[Swprograms] John Peel.

["Paul David" <pauldavid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: Clive.Lever@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 14:59:32 +0100

here is the tribute to John Peel from the BBC's news page.

John Peel
John Peel: Witty, unaffected and avuncular The broadcaster, John Peel, was
the champion of British rock music. For nearly 40 years, his late-night
Radio 1 programme led the way in promoting new acts, from David Bowie,
through Joy Division to Lamacq.

John Peel was, at first sight, the antithesis of many of the bands he loved.
Balding, bearded, softly - if hilariously - spoken, he was more like a
favourite uncle than a rock fan.

Yet Peel's uncompromising encouragement of new talent transformed the face
of music all the way from hippy to house.

He was born John Robert Parker Ravenscoft in Heswall, near Liverpool, in
1939. The son of the owner of a cotton mill, his childhood was blighted by
his distant parents and he was brought up mostly by a nanny.

He attended Shrewsbury public school, which he hated, an ordeal which was
offset by the moment when he first heard Elvis Presley singing Heartbreak
Hotel.

David Bowie
David Bowie was one of his earliest proteges "Everything changed when I
heard Elvis," he later reflected. "Where there had been nothing there was
suddenly something."

After National Service between 1957 and 1959 he went to America. With
Beatlemania in full swing, John Peel and his Liverpudlian connections proved
irresistible and he soon became a DJ for WRR radio in Dallas.

Returning to England in 1967, he joined the pirate station, Radio London,
before transferring to the BBC's new national pop channel, Radio 1. He was
to remain there for the rest of his life, the only survivor of Radio 1's
first line-up.

Changing styles

Right from the outset, Peel changed the rules. He played every track without
interruption, to the delight of those wishing to tape his show, while
providing a witty and knowledgeable running commentary, seemingly a million
miles away from the transatlantic platitudes of many of his colleagues.

In the early days Peel championed acts like Marc Bolan, David Bowie and
Captain Beefheart, as he did throughout his career, by giving them
studio-time to record legendary "Peel sessions".

The Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols: Peel championed punk rock
> But, in the mid-1970s, John Peel moved away from the mainstream rock of
Jimi Hendrix and The Who to a new and radical sound, punk.

Bands like the Sex Pistols and the Clash paved the way for new Peel
discoveries like Joy Division and the Undertones, whose Teenage Kicks was
his all-time favourite single.

The 1980s brought further joy, most notably in the form of The Fall and The
Smiths, both refreshing counterblasts to the increasingly bland fare of the
charts.

More recently, Peel had branched-out, presenting BBC Radio Four's Home
Truths, an eclectic programme about family life, and provided typically
droll interjections for BBC TV's Grumpy Old Men.

And he continued to remain at the cutting-edge of popular taste, featuring
'world' music and rap alongside good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll.

A lifelong fan of the Archers and a dedicated follower of Liverpool football
club, he lived in Suffolk with his wife Sheila, affectionately known as The
Pig.


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