Ottawa radio icon Ken 'The General' Grant has died

One of the icons of the Ottawa airwaves, Ken "The General" Grant, has died.

He was 88.

If you grew up in the Ottawa area in the 1960s, 70s or 80s, Grant was the voice of the morning on CFRA. Grant marched thousands of children off to school every day with his famous "Forward ho!" sign-off.

CFRA radio icon Ken "The General" Grant is seen in this undated photograph. (Supplied)

"I woke up with the General" was the slogan known across the region. It was also the inspiration for Grant's 2015 book about his career, "I Woke Up with the General, Too." 

Grant dominated the airwaves in a way that might never be seen again in the national capital region. 

"I sweated those ratings out every time they came out and they'd come out and say, 'Okay, you're number one again, thank you very much,'" Grant said in a 2015 interview with CTV News Ottawa.

Former CFRA morning host Steve Madely said Grant was the king of morning radio in Ottawa.

"One third of all the radios in Ottawa would tune in to his morning show," he said. "He absolutely owned the city in terms of communicating with humour, the events that were taking place, the charities that needed support; he was a person who was absolutely committed to what he did as a voice for people who needed some assistance."

He wasn't just a radio star, he was also well-known for his work in the community, making hundreds of appearances a year, even well into the evenings, despite rising before the sun to open the mic each morning.

A newspaper clipping from the early 1960s featuring Ken Grant on CFRA. (File)

He is known as the first in North America to promote the Jerry Lewis Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy and he is credited with Ottawa becoming the first Canadian city to raise $1 million on the annual Labour Day telethon. A cookbook he published helped to raise $50,000 for the Amethyst Women's Addiction Centre.

Grant was also fond of Canada's military, often leading troupes of entertainers to remote bases throughout the country to put on laughter-filled shows.

"On the air and off the air, he was one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet," said Dave Watts, a longtime CFRA broadcaster and part of station management during the shift from music to talk in 1993. "Very kind, considerate and caring. He'd do anything for anybody and I think because of that, he was just a genuine person."

Grant was hired at CFRA in 1961 and spent more than 30 years with the station. He later moved to Oldies 1310 and retired from broadcasting in 2001. 

According to Madely, the nickname, "The General" came by chance just a few weeks after he was hired. Ending a news story about former U.S. President and Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant, newscaster Campbell McDonald signed off by saying, 'And now, here's our own general, Ken Grant.'

"Ken listened to that and he said, 'I kinda like that'," said Madely. "So out he went and got himself a costume… and started making personal appearances dressed as a Civil War general, complete with sash and sword and hat with plume, and it just took off."

Madley said Grant never lost his sense of humour.

"He filled everything he did with that sense of humour. He was always joking," he said. "In this past year, as he was in declining health, in and out of hospital, he maintained that sense of humour. He was always joking with doctors, nurses, and PSWs."

Despite his stardom, Grant remained humble. 

"If you ever saw me at a football game or a baseball game or a hockey game, I paid for those tickets. If you saw me at the theatre, I paid for those tickets," Grant told CTV News in 2015. "I never took anything for free."

A newspaper clipping featuring Ken "The General" Grant. (File)

He is survived by his son Kristopher, of Oakville, his sister Bev, of Ottawa, and his legion of listeners from across the region. 

Grant's family, friends and colleagues will hold a Celebration of Life in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations in Grant's name would be appreciated to The Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County.

"I truly do think that this was a fellow who was driven to achieve what he did by his belief that if you could make people smile and encourage them to be warm with one another, we'd all be better off," said Madely. 

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Reactions pour in

Listeners from all eras shared their memories of Grant on social media. 

"This is an absolute gut punch. The General marched many of us kids across the region to school decades ago," said Dwight Brown.

"Sad news indeed. We started our day with The General. Condolences to his family," said Rosemarie D'Amico.

"The General was a wonderful host and the unmistakable voice of Ottawa radio. He was a steady and comforting presence; I seldom miss his morning segments with Ernie Calcutt. Two giants of my youth," John Ng said.

"So sorry to hear of his passing. We used to listen to him on CFRA back in the day when we operated a dairy farm. Morning milking chores were always accompanied by the General," said John McIntyre.

Local broadcasters also gave their condolences.

"At one point, almost 80% of people who listened to morning radio in Ottawa listened to The General," said Ottawa Senators play-by-play broadcaster Dean Brown, of TSN 1200. "We will never see that kind of domination again in our business. A true legend. RIP Ken."

Former CFRA host Lowell Green posted to Facebook to say, "My old buddy, Ken, 'The General' has 'marched off' for the last time! So many memories! So many memories!"

MOVE 100 morning show host Stuntman Stu also shared a memory.

"I met him at the muscular dystrophy telethon in 95. Being from Montreal, I didn’t really know him but his reputation preceded him. May he RIP Forward Ho!!" he said.