Albert McCallum was a furrier living in the Rosemount district of Montreal Quebec when he and his wife Katie welcomed their first son Duncan (Ross) McCallum, born in Missisquoi Bay, QC during the summer of 1930. Ross' brother Doug was born three years later. Ross spent his early years in Rosemount and became fluently bilingual, unusual for the time. Shortly before the war the McCallum family moved from Rosemount, taking up residence on Pine Avenue in St. Lambert , where soon after Ross' sister Heather, younger by 14 years, was born.

Heather recalls: “He went to the old St. Lambert High on Green Street where he had Miss Cockerline as a teacher and the two rarely agreed on anything. The first thing she wanted to know when first Douglas and several years later I had her as our teacher, was if we were as 'bad as our brother Ross'. “ Heather further remembers tales about Ross excelling at forging notes to excuse his absences from school.

During all Ross' high school years, his father Albert McCallum had enough influence within the Canadian Fur Auction in Montreal, he was able to bring Ross into the organization where he spent his summers working fulltime.

As a young man Ross was a gifted athlete and was well known around the Montreal area for his athletic prowess. He played, and then coached the local South Shore Combines. He also played for NDG Maple Leafs Football Club. Heather recalls “Along with our brother Doug they would referee hockey games or umpire softball games – often our father was behind the plate – making it a family affair. He eventually landed in the Canadian Football League where he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers  and the Edmonton Eskimos in the early 1950's and participated in the 1953 Grey Cup with Winnipeg – darn those TigerCats! “

Some of Ross' friends in St. Lambert were Phil Harvey, Mickey Maguire, Doogie Parsons, Ralph Alcorn, Ross Dever, Stew Cummings and Eric Maize. He had many friends who were well known sports celebrities but he was never a name dropper.
Heather continues “After his athletic career he went to communities where jobs were plentiful and in that time period he landed in Sept. Iles, Quebec. Later, in Sept Isles he was Sports Director for the community. On a summer visit he taught me to drive on the dirt roads there at age 12!!!! It helped that our brother Douglas was one of a few Police Officers in town.”

A few years later he landed in Labrador City..  Both these communities were experiencing a boom in iron ore and opportunities abounded.  Since Ross was fluently bilingual this was a plus in this environment. Ross worked for Northern Wings , a bush airline, then went to work as a Community Athletic Director, where he developed the local sports scene and other activities. He played a role in developing a social club and wrote a column for the local newspaper. It was also in Labrador that Ross began playing drums at social events.  In his usual fashion, it wasn't long  before every citizen knew the name of Ross McCallum. Later, he started a Boxing Club & held matches twice a month. He put together a Softball team of locals & coached them to win the Newfoundland Championship in 1967 followed by a trip to the Canadian Championships in Saskatoon.

While in Labrador City he married Dawn Ambridge of Ottawa and Brett was born in 1967. The marriage lasted only a few years but they remained close friends and co-active parents.

Always one for adventure, Ross ended up in Los Angeles for a short time.  He had a lifelong  love of jazz music and managed to see all of the jazz legends while living in LA and it cultivated his desire to be involved in the music business.   Eventually, he made his way to Ottawa and ended up in the music business.  His first real success was with the band Caravan, which eventually toured both Canada and USA and had a string of contracts with the Playboy club circuit.  This was in an era when very few agents or managers were able to book their Canadian acts into the States; so Ross's early success in music was indeed genuine.  Although he called himself “the worst drummer in the world” he did manage to play in a jazz trio for a house job at the Sportsplex for a number of months and played with a few country bands around Ottawa.

Ross together with musician Rick Flanagan and singer Jimmy Knox opened KMA Talent.  Knox, McCallum and Associates Talent. They put together some bands, expanding their artist lineup in the process.  Heather says “It was amazing to see bands put together in 2 or 3 weeks and then sent out to begin gigging. “

KMA Talent didn't last a long time but it was an important stepping stone to the creation of Creative Artists of Canada which became a strong agency with many exclusive acts on the road. Their musicians were always fully employed and made excellent incomes from the club circuit.

The Country music scene began to rise and Ross hitched his wagon to it.  Over the next several years his role in the music business expanded.   He managed and booked many country performers.  He helped develop various country music jamborees throughout the Ottawa valley.   Ross was employed by the Musicians Union as their business representative for four years, during which time he organized, promoted and volunteered many 'unpaid' hours to “Soup Kitchen Live” – Outdoor concerts on Ottawa's Rideau Street, with local musicians volunteering their talents. Thousands of dollars were raised for the Ottawa Food Bank and thousands of unfortunate souls in Ottawa benefited from the funds and food raised at this event.  By this time Ross was wearing and juggling the hats of agent, manager, promoter, A&R man and entrepreneur all at the same time.  His collective knowledge from years of experience; dating back to his community work in Labrador and up to his years at Creative Artists of Canada;  was coming into full focus.  Ross's light was shining brighter than ever. He managed to leave an indelible mark on the Ottawa music scene. He eventually began his own agency – Professional Entertainment Services. Rick Flanagan says: “It goes without saying that Ross McCallum affected the lives of many people. They number not only in the hundreds, but probably the thousands .  He was generous with everyone to a fault. Many musicians will never know that when he slipped then $20 - $30 to see them through the weekend it meant he might go short himself until booking commissions came in on Monday.  Ross was always a  big believer that people could reform and change, so he frequently  gave musicians a gig, or a slot in a band when all the others in the community had turned their backs on them.  He never had a bad word to say about anyone and I honestly don't know of anyone who didn't like him wherever he went. “ For 10 years Ross organized and promoted a very successful country music Jamboree at Mac's Cedar Rest Campground on Mink Lake at Eganville, Ontario, featuring Canadian acts. These included Ross McMunn (the Silver Fox), Ralph Carlson, Michelle Wright, The Family Brown, The Leahy Family, Orville Prophet, The Cape Breton Fiddlers, to name a few. He was a founding member of the Renfrew Chapter of The Children's Wish Foundation and used his incredible organizational and promotional skills to raise funds for this very worthwhile cause.

Every community in which Ross found himself, he looked for a way to have a positive affect.  At his summer campground Ross would organize cookouts, card nights, fishing derbies and a newsletter for his fellow campers.  He organized and promoted several antique shows in the Ottawa area. His pride and joy was the “Jewel of the Rideau” show at Merrickville, billed as the largest indoor/outdoor show in Eastern Ontario. It is now in its 15th. season.

In 1986 Ross married Sheila Cornell from Carleton Place, Ontario. They enjoyed a very happy relationship until his death.

With declining health and the desire to spend more time at his cottage on Mink Lake fishing, he handed over the reins of Professional Entertainment Services to Christine McCann, one of his “protégés. However, he remained a constant source of advice and encouragement to musicians who continued to consult him for many years following his retirement. Many bands showed up at his cottage on the first long weekend in August and joined in the celebration of his birthday.

After his health began to fail he had one more project in mind.  He had received excellent care at the hospital in Carleton Place and wanted to organize one last big event - a fundraiser for the hospital.  Unfortunately he was never able to bring that idea to fruition. If he had, it would have been a total success. 

Ross passed away on November 27, 2006