Johnnie Walker
MBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born Peter Waters Dingley, 30 March 1945 in
OltonOlton is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, England. In the 13th century the Lords of the Manor moved their seat and formed a new settlement, in the junction of two major roads, that village has now grown into a big town called Solihull...
,
SolihullSolihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, England) is a popular British veteran radio
disc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and broadcaster.
He is noted for his knowledge and love of music, his championing of new artists and his attributing more importance to songs he plays rather than the chat in between.
On 27 February 2006, Walker announced his departure from the
BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
drive timeDrive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
slot he had occupied for several years. He now presents a Sunday show specialising music from the 1970s, and occasionally deputises for other presenters when they are on leave.
During his seven years on the drive time slot, Walker conducted many interviews, stories and features—covering less glitzy topics and bringing attention to environmental issues, spiritual experiences, musicians and artists outside of the mainstream, even alien theorists.
He took over the show from John Dunn. Dunn had been popular and had an established listener base before retiring from ill health. Walker retained listeners and increased listening figures during his seven years.
Early life
Walker's father sold
electroplatingElectroplating is a plating process in which metal ions in a solution are moved by an electric field to coat an electrode. The process uses electrical current to reduce cations of a desired material from a solution and coat a conductive object with a thin layer of the material, such as a metal...
equipment for car parts. Johnnie Walker was educated at the independent
Solihull SchoolSolihull School is a British Independent school situated near the centre of Solihull, West Midlands, England.2010 saw Solihull School celebrate its 450th anniversary since its foundation in 1560....
, where he enjoyed music lessons and playing rugby, but he failed his O-Level examinations. He then obtained employment in the motor trade, studied for a City and Guilds qualification in motor mechanics at
GloucesterGloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
Technical College and aspired to be car salesman, before becoming a DJ in bars and ballrooms.
Offshore Radio
Walker's broadcasting began in 1966 on
offshore (pirate) radio stationOffshore radio is radio broadcasting from ships or fixed maritime structures, usually in international waters. The claimed first wireless broadcast of music and speech for the purpose of entertainment was transmitted from a Royal Naval craft, the HMS Andromeda, in 1907...
Swinging Radio EnglandSwinging Radio England was a top 40 offshore commercial station billed as the "World's Most Powerful" that operated from 3 May 1966 to 13 November 1966 from a ship in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
, before moving to
Radio CarolineRadio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...
. When Government action forced the pirate stations to close in 1967, three presenters were still broadcasting: Walker,
Robbie DaleRobbie Dale 'The Admiral' was born in Littleborough, Lancashire, England on 21 April 1940.Dale was one of the DJs on the offshore pirate radio ship Radio Caroline on 14 August 1967 with Johnnie Walker, when the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act came into effect. At its peak, the station had 23...
and
Ross BrownRoss Brown is an Australian rower.- References :...
. At midnight on 15 August 1967, addressing an estimated 20 million listeners, they said the station belonged to the audience and that it would continue .
BBC Radio 1
Walker then joined
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in April 1969, presenting a two-hour Saturday show from 1-3 pm. A year later, in 1970, Walker presented a one-hour weekday morning slot from 9-10, moving to the weekday early afternoon show in 1971, from 1-3 pm, which then went out from 12-2 pm in 1973. The show featured the music quiz 'Pop the Question' and the Tuesday chart rundown as the new weekly chart was published on Tuesdays instead of Sundays at this time.
In 1976, station bosses fell out with Walker over the music he played and about how it was seen not to fit the station's daytime music line-up. He was also told off for criticising The Bay City Rollers - then at the height of their popularity - on air, describing them as "musical garbage". As a result, he left Radio 1 and moved to the U.S.A. where he stayed for five years. During his time in the states Walker worked for radio stations KSAN in San Francisco, WHFS (historic) in Bethesda and also recorded some shows for Radio Luxembourg. He was also involved in other enterprises.
Local radio
Walker returned to the UK in the early 1980s and in 1982 presented Radio West's evening show 'The Modern World'. In September 1983 he joined Wiltshire Radio presenting the 11 am-2 pm slot. He was subsequently heard on
GWRHeart 96.3 was a radio station serving Bristol and surrounding areas and broadcasting on 96.3 MHz in Bristol and 103.0 MHz in Weston-super-Mare...
,which was formed out of the merger of Radio West and Wiltshire Radio
Return to Radio 1
In January 1987, Walker re-joined
Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
presenting the Saturday afternoon show 'The Saturday Sequence', before
Roger ScottRoger Scott was a British radio disc jockey. He was best known for presenting an afternoon radio show on London's Capital Radio from 1973 until 1988....
took over in mid-1988. In July 1988, he was briefly heard on
Richard BransonSir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
's syndicated service
The SuperstationThe Superstation was set up as an over-night sustaining service for Independent Local Radio...
which provided overnight programming to some ILR stations
BBC GLR and BBC Radio 5
In October 1988, Walker was one of the original presenters on the new
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
local station in London BBC GLR, in a lineup which included
Nick AbbotNick Abbot is a British radio presenter, who has presented on numarious radio station in the uk for past 20 years.-History:Nick Abbot was born 22 August 1960, and was educated at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh and Brunel University in Uxbridge where he gained a degree in psychology. Abbot's...
,
Emma FreudEmma Vallencey Freud OBE is an English broadcaster and cultural commentator.-Early life:Emma Freud was born on 25 January 1962 and is the daughter of politician and broadcaster Sir Clement Freud and June Flewett. She is the great-granddaughter of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud...
,
Tommy VanceTommy Vance was a British pop radio broadcaster, born in Eynsham, Oxfordshire. He was one of the few music broadcasters in the United Kingdom to champion hard rock and heavy metal in the early 1980s, providing the only national radio forum for both bands and fans...
and
Dave PearceDave Pearce is a British dance DJ and record producer, who has played gigs across the UK and the world, although he is perhaps best known for his work in radio. He currently works for the BBC 6 Music...
and was run by future Radio 1 controller
Matthew BannisterRichard Matthew Bannister is a British media executive and broadcaster. After attending King Edward VII School , he graduated in law at the University of Nottingham in 1978, and joined BBC Radio Nottingham as a trainee reporter and subsequently the presenter of its speech-based breakfast show,...
. Walker presented the weekday slot from 12-3 pm. Then after a few months, he took over from
Emma FreudEmma Vallencey Freud OBE is an English broadcaster and cultural commentator.-Early life:Emma Freud was born on 25 January 1962 and is the daughter of politician and broadcaster Sir Clement Freud and June Flewett. She is the great-granddaughter of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud...
from 10am-1pm.
In 1991 Walker joined the new
BBC Radio 5BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
, presenting the weekday mid-morning slot, 'The AM Alternative'. He originally presented the show on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.30 am-noon. As a result, he took over the weekday show on BBC GLR from 7-9 pm, where he remained until later that year, when he was dismissed from the station after comments about the resignation of
Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
as Prime Minister.
Following his dismissal from BBC GLR he took the
BBC Radio 5BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
show five days a week. He broadcast from 9.30 am-noon Mondays-Fridays and remained with Radio 5 until March 1994 when the station re-launched as
BBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
.
Returned again to Radio 1
In September 1991, as well as presenting for Radio 5, Walker returned to
Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, taking over from
Richard SkinnerRichard Skinner was an American politician, attorney, and jurist from the US state of Vermont.Skinner was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. He completed preparatory studies and graduated from Litchfield Law School, and was admitted to the bar in 1800, beginning a practice in Manchester, Vermont...
on the 'Saturday Sequence', every Saturday from 3-7 pm. He went out from 3-6 pm in March 1992.
He remained until October 1993, moving to Saturday 7-11 pm, before moving back to Saturday afternoons in November 1994 from 2-5 pm, where he remained until he left Radio 1 for good in October 1995.
In early 1996, Walker was on London's Talk Station
LBCLBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...
, presenting the weekend programme 6-10 am. In addition, he was heard on
Classic GoldClassic Gold was a network of three "Gold" music formatted stations which broadcast on AM in Bradford, Hull and Sheffield. They were the Pennine Radio, Viking Radio and Radio Hallam's medium wave franchises...
stations around the UK on Saturday from 12-2 pm.
Radio 2
In 1997, in addition to his Classic Gold shows, Walker was on
BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
presenting documentaries and filling in for presenters.
In April 1998, Walker was offered his own weekly show on Radio 2, Saturday 3.30-5.30 pm, then six months later, as well as Saturday afternoons, Walker took over from
John DunnJohn Churchill Dunn, professionally known simply as John Dunn, was a disc jockey and radio presenter who worked for many years on BBC Radio....
from 5-7 pm Monday to Thursday.
Des LynamDesmond Michael "Des" Lynam, OBE is an Irish television and radio presenter based in the UK.He has hosted television coverage of high profile events for many years...
presented Friday's edition.
In early 1999, Walker came off his show having been the subject of a tabloid exposé over his
cocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
problem. BBC Radio 2 bosses gave Walker back his drivetime show after he was fined £2,000 for possession of cocaine. He was suspended by the BBC when the drug allegations were published in the
News of the WorldThe News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
in April 1999. Bosses later reinstated him after the court case.. During Walker's absence
Richard AllinsonRichard John McNeill Allinson is a British broadcaster. He started his broadcasting with a 3-year stint at Bailrigg FM, known at that time as University Radio Bailrigg ,whilst undertaking college courses at Lancaster University Management School. He was firstly Treasurer and then became President...
filled in for him on Drivetime while
Billy BraggStephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
took over Saturday afternoon. Walker returned to his Drivetime Show, now presenting from Monday to Friday, towards the end of 1999.
Janice LongJanice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
then took over Saturday afternoons.
Illness announced
Walker told listeners in June 2003 that he was suffering from
cancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. He ended his show by stating he was beginning treatment and would be taking time off to recover, after which he played "
Bridge over Troubled Water"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969, released in 2008. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at...
" by
Simon and GarfunkelSimon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
.
Stuart MaconieStuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
filled in for him, then on Thursday 24 July 2003, the BBC announced that
Noel EdmondsNoel Ernest Edmonds, is an English broadcaster and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show, Telly Addicts, Noel's Saturday...
would join Radio 2, to present Drivetime for 8 weeks. Edmonds took over from Monday 4 August until Friday 3 October.
Walker's recovery continued, but there was to be no return after Edmonds.
Stuart MaconieStuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
continued as stand-in, and at the beginning of Monday 6 October's Drivetime show, he played
Bruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's "
Born to Run"Born to Run" is a song by American singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen, and the title song of his album Born to Run.- Songwriting :Written at in Long Branch, New Jersey in early 1974, the song was Bruce Springsteen's last-ditch effort to make it big. The prior year, Springsteen had released two...
" for Walker, remarked that he was doing well, and that he was due to return at the end of the year.
On 12 February 2004, Radio 2 announced Walker would return on 1 March. This was followed by his own message. Well, it's taken a lot longer than I originally thought, but I reckon I'm fit enough now to come back to the Drive Time Show on Monday 1 March. I'd like to thank
Jim MoirJames Moir was a senior BBC executive for many years until his retirement in 2003. Among the programmes he produced were Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game from 1971-75....
and
Lesley DouglasLesley Douglas is a former British radio executive. She was the Controller of BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music from early 2004 until her resignation in October 2008 over the Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row.-Early life:...
for keeping the door open for me all this time, and also to
Stuart MaconieStuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
for doing such a great job on the show while I've been away. And a huge thank you to Radio 2 listeners for all their wonderful support since I left the show in June 2003. I've been very lucky to have had so many good wishes and kindness sent in my direction, it helped enormously with my recovery - thank you so much. It will be great for us to be re-united again from 1 March.
On Monday 1 March, Walker returned. His first record was
Eric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's "Hello Old Friend", which includes the lyrics '…it's so good to have you back'. Walker and Clapton were born on the same day. Walker later
presented a show on Radio 2 to celebrate the fact that they were both turning 60.
Johnnie Walker was made an MBE in the
2006 New Year's Honours ListThe New Year Honours 2006 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 31 December 2005, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2006....
.
New projects
In February 2006, it was announced that Walker was stepping down as host of
Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
Drivetime to take over a show on Sundays and conduct interviews with musicians. His last drivetime show was on the 31 March, with
Neil DiamondNeil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
as a guest. The final song played by Walker on the show was "Human Touch" by
Bruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
. Since 23 April, Walker took over a show on Sundays from 5-7 pm. As well as his Sunday show, Walker also deputised for an unwell
Brian MatthewBrian Matthew is a veteran English broadcaster, who became well known in the 1960s. He is still broadcasting on radio for the BBC, having presented Sounds of the 60s since 1990, often employing the same vocabulary and the same measured delivery he used in previous decades.-Early life and...
on Radio 2's
Sounds of the 60sSounds of the 60s is a long-running Saturday morning programme on BBC Radio 2 that features recordings of popular music made in the 1960s. It was first broadcast on 12 February 1983 and introduced by Keith Fordyce who had been the first presenter of the TV show Ready Steady Go! in 1963...
from 2 September 2006 until the programme broadcast on 25 November 2006 when he too had to take time off the air to have an operation. He returned to the programme on 6 January 2007 and continued to host the show until Brian Matthew's return on 10 February. He also returned to his own Sunday show the following day.
Personal life
Walker admits to a turbulent life. He has two children, Beth and Sam, from his first marriage to Frances Kum in 1971 which ended in divorce. He is now (since 21 December 2002) married to Tiggy Jarvis Walker (born 26 December 1960) who was previously the girlfriend of folk musician
Gordon HaskellGordon Haskell is a Pop, Rock & Blues music vocalist, songwriter, and bassist. He first gained recognition as a member of the British band Les Fleur de Lys. He sang on one of the songs of King Crimson's second album, then played bass and sang on their third album...
.
Walker's hobbies include photography, backgammon and travelling in a camper van. He is also known for his love of Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Current work
From 28 January 2007, his Sunday show was broadcast from 4.30-6.30 pm. In addition, he also deputised for
Terry WoganSir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE, DL , or also known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish radio and television broadcaster who holds dual Irish and British citizenship. Wogan has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career...
on Radio 2's Breakfast show up until the end of 2009. His autobiography was published on 31 May 2007 - while the previous year another book, 'Johnnie Walker - Cruisin' The Formats', put his radio work in the context of radio development over 40 years.
From 9 August to 14 August 2007, Walker was one of several former pirate radio disc jockeys at
BBC Essex's six-day revival of pirate radio that marked the 40th anniversary of the Marine Offences Act. He was also part of "Pirate BBC Essex" programmes broadcast over Easter 2009 to celebrate 45 years since
Radio CarolineRadio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...
started
On Saturday 7 February 2009 Walker started a new ten week series called "Pirate Johnnie Walker" on BBC Radio 2. This show recreated the sounds of pirate radio from the 1960s and had other Pirate DJs from the era as guests.
From 5 April 2009 Walker started a new Sunday afternoon (3-5pm) show on Radio 2 called "Sounds Of The Seventies". This show is similar to the show previously presented by
Steve HarleySteve Harley is an English singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still occasionally tours .-Biography:As a child, Harley suffered from polio, spending four years in hospital up to the...
who broadcast his final show on Thursday 27 March 2008, but parts of the format are different and often features interviews with guest artistes.
Walker can also be heard occasionally on
BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
on Thursday nights presenting In Concert.
Other work
Walker has done voice-over work for television adverts. He has appeared on GMTV several times, and was an advisor to the film
The Boat That RockedThe Boat That Rocked is a 2009 British comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis, with pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s as its setting. The film has an ensemble cast featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, and Kenneth Branagh...
, released in April 2009.
On 29 June 2009, whilst covering for Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2, Johnnie revealed that for many years he and another DJ, Chris Bull, had been responsible for playing the records between sets on the Pyramid stage at the
Glastonbury FestivalThe Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, an important role as it sets the mood for the next act. His wife, Tiggy, had suggested playing Oasis's "
Wonderwall"Wonderwall" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter Noel Gallagher. The song was produced by Owen Morris and Gallagher for their second album, Morning Glory?...
" before Bruce Springsteen's set two days earlier---an inspired choice that soon had the crowd singing along. From the crowd's reaction, Walker turned to Bull, saying "How are we going to follow that?".
External links