There were all kinds of “Mickey’s” popular in 1963. There was Mickey Rooney (in “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World), Mickey “Guitar” Baker, Mickey Spillane, and even the Miracles’ “Mickey’s Monkey”. But the number one “Mickey” in Toronto back then was named Dave, and he ruled the airwaves with the kids on CKEY.

Playing the hits from the “Silver Dollar Survey”, the motor-mouthed Mickey wasn’t much older at the time than the audience that tuned in every night. Sometimes the pace got so outrageous, it became clear even HE didn’t know what he was saying (as is apparent in his School Track & Field Announcement). Besides the pace, you’ll hear some classic jingles in this aircheck–and a few bizarre signs of the times, as well.

What music format today, for example, would proudly declare in a singing I.D. that “Everything Stops For the News”? And you’ll hear a reference to the infamous CKEY News Beacon billboard–the idea being that if you pass one–and the light’s blinking–you should immediately rush to turn on ‘EY for the latest bulletin. Needless to say, the light was always blinking, even when the news wasn’t always breaking.

The station was owned by the legendary Jack Kent Cooke, but it eventually lost its rock audience to the dominant 1050 CHUM–a dominance the latter station kept for almost 30 years. It also lost Dave Mickey and his “Boobie Club”, who moved down the dial to the Nifty 1050–and for reasons now lost to history–ended up getting fired one night on the air! (Anybody got THAT aircheck???)

When Cooke sold the station, its Silver Dollar Survey turned a shade of gray–becoming a hugely successful beautiful music station. But time and change took its toll on the AMer (now at 590), and they tried everything to stay afloat–Oldies, Talk, & finally–a Country & Western format. Nothing worked. And not long after, no one worked either. The frequency was sold and the station ceased to exist in the mid 90’s. Fittingly, its call letters were picked up by a rocker in Niagara Falls, Ont.

As for Dave Mickey, he resurfaced in the 80’s as David Marsden, the slow-talking mellow-voiced force behind CFNY Toronto, one of the first of the truly alternative formats in North America. But to a legion of 60s radio fans, he’ll always be remembered as the Motor Mouth of Metro. And a talent that was never “Mickey” Mouse.