Johnny Lombardi, (December 4, 1915 – March 18, 2002) was a pioneer of multicultural broadcasting in Canada. He founded CHIN in 1966 His father Leonardo Barbalinardo changed his name to Leonardo Lombardi shortly after moving to Canada because the Anglo-Saxon community of Toronto at the time had difficulty pronouncing his name. Leonardo had come to Canada from Pisticci, in the region of Basilicata.
He was lead trumpet player for the Benny Palmer Orchestra<!-- Note: source date must be wrong, as it speaks about Lombardi's death, which occurred two months later (or it was updated, but not noted, after his death) --> in London, a popular Ontario big band during the 1930s. He enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War II in 1942, and was soon stationed in Europe, participating in the taking of Juno Beach. He was a Sergeant in the army, and during the war he entertained the troops with his trumpet.
CHIN Radio
He returned to Canada in 1946, and in 1948 he opened a supermarket named Lombardi's Italian Foods Ltd., or simply Lombardi’s Supermarket, at 637 College Street, an area which came to be known as Little Italy. He began his broadcasting career as a producer for an hour-long Italian music program, first on CHUM and later on CKFH in which he advertised his supermarket.