It’s a sad day..John Peel passed away last night from a heart attack whilst on holiday with his family in Peru.
This guy was, is and will remain to be a legend, he has probably done more for the development of music than anyone else, especially in the UK.
For those of you who don’t have any idea who he is, here’s a brief bio:
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John Peel, OBE
Last updated 26 Oct 2004
John Peel was born in Heswall near Chester in 1939 and after completing his military service in Britain in 1962, went to Texas and began working for WRR radio in Dallas. For the next three years he moved to various radio stations in America, among them KOMA in Oklahoma City and KMEN outside Los Angeles. He returned to Britain in 1967 and joined Radio London with the celebrated show The Perfumed Garden.
John was with Radio 1 from the beginning in 1967, establishing himself with the late night programme Top Gear. John was the first DJ to give exposure to punk, reggae and hip-hop, long before they crossed over into the mainstream. Almost anyone who is anyone in the world of music has recorded a session for Peel. John added a new string to his bow when in 1998 he became the presenter of a new magazine programme called Home Truths on Radio 4. The programme reflected on the trials, tribulations and delights of family life. He and it became firm favourites with the audience.
John regularly topped music paper Best DJ polls. In 1998 John was awarded an OBE. In 2002 he received the industry’s highest accolade, when he was awarded the Sony Gold marking his outstanding contribution to radio over 35 years of broadcasting. John was awarded a host of Honorary Degrees – MA (University of East Anglia) Doctorates (Polytechnic University of East Anglia and Sheffield Hallam University), Hon. Degrees (Liverpool University, Open University, Portsmouth University, Bradford University) and a Fellowship (John Moores University Liverpool).
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If you want a bit more info check here: https://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/id/366
I am pretty gutted..I have spent so many years listening to him and his eclectic taste of tracks I somehow feel like I know him. This guy was the original champion for new music, people sent their demo tapes to him knowing he really cared. He had the broadest taste in music that you could possibly imagine..
Who else would play an African trible track followed by a peice of hardcore Drum & Bass then top it off with some cheesy Country and Western..
I remember one notable time he said he was walking past his sons bedroom and heard some banging techno, so he went in and asked his son about the track…he liked it so found out more about it and played in on national radio the next day..Amazing!
He influenced the musical tastes of so many people..when listening to him you’d hear tunes and genres of music that you could never possibly hear anywhere else, his easy witty manner on the radio made for good listening too, the guy could actually make you laugh out loud. His career spanned more than 40 years and what I really respect is that he has influenced more than one generation of people, maybe even 3 generations of radio listeners…that in itself is incredible..
BBC Report is HERE
Pay your respects please..
RIP JOHN WE LOVE YOU
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