Where and when were you
born?
I was born in the small village
of Morcott, near Uppingham in Rutland in 1953. I'm a
country boy at heart you see. We lived there Mum,
Dad, brother Bob and I until I was twelve when we
moved eight miles to Stamford in Lincolnshire where
I was at school and Dad also worked.
Where do you live now?
I live on Sheppey an island just north of
Sittingbourne on the north Kent coast with my wife
,the beautiful Moira, our son Oliver 13 and our
daughter Francesca 9.
What is your favourite
part of the Country?
The pubs
mostly! There are so many beautiful places in
England and the rest of the UK it's very hard to
make a choice but if pushed there's no place like
home. Or visits back to Rutland & Lincolnshire.
How did you get into
radio?
Via the forces networks during my
time in the RAF in the early 70s
I started tentatively at H.B.S, RAF Hereford and learned
more than almost anywhere else at the Wattisham Forces
Network at RAF Wattisham in beautiful Suffolk.
When did you first join
Caroline?
That was back in 1977 on
the Mi Amigo when I got the call from my old RAF colleague
Roger Mathews. we'd been at WFN together at Wattisham.
What other radio stations
have you been involved with?
The Voice
Of Peace.Hospital Radio Swale in Sheppey, Coast AM in Kent, Invicta. EKR (The First One)
What are your earliest
memories of Caroline?
Oh that's
easy. Listening to Walker doing his "Cuddle In The
Car" headlight flashing bit whilst a teenager and
yes, listening to a transistor radio hidden under
the pillow !
What's your favourite
station other than Caroline?
I listen to
many depending on the mood I'm in or perhaps more accurately
the mood I'd like to be in. ClassicFM, I find I invariably
return to
Radio 2 at times. I love Quasar AOR on the net as I
do CCRN the best "Oldies" station I've yet found anywhere.
Who is the most famous
person that you have met?
I've been fortunate
in my life in this respect having worked in the
record industry for many years previously. Those whom
I consider famous may not be everyone's favourites but
I've had the honour of meeting Chris Rea on several
occasions also Chas 'n Dave, Samantha Fox Simon Cowell
and many others.
Also touring for so many years with The Caroline Roadshow
I met many interesting people.
I have great affection for Dumpy Dunnell of Dumpy's
Rusty Nuts Google them or check out Youtube
and I guess the most famous from those days would
be the guitarist with a band who toured several times
with the Caroline Roadshow, a fun bunch from the North
East known as White Spirit.
He later went on to play with Iron Maiden and his name,
Janek Gers.
Who do you particularly
remember in your offshore days?
I am fortunate
to still be in touch and or work with most of them,
Roger Mathews, Stuart Russell (Nigel Harris) Bob Lawrence
(He'll always be Buzby) Mike Stevens, Tom Hardy, Stevie
Gordon, Tom Anderson, Marc Lawrence, James Ross and
of course Tony Allan. More recently Cliff Osbourne.
Also my Dutch colleagues, the inimitable Marc Jacobs,
Dick Verhul, more recently Ad Roberts, Herman
Der Graf, Frank van der Mast and who could possibly
forget Kees Borrell ?
Who influenced you the
most?
Johnny Walker, Andy Archer, Tony Allan,
James Ross, Marc Lawrence and Kerry Jubie.
What is the best and
worst thing about radio today?
The best is
the development of internet broadcasting bringing us
such a plethora of excellent stations from which to
listen.
The worst..............The way it has developed into
an industry out of an art form and now, for the most
part, exists purely to fuel greed and make a few rich
people even richer.
How much music freedom
do you have on Caroline?
Oh! Enough.
What's the most embarrassing
or funny thing that's happened to you?
No
comment.
What do you do for your
day job?
I'm a mortgage broker
What's your favourite
food?
Indian and Turkish cuisine.
What do you dislike doing
the most?
Oh! Heavens that's just too
obtuse I'm afraid. Washing up!
Who would you like to
get stuck with on a desert Island?
A woman
who can cook well...................one who is very
sexy and one who cleans but that's three I guess.
Seriously? The beautiful Moira, without doubt.
What's the most important
thing that you learnt about radio?
Nothing
to say...... shut up and play some music."
Tony Allan,
Don't always smile when you speak. Unless you want to
sound like a smiling idiot of course.You can buck the system within ILR, as it then was and
keep your sanity.....just! Kerry Jubie
What was the first record
you bought?
Otis Redding Otis Blue.
(Otis Redding Sings Soul.)
What are your favourite
bands and who is your hero?
BJH
Jackson Browne
Glenn Miller Band
Jon Martyn
Hero ? Captain Albert Ball.
No, you see, footballers are celebrities NOT hero's.
Women are NOT hero's either.
By definition they may though be heroines .
All this merging of genders is unspeakable!
What are your 5 most
iconic tunes?
Moonlight Serenade.
Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (Title track)
The Flower Duet from Lakme by Delibes. (The BA Ad music)
Whiter Shade Of Pale.
Mockingbird BJH
When did you last go on
board the Ross Revenge?
August bank Holiday
2009 year. Now That's What I Call radio.......
What plans have you for
the future?
To keep breathing.
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