Charlie Gillett (born 20 February 1942), is a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
presenter and writer, and in recent years has become one of the country's most influential proponents of '
world musicWorld music is the traditional music or folk music of a culture that is created and played by indigenous musicians that is closely related to the music of the regions of their origin.-Terminology:...
'.
Gillett began in journalism in 1968 with a weekly column in the
Record MirrorRecord Mirror was a national tabloid consumer weekly pop music newspaper founded by Isadore Green, featuring news articles, interviews, record charts, record and concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became repected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record...
.
His 1970 book,
The Sound of the City, was a history of
popular musicPopular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres, and stands in contrast to art music, and traditional music which was disseminated orally...
, originally written as his
MastersA master's degree is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
thesisA dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
for
Columbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City...
. It received excellent reviews in both
Time magazine and
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
and enabled Gillett to further his music journalism career and write a second book,
Making Tracks.
Charlie Gillett (born 20 February 1942), is a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
presenter and writer, and in recent years has become one of the country's most influential proponents of '
world musicWorld music is the traditional music or folk music of a culture that is created and played by indigenous musicians that is closely related to the music of the regions of their origin.-Terminology:...
'.
Gillett began in journalism in 1968 with a weekly column in the
Record MirrorRecord Mirror was a national tabloid consumer weekly pop music newspaper founded by Isadore Green, featuring news articles, interviews, record charts, record and concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became repected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record...
.
His 1970 book,
The Sound of the City, was a history of
popular musicPopular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres, and stands in contrast to art music, and traditional music which was disseminated orally...
, originally written as his
MastersA master's degree is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
thesisA dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
for
Columbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City...
. It received excellent reviews in both
Time magazine and
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
and enabled Gillett to further his music journalism career and write a second book,
Making Tracks. He wrote for a variety of music magazines including
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
and
New Musical Express and currently contributes to
The ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a left-liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-History:The...
.
He began a weekly radio programme,
Honky Tonk on Radio London from 1972, leaving in 1978. He brought
Ian DuryIan Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
to public attention, and was the first DJ to play demos by
Graham ParkerGraham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter who is best known as the lead singer of popular British New Wave band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...
,
Elvis CostelloElvis Costello is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s, and later became associated with the punk rock and New Wave musical genres...
and
Dire StraitsDire Straits were a British rock band, active between 1977 and 1995. The band was formed by Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers , and managed by Ed Bicknell...
("Sultans of Swing").
With partner Gordon Nelki, Charlie launched the Oval
record labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in 1974 with
Another Saturday Night, a compilation record which popularised
Cajun musicCajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
in the UK. The duo managed
Ian DuryIan Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
's first group Kilburn & the High Roads, co-produced the first
Lene LovichLene Lovich is an American singer based in England, who first gained attention as part of the New Wave music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her most popular hit single was "Lucky Number", first released in 1979.-Early years:...
album (including the hit "
Lucky NumberLucky Number was a hit single in the UK for Lene Lovich. Released in 1979, it was featured on the album Stateless, recorded for Stiff Records....
") and published
Paul HardcastlePaul Hardcastle is an English composer and musician, specialising in the synthesizer.-Early career:...
's worldwide number one hit, "19". Most recently they have worked with producer
David LoweDavid Lowe is a British composer, focusing primarily on music for television and radio. His work includes all the current themes for BBC News....
on the projects
Touch and GoTouch and Go is a jazz-pop ensemble from the United Kingdom. Their most notable singles include "Would You...?", "Straight... to Number One", and "Tango in Harlem"....
(including the pan-European hit "
Would You...?"Would You...?" is a electronic/house song by the British band Touch and Go. It was released as a single in October 1998.The track is marked by its distinctive sampling of a woman's voice saying "I've noticed you around / I find you very attractive / Would you go to bed with me?". It reached the...
") and Dreamcatcher.
In 1980 Charlie joined London's leading commercial station,
Capital Radio95.8 Capital FM is a popular London local radio station owned by the Global Radio group.-Early years:This local radio station for London, which was based on the first two floors of the Euston Tower, was originally named Capital Radio, and was launched by then-chairman Richard Attenborough at 5:00...
, and began to play more independent music. Fired in 1983, but after listener complaints was re-hired with orders for a new format. He chose to follow his new interest in music from the rest of the world and his show,
A Foreign Affair, is credited with helping to launch 'world music'
http://www.globalvillageidiot.net/gillett2.htm. Having been the first British DJ to play
Youssou N'DourYoussou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known by its Wolof language name of...
,
Salif KeitaSalif Keita is an internationally recognized afro-pop singer-songwriter from Mali. He is unique not only because of his reputation as the Golden Voice of Africa, but because he has albinism and is a direct descendant of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita...
, "Hot Hot Hot" by Arrow (Alphonsus Cassell) and many more, he left Capital in December 1990. He was presented with the Sony Gold Lifetime Achievement Award the following year.
Returning to the BBC, Charlie has presented a weekly two hour show on
BBC London 94.9BBC London 94.9 is London's BBC Local Radio station, and part of BBC London. Broadcasting across Greater London and beyond on 94.9 FM, DAB, Virgin Media Channel 930, Sky Digital Channel 0152 and also online. Previously known as BBC London Live, GLR and Radio London...
from 1995 to 2006 and a weekly world music programme on the
BBC World ServiceThe BBC World Service is one of the most widely-recognised international broadcasters, currently broadcasting in 32 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays. It is politically independent, non-profit and...
since 1999. In 2006, Gillett was awarded The
John PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. He was known for his eclectic taste in music and...
Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music Radio by the Radio Academy. In July 2006, after eleven years of broadcasting his regular Saturday Night show of world music, Charlie had to end his weekend slot due to ill health.
However he now seems to be back in action, and currently presents a half hour show, Charlie Gillet's World of Music, which is broadcast and uploaded to the BBC World website at 11.30pm on a Friday. The show remains on the website for the entire week.
Since mid-2007, he has been on BBC Radio 3 in a rota of three DJs (with
Mary Ann KennedyMary Ann Kennedy is a Scottish musician, singer, composer, radio and television presenter, and music producer.-Biography:Mary Ann Kennedy was born and brought up in Glasgow in a Gaelic-speaking household...
and Lopa Kothari) presenting World on 3, regularly featuring session guests.
Each year each year since 2000, he has compiled a double-CD world music album, World 2000, 2001, etc, the first four for EMI, the next two for Wrasse. World 2006, Sound of the World (2007) and the latest, Beyond the Horizon (2008), are on Warner Classics & Jazz/Rhino.
Gillett and his wife Buffy have two daughters, Suzy and Jody, and one son, Ivan.
External links