“I’m not a good one for just sitting and mulling.”
Bob Harris
Introduction
Bob Harris is a British national treasure. His contribution to the music industry as a radio DJ and host of the Old Grey Whistle Test over his fifty-year career that began in 1970 is highly impressive. A man with a soothing voice, velvety and vocalised through an audible whisper. A host who witnessed the rise of many bands and a co-founder of the events magazine Time Out. He hosts Bob Harris Country every Thursday on BBC Radio 2, which he has presented for 25 years. Bob received an OBE for his services to broadcasting and, at the tender age of 78, has no intentions of retiring despite a successful battle with prostate cancer in 2007 and an aortic dissection in 2019.
A Life in Music
Robert Brinley Joseph Harris was born in Northampton in 1946. Following his Welsh father’s footsteps, he joined the Northamptonshire Police as a cadet for two years. Yet, finding law and order was not his worth, so Bob turned to his first passion, music. After a spell as a journalist, Harris hosted the Old Grey Whistle Test from 1972-1979. A BBC rival music show to Top of the Pops that showcased new musical talent. Sifting through the original scripts of the show that Bob has on his website, it’s like charting new and groundbreaking music in real-time. Witnessing bands like The Eagles play tracks from their first album. A journey that began when Harris went over to Los Angeles to hang out and interview the Beach Boys, getting the bug while he was there for the American rock scene. He met Alice Cooper who had just come off the golf course after playing a round of golf with Johnny Mathis. An unlikely friendship in the entertainment world but true.
The Flow Through
Bob Harris is a survivor and managed to persuade the BBC powers-to-be to keep his show after they were determined to cull all the oldies from the radio network. After listening to his show, they changed their minds and the red line that went through his name was spared. His late-night Radio One show was brilliant for so many reasons. An eclectic fusion of music where the playlist ran so well into each track. A DJ who although fired from Radio 1, found a perfect place on Radio 2 in 1997, ending the shutdown hours of between 2 am and 5 am with his late-night music show.
Bob has interviewed all the music greats in his time. John Lennon, Van Morrison, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Elton John, Brian May and Bill Withers just being a few of them. His house has a studio with memory pads of original vinyl records, a treasure trove for any music fan. A collection that includes a vast amount of CDs that spill across the house including the garage. His knowledge of music is second to none, a mental and physical library that catalogues the last fifty years of music.
The father of eight children who is married to Trudie is an ambassador for the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust, has written two books and co-presents a football podcast with his son Miles entitled “A Game of Two Halves.” The DJ who has worked at BBC Radio Oxford and LBC is often described as a factor in what makes Britain great. His tireless work in the music industry has educated so many listeners on new and innovative music from across the genre spectrum and he continues to be a fountain of knowledge in this modern age.
