbor. While they waited for repairs, the family patriarch, a tailor by trade, came across an English-language newspaper ad looking for a tailor in London, Ontario.
"He decided, 'You know what, let's stop our trip to Argentina and check out this London,'" Circelli said. "He opened a little tailor shop on Dundas Street, between Richmond and Clarence. He was out front making suits, and the boys were in the back rehearsing their instruments. That's literally where the music started, in the back of a tailor shop."
Circelli said it's a story that captures the spirit of London's early immigrant community — families who came for work but ended up building something lasting.
"It's such a London story," he said. "A hardworking immigrant family sets up shop downtown, and before you know it, their kids are changing the sound of popular music across North America."
The Royal Canadians' smooth, danceable style became known as "the sweetest music this side of heaven." It was music you could waltz to, croon to, and celebrate with. It was a sound that came to define an era.
"They wrote the soundtrack of an entire generation," Circelli said. "Their music was about joy, romance and optimism. It brought people together."
Even today, Lombardo's most famous recording, his rendition of Auld Lang Syne, remains a New Year's Eve staple.
"Every time the clock strikes midnight and you hear that song, that's Guy Lombardo," Circelli said. "That's London, Ontario, being heard around the world. That tradition started right here."
Circelli, who chairs the Forest City London Music Awards and the London Music Hall of Fame, says Lombardo's success paved the way for generations of London musicians, from Tommy Hunter to Garnet Rogers, Denise Pelley, and today's up-and-coming artists.
"London's always punched above its weight musically," Circelli said. "When UNESCO recognized London as a City of Music, it wasn't just about what's happening now; it's about this deep, rich history that includes the Lombardos."
Circelli adds that Lombardo's story continues to resonate because it connects Londoners to their roots.
"It reminds us that greatness can come from anywhere," he said. "Even the back of a tailor shop on Dundas Street."
We'll take another walk down London's musical history lane on Monday, Nov. 3.
You can listen to London Morning weekdays from 6 to 8:30 a.m. at 93.5 FM, streaming at cbc.ca/London, and on the CBC News app.
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