This witty, revealing memoir tells the story of the author's years spent on a pirate radio ship for Radio Caroline. She was THE iconic pirate radio station, immediately capturing the imagination of millions of people when it started broadcasting cutting-edge music to Britain and Ireland in 1964.
Steve first went out to the radio ship, the Ross Revenge, in late 1985 to fulfil his dream of working on Radio Caroline. He soon became a vital part of Caroline's crew, on-air and helping to keep her seaworthy during the North Sea storms.
Steve Conway tells of his time aboard the Ross Revenge: the excitement and danger of living on board ship for long spells, the constant challenge of keeping complex electronic equipment working in sometimes simply treacherous conditions. While Steve was on the station, the ship lost its magnificent 300 feet tall tower, which collapsed in1987.
In the dramatic climax to the book, Steve tells how he and his shipmates narrowly escaped drowning after the ship ran aground on the notorious Goodwin sands. All six crew were rescued by the RAF chopper from Manston in Kent.
Now in its second edition,
Tony Blackburn is probably one of the most recognizable disc jockeys in British radio. In this book Tony looks back on the time he has spent in radio and the media.
Tony began his radio career on the then newly launched RADIO CAROLINE in July 1964. After a couple of years he was shanghaied onto Caroline's competitor, Radio London, before coming ashore in 1967 to join the BBC Light Programme. His was the first voice to be heard on the BBC's Radio One when it launched, and became the best known DJ in Britain.
Many years hosting Top of the Pops didn't make him immune from the BBC management's desire to control. He was sidelined to local radio and then in 2016 the DG of the BBC, Lord Hall fired him in an egotistical show of bravado; he had to reinstate him later in the year as a result of public pressure. .
POPTASTIC! is all about the stars he befriended, the rivalries in radio he endured, the friendships made, and broken, all told in Tony's own charming and candid style. The book sells for between £40 and £125, and explores Tony's unique brand of playing, presenting and enjoying music; a refreshing story.
Without doubt, Tony is one of the best pitchmen ever in radio, but he is also one of the most sincere, whether talking about his love life or his beloved soul music, Tony is one of the most genuine and believable people in the business. Still going strong in 2017, and the key celebrant of Radio One's 50th birthday, Tony is once again heard nationally on FM and DAB on BBC Radio Two, and is more popular than ever. In 2024 Tony celebrated 60 years broadcasting and still holds down several weekly shows on BBC Radio 2.
When he was young, Johnnie Walker was obsessed with music and loved to share that passion. He began DJing in dance halls and pubs around his Solihull home, working by day as a used car salesman and riding the wheels of steel after dark!
Johnnie made all the usual approaches and eventually got his big break when he saw a newspaper article about a new station called Swinging Radio England. He found out where the ships' owners were staying, got a train to London the next day and talked his way into a job. Along with another rookie, Roger Day, that short-lived station with its innovative format launched Johnnie's incredible career.
In this book, Johnnie tells of 40 years at the heart of British broadcasting, stints that involved working on the legendary Radio Caroline, BBC Radio 1 and his trip to California working at KSAN, all in order to avoid playing pop hits by the Bay City Rollers and Jonathan King. His return to the UK airwaves via Radio Luxembourg and the reborn Radio Caroline is also chronicled, as are his more recent times at Radio 2.
Johnnie talks candidly of the stars and musicians he's met and worked with. He also relates his personal challenges: divorce, exile and his very public struggles with drug addiction and cancer. His life has been inspiring and - above all - entertaining. A gripping tale of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll!
The Record Players book is a tribute to the obsessives, the playboys and to the musical eccentrics who founded the craft of DJing. The guys (and they are mostly all guys!) who developed wild new techniques for performing with recorded music, and revolutionised the way we create and enjoy it.
The DJs gave us new ways to have the times of our lives and built a worldwide industry of nightlife and dance music. From unsung pioneers to overheated superstars, these are the people who made playing records matter. The book is written by Bill Brewster, who is well known in the sphere for his excellent book Last Night a DJ Saved My Life (not got one yet? They have some
HERE).
The Record Players is a massive (almost 500 pages!) book published by Virgin that has been in and out of the Top Ten digital music books since it was published. The book includes in-depth interviews with 50 of history's most significant DJs, including John Peel, Grandmaster Flash, Paul Oakenfold, Norman Cook, Pete Tong, Tiesto, and more.
Over a century of DJs
The 'disc jockey' was born on Christmas Eve, 1906 when Reginald Fessenden became the first person to play a record over the radio. A century later and the DJ is the central figure in popular music. From these humble 'talking jukebox' origins to today's DJ superstars earning rock star salaries with a fanbase to match, the history of the DJ is fascinating and unpredictable. The story of these unlikely cultural icons takes the reader through the swinging sixties, through the sequinned revolution that was disco, via hip-hop and house, to mass-market global domination.
Annie Nightingale's memoir is driven by the righteous energy of discovery and passion for music. It is a portrait of an artist without whom the past fifty years of British culture would have looked very different indeed.
Hey Hi Hello is a greeting we have all become familiar with, as Annie Nightingale cues up another show on Radio One. Always in tune with the nation's taste, yet effortlessly one step ahead for more than five decades, in this book Annie digs deep into her crate of memories, experiences and encounters to deliver an account of a life lived on the frontiers of pop cultural innovation.
As a dj and broadcaster on radio, tv and the live music scene, Annie has been an invigorating and necessarily disruptive force, working within the establishment but never playing by the rules. She walked in the door at Radio One as a rebel, its first female broadcaster, in 1970. Fifty years later she became the station's first CBE in the New Year's Honours List; Annie is still a vital force in British music, a DJ and tastemaker who commands the respect of artists, listeners and peers across the world.
Hey Hi Hello tells the story of those early, intimidating days at Radio One, the 'Ground Zero' moment of punk and the epiphanies that arrived in the late 80s with the arrival of acid house and the Second Summer of Love. It includes rare encounters with Bob Marley, Marc Bolan, The Beatles and recent interviews with Little Simz and Billie Eilish.
Dave Rodigan is one of the most influential and best-regarded DJs, of any genre. The word "legend" is often sprinkled about too lightly but, when it comes to this man, he's simply beyond legend. David is one of the world's greatest ambassador of Jamaica's musical heritage, whose enthusiasm and keen insight has enlightened and entertained millions internationally over the past four decades.
Now, in his autobiography, and its crammed full of exhilarating events and encounters behind the scenes. He has met almost all the reggae world's finest creators, and now he divulges many of the professional insights to which he's been priviliged.
from the authors of
"Last Night a DJ Saved my Life"
HOW TO DJ Right!
a new, very readable, fun, and illuminating guide to spinning records, perfect for neophytes as well as the established DJ. Packed with tips from world-class DJs, it covers all styles, all levels of record hosting, from beginner to advanced.
This witty, revealing memoir tells the story of the author's years spent on a pirate radio ship for Radio Caroline. She was THE iconic pirate radio station, immediately capturing the imagination of millions of people when it started broadcasting cutting-edge music to Britain and Ireland in 1964.
Steve first went out to the radio ship, the Ross Revenge, in late 1985 to fulfil his dream of working on Radio Caroline. He soon became a vital part of Caroline's crew, on-air and helping to keep her seaworthy during the North Sea storms.
Steve Conway tells of his time aboard the Ross Revenge: the excitement and danger of living on board ship for long spells, the constant challenge of keeping complex electronic equipment working in sometimes simply treacherous conditions. While Steve was on the station, the ship lost its magnificent 300 feet tall tower, which collapsed in1987.
In the dramatic climax to the book, Steve tells how he and his shipmates narrowly escaped drowning after the ship ran aground on the notorious Goodwin sands. All six crew were rescued by the RAF chopper from Manston in Kent.
Now in its second edition,
When he was young, Johnnie Walker was obsessed with music and loved to share that passion. He began DJing in dance halls and pubs around his Solihull home, working by day as a used car salesman and riding the wheels of steel after dark!
Johnnie made all the usual approaches and eventually got his big break when he saw a newspaper article about a new station called Swinging Radio England. He found out where the ships' owners were staying, got a train to London the next day and talked his way into a job. Along with another rookie, Roger Day, that short lived station with its innovative format launched Johnnie's incredible career.
In this book, Johnnie tells of 40 years at the heart of British broadcasting, stints that involved working on the legendary Radio Caroline, BBC Radio 1 and his trip to California working at KSAN, all in order to avoid playing pop hits by the Bay City Rollers and Jonathan King. His return to the UK airwaves via Radio Luxembourg and the reborn Radio Caroline is also chronicled, as are his more recent times at Radio 2.
Johnnie talks candidly of the stars and musicians he's met and worked with. He also relates his personal challenges: divorce, exile and his very public struggles with drug addiction and cancer. His life has been inspiring and - above all - entertaining. A gripping tale of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll! Sadly, Johnnie passed away at his home in late2024, just months before his 80th birthday.
The Record Players book is a tribute to the obsessives, the playboys and to the musical eccentrics who founded the craft of DJing. The guys (and they are mostly all guys!) who developed wild new techniques for performing with recorded music, and revolutionised the way we create and enjoy it.
The DJs gave us new ways to have the times of our lives and built a worldwide industry of nightlife and dance music. From unsung pioneers to overheated superstars, these are the people who made playing records matter. The book is written by Bill Brewster, who is well-known in the sphere for his excellent book Last Night a DJ Saved My Life (not got one yet? They have some HERE).
The Record Players is a massive (almost 500 pages!) book published by Virgin that has been in and out of the Top Ten digital music books since it was published. The book includes in-depth interviews with 50 of history's most significant DJs, including John Peel, Grandmaster Flash, Paul Oakenfold, Norman Cook, Pete Tong, Tiesto, and more.
Annie Nightingale's memoir is driven by the righteous energy of discovery and passion for music. It is a portrait of an artist without whom the past fifty years of British culture would have looked very different indeed.
Hey Hi Hello is a greeting we have all become familiar with, as Annie Nightingale cues up another show on Radio One. Always in tune with the nation's taste, yet effortlessly one step ahead for more than five decades, in this book Annie digs deep into her crate of memories, experiences and encounters to deliver an account of a life lived on the frontiers of pop cultural innovation.
As a dj and broadcaster on radio, tv and the live music scene, Annie has been an invigorating and necessarily disruptive force, working within the establishment but never playing by the rules. She walked in the door at Radio One as a rebel, its first female broadcaster, in 1970. Fifty years later she became the station's first CBE in the New Year's Honours List; Annie is still a vital force in British music, a DJ and tastemaker who commands the respect of artists, listeners and peers across the world.
Hey Hi Hello tells the story of those early, intimidating days at Radio One, the 'Ground Zero' moment of punk and the epiphanies that arrived in the late 80s with the arrival of acid house and the Second Summer of Love. It includes rare encounters with Bob Marley, Marc Bolan, The Beatles and recent interviews with Little Simz and Billie Eilish.
Tony Blackburn is probably one of the most recognizable disc jockeys in British radio. In this book Tony looks back on the time he has spent in radio and the media.
Tony began his radio career on the then newly launched RADIO CAROLINE in July 1964. After a couple of years he was shanghaied onto Caroline's competitor, Radio London, before coming ashore in 1967 to join the BBC Light Programme. His was the first voice to be heard on the BBC's Radio One when it launched, and became the best known DJ in Britain.
Many years hosting Top of the Pops didn't make him immune from the BBC management's desire to control. He was sidelined to local radio and then in 2016 the DG of the BBC, Lord Hall fired him, though had to reinstate him later in the year as a result of public pressure.
POPTASTIC! is all about the stars he befriended, the rivalries in radio he endured, the friendships made, and broken, and all told in Tony's own charming and candid style. The book sells for between £40 and £125, and explores Tony's unique brand of playing, presenting and enjoying music; a refreshing story.
Without doubt, Tony is one of the best pitchmen ever in radio, but he is also one of the most sincere, whether talking about his love life or his beloved soul music, Tony is one of the most genuine and believable people in the business. Still going strong in 2017, and the key celebrant of Radio One's 50th birthday, Tony is more popular than ever. In 2024 Tony celebrated 60 years broadcasting and still holds down several weekly shows on BBC Radio 1..
Dave Rodigan is one of the most influential and best-regarded DJs, of any genre. The word "legend" is often sprinkled about too lightly but, when it comes to this man, he's simply beyond legend. David is one of the world's greatest ambassador of Jamaica's musical heritage, whose enthusiasm and keen insight has enlightened and entertained millions internationally over the past four decades.
Now, in his autobiography, and its crammed full of exhilarating events and encounters behind the scenes. He has met almost all the reggae world's finest creators, and now he divulges many of the professional insights to which he's been priviliged.
Two excellent books about DJing
