John Peel is a popular DJ, radio host and music critic who opened previously unknown underground bands in England to the world in the late 90s. He was engaged in the popularization of the underground style, promoted aspiring musicians and poets, thereby making a real revolution in the field of radio. From childhood, John dreamed of becoming an employee of a radio station, and subsequently he not only achieved his goal, but also became a cult figure of his time.
Biography
John was born in the small town of Heswall on the Wirral Peninsula near Liverpool. He spent his childhood in the neighboring village of Burton, where he often played football and volleyball with other children. As an adult, the boy went to study at a local school. In his free time, he loved listening to the radio and collecting vintage records. John dreamed that in the future he would be able to organize his own radio program, where the most popular music from all over the world would be played around the clock.
After leaving school, the young man began his service in the Royal Artillery as a radar operator. On weekends, he often traveled home to Heswall on his scooter to visit his family. After completing his studies, John decided to go to America. He hoped to find himself a high-paying job there. At first, the young man worked in a cotton production workshop, then he became an insurance agent. He once even managed to speak with John F. Kennedy, who traveled to Texas during his election campaign. Peel was an ardent admirer of him. And when Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, the young man posed as a Liverpool Echo reporter to attend the indictment of Lee Harv Oswald. Later, John actually passed on the information he received to a Liverpool newspaper.
Career
While working for an insurance company, John repeatedly wrote computer programs that allowed him to record commercials. A little later, he was noticed by employees of a radio station in Dallas and offered to work as a programmer in their office. Peel, of course, agreed, because from childhood he wanted to connect his life with the radio. However, he was practically not paid money for projects, so he was forced to resign.
In 1967, John returned to his native England, where he began to collaborate with the pirate radio station Radio London. There he was offered to lead his own program called "Perfumed Garden". It was this broadcast that allowed Peel to establish himself on the radio. Critics, radio listeners and local journalists began to talk about him.
In his show, Peel promoted British underground music that no one had previously dared to play on radio programs. He often included classic blues, folk tracks and psychedelic rock, always mentioning the names of the artists. All this was different from the official course of radio, but, nevertheless, the direction chosen by John proved to be very successful. Soon after the show began, his numerous fans began to send their own retro compilations and unusual music recordings to the radio station. Therefore, the Saw platform has become a kind of two-way communication with the audience.
In 1967, John retired from radio and began to work with the underground newspaper The International Times, where he wrote his own column, in which he proved himself to be a devoted fan of the underground scene. He opened new groups for readers, wrote about young musicians and poets.
Peel later joined the new music radio station BBC Radio. He began to conduct his own program, within the framework of which he shared with listeners eclectic music, new facts from the life of performers and unique finds of English folklore. Soon he was assigned to conduct another program - "Night Trip". John's main responsibility was to meet young poets and learn about their success stories. This program has taken over much of the creative underground scene and generated a lot of excitement among the underground lovers. All this led to the fact that soon talented performers themselves began to send John a huge number of their own records, CDs and cassettes for further cooperation.
In 1995, John began hosting an author's show about children called "The Offspring." A little later, it was transformed into a documentary program dedicated to the daily life of British children. Moreover, creating this program, Peel entered into an agreement with the leadership of the BBC that only the most ordinary families would participate in it. He did not want celebrities to use his author's idea in order to popularize their social life.
Creation
In addition to working on the radio, John also played in films several times. He has appeared in old Harry Enfield films several times, and in 1999 starred as a grumpy old man in Five Seconds to spare. In addition, Peel has occasionally appeared on television shows such as This Is Your Life, Traveling With My Camera and Coming Home, as well as voicing documentaries.
In April 2003, John began to get involved in writing. He created his own autobiography, as well as a number of different works, which were subsequently published in the general collections "The Chronicles of Olivetti".
Personal life
In 1965, Peel married the beautiful Shirley Ann Milburn, who at that time was only 15 years old. However, this marriage was not happy. In the very first days of married life, the couple began conflicts and scandals. Therefore, already in 1967, they broke up.
John's second wife was Sheila Gilhoti, whom he met on television, where he acted as an expert on music, poetry and contemporary art. There Peel and drew attention to an attractive girl who immediately liked him. After some time, the couple began dating, and after 6 years they officially formalized the relationship.
When Peel was 60 years old, he developed serious health problems. Doctors diagnosed John with diabetes and heart failure. Despite his poor condition, he continued to work until the end of his days. Chronic fatigue ultimately led John Peel to die of a sudden heart attack at the age of 65 during his work visit to Peru.
