Bob Harris was championed by John Peel on BBC Radio 1. Then in 1972 he became the ‘Whispering’ presenter of TV music show . Now he's celebrating 25 years fronting the BBC’s show, as well as turning 78, all while on tour with an event co-hosted by Colin Hall, based on Hall’s book and documentary series .
That would be my mum and dad’s record collection in the early fifties, pre-rock’n’roll, so Mantovani – a great favourite of mine – Johnny Mathis and Perry Como. We had a radiogram in the corner of the room, and when it was switched on it glowed like a warm fire. My mum listened to the radio all the time.
That would be formative in terms of what I’m doing now. I was sitting in for John Peel on BBC Radio 1 on August 19, 1970. I had a brilliant producer called Jeff Griffin, who said to me: “You bring in the music, I’ll teach you how to build a programme.
” I learned so much from him, he was so skilful. Our first choice was by , because I just loved it. I’ve been so lucky to hear important records arrive in real time.
was an absolute game changer. There were some experimental groups at the time, such as or Soft Machine, but what and did with was bring every thread of creative energy together to push out the boundaries as far as technology would let them go. Twelve months later, in pop music and the industry, everything was different.
Ben E King. He was with The Drifters, a genuinely groundbreaking black band who started as R&B/doo-wop, then were steered into the charts in a very creative way by their label, Atlantic. [1959] had an incredible new sound that was a combination of orchestration and atmosphere, all bound together by King’s voice.
Jimmy Page. He drove probably the greatest rock band that ever lived. I was fortunate to spend time touring with them in the States, and it was incredible to watch his artistry.
Country artist Lori McKenna. She’s not a commercial writer, but it just so happens that a lot of her songs have been huge hits. One song of great warmth, which we need so much of these days, is , a sentiment that sums Lori up.
She’s become established as one of the top writers in Nashville. Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! That’s easy: . I saw him at his first big showcase at the Roxy in Los Angeles in 1975, where everyone was there – , and some tennis stars such as Jimmy Connors.
Then I saw him in New Haven in 1978, a four-hour show that we recorded for . This was the best show I have ever seen for performance, energy, and the electricity of Springsteen when he was down in the audience. Afterwards he took us to a place nearby and got up on stage with the band and jammed until two a.
m.! I love this record, it’s absolutely gorgeous – by Doris Day. It’s in no way a comment on my private life [laughs].
There’s a lovely country artist from Northern Ireland called . She put a wonderful album out, , in 2018, which got to Number One in the Country chart. David Bowie’s [1969].
It wasn’t all hash and incense, though [laughs]. It was done in the early evening in Trident studio in London. I was there with my first wife, Sue, and his first wife June, and David and Tony Visconti.
We were sat on the floor singing: ‘ ’. It was a lot of fun to do, and to hear back. Anything by Blackberry Smoke.
I love them. They’re the of country! I’ll pick something where the beauty of it makes me cry, not because it’s sad: Lukas Nelson & The Promise Of The Real, . It’s an appreciation of love and nature, and it has a connection, for me, with someone I care about.
It became our song. Ben E King again, and . It’s a song about getting through things, we’re all in this together.
I’m an ambassador for , and during the pandemic, artists such as Roseanne Cash, , Rick Wakeman and more became the Whispering Bob All-Stars, recording this as a fundraising track. It’s still raising money for musicians now. Jo is a journalist, podcaster, event host and music industry lecturer with 23 years in music magazines since joining as office manager in 1999.
But before that Jo had 10 years as a London-based gig promoter and DJ, also working in various vintage record shops and for the UK arm of the Sub Pop label as a warehouse and press assistant. Jo's had tea with Robert Fripp, touched Ian Anderson's favourite flute (!), asked Suzi Quatro what one wears under a leather catsuit, and invented several ridiculous editorial ideas such as the regular celebrity cooking column for , Supper's Ready. After being Deputy Editor for for five years and Managing Editor of for three, Jo is now Associate Editor of , where she's been since its inception in 2009, and a regular contributor to .
She continues to spread the experimental and psychedelic music-based word amid unsuspecting students at BIMM Institute London, hoping to inspire the next gen of rock, metal, prog and indie creators and appreciators. Journey's Jonathan Cain has sued bandmate Neil Schon again, this time as they're on tour together "Rock'n'roll's a dirty job, and no one did it dirtier": The Aerosmith albums you should definitely listen to "If you're going to do something like this, this is where to do it": Watch Billy Idol play Rebel Yell live at the top of the Empire State Building.
