On a larger scale, Paul Ruslings book helps to put Radio Caroline in context as a force that broke the BBCs iron grip on UK radio and started that countrys long, slow journey to allowing commercial radio onto its airwaves. Simon Philip Bates (born 17 December 1946) is an English disc jockey and radio presenter. In 1964, there was nowhere easy for British youngsters to listen to rock n rollers like The Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones. And there was a tape recorder here for when things got really bad and the stylus started lifting off the record. The British pop invasion that took over American airwaves in the 1960s might never have happened, had it not been for a radio revolution in the United Kingdom. As lawmakers debated whether or not to act, there came one incident that more than any other, forced the government into legislating against the offshore stations, ex-pirate DJ Ray Clark wrote in his history of the ship, Radio Caroline. Radio Caroline is now officially headquartered in Kent, and its available on the internet, or through Sky wavelengths. Aboard Radio London, Kenny Everett developed his alter-egos and parodied Tony Benn; John Peel's The Perfumed Garden planted the seeds of bearded progressive rock. Yet just three years later, on Sept. 30, 1967 a half-century ago this Saturday the BBC switched on the transmitters of Radio 1, the countrys first dedicated popular music station. Kenny Everett is in the line-up. I wonder if we can improve it by whipping it up to 78?' Blackburn, now a 74-year-old veteran of British radio, remembers telling listeners he would be giving out Radio Carolines obsolete vinyl from his little red sports car when he got off ship in the port town of Harwich the next day. It was launched at Easter 1964 when Simon Dee was its first ever DJ. At 21, he is the youngest DJ on British radio. You can unsubscribe at any time. Caroline North was the best radio station ever, there has and never or ever will be a better station than Radio Caroline NorthIt was full of fun, all down to great djs as Daffy Don Allen, Prince . It's the first pirate station to broadcast solely in English. There were plenty, including: Tony Blackburn. But the new book, Radio Caroline: Voices on the Air does something rather different from previous volumes: It documents the roughly 600 DJ voices that have been heard on Caroline since its oceanic inception in 1964, right up to now when it can be heard on DAB+ and AM in parts of the UK, onlineand via smart speakers and smartphone apps. There were also plenty of DJs that visited the Radio Caroline from the USA and overseas, including Emperor Rosko, Graham Webb, Keith Hampshire, and Colin Nicol. You must get bored, and this is just what you need.' This article was amended on Sunday 15 March 2009. And instead of waiting for heritage stations to change their ways, the entrepreneuring music fans of the day acted. The transmitter is still on the air despite several announcements that it will be closing. As a listener you felt you were part of a secret club, under the bedclothes with your pop stars and your favourite jocks. He believes that creating something capable of delivering free enjoyment for millions of people was a positive thing. In October 1965, Ronan ORahilly purchased Crawfords share of the Mi Amigo, and asked Tom Lodge to come on board the Caroline North, and make programme changes that would engage the Radio London audience. But I was pleased, because the station was quite patently crap compared to its heyday.". On March 20, 1980, Mi Amigo broke her anchor after being hit by gale force 10 winds. Anchoring on the Eastern coast of England, the pirate radio revolution was born, defined by the enigmatic hosts that committed themselves to broadcasting songs from illicit bands like the Rolling Stones. Radio Caroline was the springboard for most of the UK's best known radio DJs. The radio station broadcasted on both Medium and Short waves. One DJ, Tom Lodge, even took his long-term partner on board with him, who apparently used to walk around the boat wearing see-through negligee. The move also had the BBC open up its radio offering, setting up the Radio 1 station to play pop and rock music. Published by at February 16, 2022. and commercials. "Basically it was sleep in, read letters, pick records, eat and do your show," Walker says. Without any broadcasting laws to hold them back, the DJs on boats like Radio Caroline gave their listeners the raw, authentic music and entertainment they were looking for. The station was named after Kennedys daughter. One of the first DJs on Radio Caroline was Tony Blackburn, whose experience of broadcasting was limited to his love of Radio Luxembourg, a European station playing pop hits that could occasionally be picked up from within the U.K. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. But soon there was competition from other nearby ships, particularly "Wonderful Radio London", and they upped the tempo (the former Radio London DJ Keith Skues described his station as the "swingingest"); soon the Rolling Stones and the Byrds were enthralling anyone who, like a young Johnnie Walker listening in a suburb of Birmingham, could thread a long wire from their window and manipulate the spotty reception. Within 18 months, the Beatles, the Stones and the Who had thrown off not only post-war austerity and authority but also any notion that young people would ever be governable again. It drove the listeners crazy. New material was added to this Walker now had to return to Caroline not from Harwich but via Dutch waters. The radio station decided to defy the law and continue broadcasting. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Tags pirate radio BBC UK Radio Caroline book. That didnt mean the appetite for hearing pop and rock music on the radio wasnt there. The decade was full of groupies, alcohol and drug abuse, torn jeans, big hair and plenty of heavy metal music. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The Frequency was used by RT to provide a version of RT Radio 1 to expatriates in Britain. The River Blackwater near Bradwell, Essex has a boat on it. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. It probably represents the most useful way I could have spent my life.". When the ship began to sink because of incoming waves, they had no wheel to steer the vehicle with. With the exception of Radio Luxembourg, no other station had ever sold advertising spaces before. RADIO CAROLINE NORTH The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". He said, 'What were you - a miner? In California, where FCC Free is located, there are no anti- piracy laws, state and local cops dont have anything to do with pirates, and nobody is going to jail. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". One of the biggest hits was the Dubliners' "Seven Drunken Nights", which wouldn't have been a hit if Caroline North and South hadn't been playing it every hour every day for weeks. But the new book, Radio Caroline: Voices on the Air does something rather different from previous volumes: It documents the roughly 600 DJ voices that have been heard on Caroline since its oceanic inception in 1964, right up to now when it can be heard on DAB+ and AM in parts of the UK, For those who love radio history, or are simply curious about how we got to where we are today, . Its spent most of its time hidden on the backwaters of Kent and Essex or hosted on the Tilbury Docks. So girls would come to the ship, and we'd tie their boat alongside, and we used to get the engineer to take their boyfriends off to look round the transmitters and the generators, and we'd take them downstairs to the cabins. Most recently known for his position on BBC Radio 2 before he had to take a break this year for a heart condition, Johnnie Walker was one of the original DJs on Radio Caroline. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". North. Whether or not you think hes the best, theres no arguing that Howard Stern is possibly the most iconic radio presenter to hail from the US. So she rolled me up three joints, and I took them back to the ship. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Soon after that, women were banned from the ship, except for short-term visits. Magazines, Digital Broadcast credits include CBC Radio, NPR and NBC News. Whereas if theyd been same old BBC playing one hour a week, who knows it would have taken forever.. No one had a more moralising grip on entertainment than the BBC, which rationed pop to a few hours a week on the Light Programme. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. According to ORahilly, thats precisely the kind of personality and atmosphere he wanted for his radio station. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Flowers in the Rain by The Move New DJs were hired, and by 1966, the group discovered that they had successfully acquired an audience of 23 million. So I turn him into a chipmunk. Two days later a padded envelope arrives with four big spliffs in. When Radio Caroline began in March 1964, the world of British pop was a contradictory place. The engine didnt work as it should, and the rudder was a mess. ", When the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act made the ships illegal in the summer of 1967, Walker took a heroic stance. "We were infested with these awful records that had no right to be on the radio - pay for play," Tony "The Royal Ruler" Prince told me in the London office of his latest project, Wedding TV. Who were the original DJs on Radio Caroline? DJ Sumirock) now holds the Guinness World Records title for the Oldest professional club DJ at 83 years and 118 days as of 25 May. Members of Amazons Kindle Unlimited service can read it for free. The first programme was also sponsored by Simon Dee, a disc jockey that eventually moved into a career with the BBC and Radio Luxembourg. Roger Gale. Walker, 63, is sitting in his club in Greek Street, drinking sparkling water. While I am a former DJ myself, I focus on the wider picture discussing how DJs were hired, rather than on individual comments and life stories., Paul Rusling also wants to set the record straight on which DJs actually worked at Radio Caroline, and which didnt.