Grealis, 74, ran RPM, sired Junos
Walter Grealis, long-time supporter of the Canadian music industry, founder of the trade publication RPM and one of the inspirations behind the Juno Awards, died Tuesday.
Mr. Grealis had been diagnosed with lung cancer which later spread to his liver, said a close friend, broadcaster Dave Marsden. He was 74.
Born in Toronto on Feb. 18, 1929, the former policeman entered the recording industry in 1960 and soon became the Ontario promotion manager for London Records before establishing RPM magazine. The publication promoted Canadian singers and musicians for 37 years before folding in November, 2000.
In 1964, RPM initiated the Gold Leaf Awards, which evolved into the Junos. In 1975 it also established the Big Country Awards along with the Canadian Academy for Country Music Advancement.
Grealis received a people’s award at the 1976 Junos and had a Juno for industry figures named after him. In 1993 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
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