01/08/02/1551221
story
posted by
davidt
on Thursday August 02 2001, @10:00AM
darcon writes: John Walters, producer, died on Monday.Some background on John Walters was posted by Tingle on the general discussion board earlier: Sadness at the death of John Walters
Posted By: Tingle
Date: Tuesday, 31 July 2001, at 6:35 a.m.
BBC radio have announced the passing of John Walters. This is sad news indeed.
When I was hearing the Smiths sessions on the John Peel show I had no idea that it was Walters who had booked them to appear. A quick shufty in the book that shall not be named reveals that Walters gave the Smiths a second session as compensation for 'Reel around the Fountain' being banned from 'Kid' Jensen's show... Those Peel/Jensen sessions became the backbone of 'Hatful of Hollow' of course.
John Walters was a very funny man, who came the public side of the microphone for slots in the Janice Long show (and Jensen's?). Hi sreview of the music papers was unmissable. My favourite moment was when he read from an interview conducted with all the Smiths. Walters did an excellent impression of Morrissey, explaining why the band was named 'The Smiths'. I also recall him talking about receiving a postcard from Morrissey which read "weather is here, wish you were beautiful'. mark deveney, london, se7 also sends the following info/career highlights (source: The Sun):
THE MAN who helped to launch the careers of bands such as The Sex Pistols, Pink Floyd and Genesis has died.
John Walters may not be a name known to everyone, but the long-time producer of John Peel's legendary Radio 1 show was at the heart of the revolution in British music, and one of the first people to champion punk rock.
Radio 1 godfather John Peel talked last night about his pal, 63, who died of a suspected heart attack: "I feel like a soldier in the trenches who discovers that the friend at his shoulder has been shot.
"I have lost a talkative, amusing and occasionally frustrating companion who, aside from my wife, has probably had the greatest influence on my life."
Here are ten facts highlighting how Walters' career progressed, and his contributions to changing the face of music:
1 Born in Derbyshire, Walters moved to Newcastle to work as a schoolteacher.
2 He was lecturing in jazz studies at evening classes when he met Alan Price, the former keyboard player with sixties pop band The Animals.
3 He decided to give up teaching and join the Alan Price Set as a trumpet player in 1965 and spent three years with the band.
4 They enjoyed a number of Top 10 hits including The House That Jack Built.
5 The Alan Price Set appeared as a support act to the Beatles at the Empire Pool, Wembley in May 1966 - the Fab Four's final UK concert.
6 After joining the BBC's fledgling Radio 1 in 1969, he and John Peel were the first to play the Sex Pistols on the ground-breaking Top Gear show.
7 They were also the first to spot the talents of Pink Floyd, The Police, Genesis and David Bowie.
8 They listened to thousands of audition tapes - and invited the likes of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Jam into the station for live sessions.
9 Walters once hired two chimpanzees to accompany John Lennon and Yoko Ono on the piano.
10 In John Peel's Radio Times column this week - written before his friend's death - he said of Walters: "I have always characterised the relationship between us as that of a man and his dog, each believing the other to be the dog."
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the passing of time and all of its crimes (Score:2, Informative)
It was through John Walters that I first heard of Morrissey. Walters had been to one of the early Smiths gigs and came back very much impressed, saying, "Hey, we've got to book this band" - which is something he rarely does.
- John Peel, from the book(let) [Bigmouth: Morrissey 1983-1993] by Pat Reid
This is actually when I first consciously recognized the late Waltes' name.
Time passes. Death tolls. Feels weird. what would Morrissey feel towards this news?
...May he R.I.P.
P.S. Erm, by the way, when will it be out, the book on Morrissey by that guy called Pat above?
(User #2812 Info)
Who? (Score:0)
Never heard of him.
I'm in shock!!!! (Score:1)
He will be missed!!!
(User #3209 Info)
John Walter's Death (Score:1)
(User #3112 Info)
Listening to the radio is an education. . . (Score:1)
God bless John Walters, for he knew what a powerful and important force music is. He acted upon his instincts by booking The Smiths for a session on radio 1 and introduced them into the bedrooms of a post-punk generation.
He (and there's no-doubt about it) had a major part to play on the success of The Smiths and they should be forever indebted to him.
R.I.P
(User #2115 Info)