(CelebrityAccess) — Tom Tompkins, a respected veteran of the Canadian music industry and former president of the Canadian Country Music Association, has passed away after a battle with cancer, CelebrityAccess has learned.
A native of Toronto, Tompkins began his broadcasting career at Calgary’s CKXL Radio and subsequently worked at Calgary’s CJAX-FM (Edmonton), CFGM-AM (Toronto), Worked for radio stations such as CHAM-AM (Hamilton) and CJAY-FM.
During his long tenure at Canadian radio, he was twice awarded the label’s Country Programming Director of the Year Award and the Canadian Country Music Association’s Country Music Personality of the Year Award in 1994, 1997 and 1998.
Tompkins has also dabbled in artist management, overseeing the careers of Canadian country stars such as Tracy Prescott and Lonely Daddy
Tompkins has served on the CCMA Board of Directors for 15 years and served as president of the organization from 1991 to 1992 and 1994 to 2000. He was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
After leaving radio, Tompkins teamed up with former broadcaster Gene Daniel to book concerts in British Columbia.
“Tom Tompkins is the original creator of Canadian country music,” said CelebrityAccess senior writer Larry LeBlanc. “Full of aggression and humour, his passion and knowledge of music is unparalleled. For decades he held executive programming roles at multiple Canadian country radio stations and was also the head of the Canadian Country Music Association. I first met While he was a top rock DJ in Calgary, Alberta in the early 1970s, he went on to become one of the most visible and outspoken figures in Canadian country music. He was also a well-known figure in Western Canada in his later years. Will initiate.
As of press time, there was no information about survivors or a memorial service.
