John Peel
| Biography | |
|---|---|
| Name | John Robert Parker Ravenscrof |
| Born | 30 August 1939 |
| Death | 25 October 2004 Heart failure |
| Hometown | Heswall, England |
| Years Active | 1967-2004 |
| Associated Acts | The Smiths |
| Official Website | |
Career
John Peel was an English disc jockey and radio/TV presenter. He is most remembered for his BBC Radio 1 broadcasts, on which he presented mostly late night programmes for over 30 years. He also occasionally presented the BBC popular music chart show Top Of The Pops.
"Peel Sessions" were special studio recordings by selected artists for his show. More than 4,000 took place over his career.
He was highly respected amongst artists and fans, due to his passion for music and his down to earth personality.
John Peel Sessions - The Smiths
Recorded 18 May 1983, Maida Vale Studios, London. Broadcast 31 May 1983
- What Difference Does It Make? [watch]
- Miserable Lie [watch]
- Reel Around The Fountain [watch]
- Handsome Devil [watch]
Producer - Roger Pusey
Engineer - Nick Gomm
Recorded 14 September 1983, Maida Vale Studios, London. Broadcast 21 September 1983
Producer - Roger Pusey
Engineer - Ted De Bono
Recorded 1 August 1984, Maida Vale Studios, London. Broadcast 9 August 1984
Producer - John Porter
Engineer - Nick Gomm
Recorded 2 December 1986, Maida Vale Studios, London. Broadcast 17 December 1986
Producer - John Porter
Engineer - Unknown
Video
Johnny Marr Recalling John Peel Sessions
External links
Mentioned In
Wikipedia Information
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John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. Peel was one of the first broadcasters to play psychedelic rock and progressive rock records on British radio. He is widely acknowledged for promoting artists of many genres, including pop, dub reggae, punk rock and post-punk, electronic music and dance music, indie rock, extreme metal and British hip hop. Fellow DJ Paul Gambaccini described Peel as "the most important single person in popular music from approximately 1967 through 1978. He broke more important artists than any individual." Peel's Radio 1 shows were notable for the regular "Peel sessions", which usually consisted of four songs recorded by an artist in the BBC's studios, often providing the first major national coverage to bands that later achieved fame. The annual Festive Fifty countdown of his listeners' favourite records of the year was a notable part of his promotion of new music. Peel appeared on television occasionally as one of the presenters of Top of the Pops in the 1980s, and provided voice-over commentary for a number of BBC programmes. He became popular with the audience of BBC Radio 4 for his Home Truths programme, which ran from the 1990s, featuring unusual stories from listeners' domestic lives.