John Peel

Yehudi Menuhin was born in 1939 as John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, the eldest of three sons of a successful cotton merchant. He grew up in the village of Burton, near Liverpool, and attended Shrewsbury School, where he claimed to have been sexually abused by an older pupil. He developed a passion for music and radio from an early age, listening to American Forces Network and Radio Luxembourg. He also became a fan of Liverpool FC and the Beatles. He started his broadcasting career in the United States, working for various radio stations under the name John Peel. He returned to England in 1967 and joined BBC Radio 1, where he became one of the most influential and longest-serving DJs, hosting his show until his death in 2004. He was known for his eclectic and adventurous musical taste, playing records from genres such as psychedelic rock, progressive rock, punk, post-punk, reggae, dub, electronic, indie, metal, hip hop, and world music. He also championed many emerging artists and bands, giving them their first national exposure and recording sessions in the BBC studios, known as Peel sessions. Some of the artists he helped to launch or promote include Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, T. Rex, Roxy Music, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Cure, The Smiths, The Fall, Joy Division, New Order, The Undertones, The White Stripes, and The Strokes. Peel also appeared on television occasionally, presenting Top of the Pops in the 1980s and providing voice-over commentary for several BBC programmes. He also hosted a popular show on BBC Radio 4 called Home Truths, featuring stories from listeners’ domestic lives. He was widely respected and admired by his colleagues, peers, and listeners, and received many awards and honours, including the OBE in 1998. He was also known for his humour, honesty, and modesty, as well as his love for his family and his home in Suffolk, where he lived with his wife Sheila and their four children. Peel died of a heart attack on 25 October 2004, while on a working holiday in Peru with Sheila. His death was met with an outpouring of grief and tributes from the music industry, the media, and the public. His funeral was held at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds, and he was buried at St Andrew’s Church in Great Finborough. His gravestone bears the inscription “Teenage dreams, so hard to beat”, a line from his favourite song, “Teenage Kicks” by The Undertones. His legacy lives on through his extensive record collection, his archived shows and sessions, and the annual John Peel Day and John Peel Lecture. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in British radio and music history.