Johnnie Walker (presenter)
Johnnie Walker , MBE , actually Peter Dingley (born March 30, 1945 in Birmingham , England ) is a British radio presenter and DJ . In the United Kingdom he is one of the most famous radio personalities.
Life
After finishing school in 1961, Walker initially worked as a car mechanic and car salesman. From the end of 1964 onwards, he began to put on records under the name Peter Dee every Friday evening in the Locarno Ballroom in Birmingham. In the following years he received further engagements and his sideline occupation took up more and more of him. In 1966 he finally decided to give up his previous main job and instead turn his hobby into a full-time job.
He was hired as a disc jockey by the lake pirate station Swinging Radio England before it began broadcasting in May 1966. However, he was no longer allowed to appear as Peter Dee because this name was too similar to that of his colleague Roger Day . That's why he got his new DJ name Johnnie Walker and still uses it today.
With the rather abrupt end of the broadcasting operations of Swinging Radio England on November 4, 1966, Walker's activity for this station ended at the same time and he switched to the competing broadcaster Radio Caroline in the same month . Not only did he become known to a very large audience there with his three-hour Johnnie Walker Show in the evening , but he also made a significant contribution to the legendary success of Radio Caroline.
When the British Marine Broadcasting Offences Act came into force on August 15, 1967 and threatened any support for pirate stations with a fine, it was Radio Caroline as the only one of the numerous marine stations at the time that defied the law and defiantly continued to broadcast. And in front of the microphone was Johnnie Walker when Radio Caroline went illegality at midnight that day.
After Radio Caroline stopped broadcasting for several years in 1968, Walker switched to BBC Radio 1 in 1969 . He stayed there for 7 years. His desire to play not only singles but also album titles in his shows and his claim that the Bay City Rollers were "musical rubbish" led to a tangible row with the program management. With the consequence that in 1976 he not only left the station, but also his home country and moved to California. There he worked for the KSAN station in San Francisco. In addition, he created pre-produced weekly shows that were broadcast in Europe on Radio Luxembourg .
In 1981 he returned to England and worked for the local commercial broadcasters Radio West and Wiltshire Radio in Bristol, which merged into GWR in 1985 .
In January 1987, Walker went back to the BBC family. Since then he has had programs there on BBC Radio 1 , BBC GLR , BBC Radio 5 and finally BBC Radio 2 , for which he has hosted the two-hour Drivetime Show from Monday to Friday since 1998 . From June 2003 to the end of February 2004, however, he had to take a break for health reasons. He currently hosts the Johnnie Walker Show on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday afternoons.
In May 2007 his life story was published under the title: "The Autobiography", author: Johnnie Walker.
Walker is married and has two children.
Awards
- In 2004 Walker received the Sony Radio Gold Award presented by Elton John .
- 2006 Member of the British Empire - MBE
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Walker, Johnnie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dingley, Peter (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British radio presenter and DJ |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 30, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Birmingham , England |