You’ll be missed, John Peel

John Peel 1939 – 2004

“The Monday evening show the weekend after the Hillsborough tragedy was a piece of broadcasting I’ll never forget. He said nothing at the start of his show. He just played a record. A long slow record. It was Aretha Franklin’s heart breaking gospel version of You’ll Never Walk Alone. I looked through the glass from my adjacent studio and John was just weeping. Silently. So were all of us – his listeners. Nothing more needed to be said.” Nicky Campbell of BBC Five Live.

The fact that 30,000 users have emailed the BBC’s tribute page in under 24 hours is testament not only to John Peel’s broad appeal but the fact that he has singlehandedly helped increase the muscial awareness most of Britain’s youth in the last 30 years. Rather than blather on myself, please check the links to some excellent content care of his long time employer, the BBC.

MAIN STORIES

Legendary radio DJ John Peel dies
Tributes pour in for DJ Peel
Glastonbury tribute to John Peel
Peel’s huge impact on music
His life away from music

TRIBUTES

Nicky Campbell: ‘A great guy’
Paul Morley: ‘Forever young’

OBITUARY

British music’s champion

IN PICTURES

A life spent in music
RADIO
Front Row profile
VIDEO
Peel remembered
BBC Radio One
The John Peel site

2 Responses to “You’ll be missed, John Peel”

  1. zoe says:

    a great loss indeed.

  2. Andy says:

    A terrible loss of a Giant among men. I’ve had the Joy Division out in honour. Without Peel, I probably wouldn’t have heard of half the bands I so love now.

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