Bob Harris (radio presenter)

Bob Harris
Bob Harris on 26 May 2012 at the Concert@theKings in Wiltshire and the Kings.
Background information
Birth name	Robert Brinley Joseph Harris
Born	(1946-04-11) 11 April 1946 Northampton, England
Occupation	Radio presenter
Years active	1970–present
Website	www.bobharris.org

Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE (born 11 April 1946), known as "'Whispering Bob Harris", is an English music presenter known for being a host of the BBC2 music programme The Old Grey Whistle Test, and as a co-founder of the listings magazine Time Out. Harris currently broadcasts on BBC Radio 2 two nights a week, where his programmes feature mostly American and British rock, country, and occasional folk music from the 1970s to the present.

Harris has been broadcasting on the BBC for over 40 years and has been recognised with the Americana Music Association of America Trailblazer Award, a UK Heritage Award, and a MOJO Medal, as well as his OBE for services to broadcasting.

Harris was credited as the inspiration for The Fast Show character, Louis Balfour, whose catchphrase "nice!" delivered in close up to camera followed universally dreadful modern jazz acts. This closely mirrors Harris' trademark laconic enthusiasm on both Old Grey Whistle Test and his radio shows.

Early life

Born in Northampton, England, Harris first followed in his father's footsteps and joined the police force as a cadet for two years. He then helped found Time Out magazine, as co-editor. Years later, he still refers to himself as "a journalist who can broadcast".

Career

He began at BBC Radio 1 in 1970 where he hosted the original incarnation of Sounds of the Seventies until 1975. Sounds of the Seventies was initially an hour long, broadcasting from 6 to 7pm on Monday evenings. The next year, it was expanded to two hours and moved to 10pm to midnight, still on Mondays. In January 1975, the show was axed due to BBC cutbacks.

Harris then went on to present shows for Radio Luxembourg in 1975–77. In 1977, he joined Radio 210, firstly presenting a Saturday afternoon sports show. He then presented many shows at the weekend, such as Friday nights from 9pm-from and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-2pm and 9pm-1am. He left the station for a few months in 1978 due to ill health, but came back in 1979 to present a Friday evening Rock Show from 9pm-1am and Weekend afternoons from 12-4pm. He was also head of music and presentation.

He also presented The Old Grey Whistle Test rock music show on BBC television from 1971 until 1978. His first appearance on the show was as chair of a debate on the Night Assemblies Bill, based on his experience as a journalist and at the invitation of producer Richard Williams. Shortly afterwards he was invited to be the main presenter. His velvety voice and quiet delivery earned him his enduring nickname. His hippie-style beard and laid-back presentation made him a favourite target for parody, most notably by Eric Idle on the 1970s BBC comedy show Rutland Weekend Television. Harris later became notorious among the younger generation for deriding the New York Dolls as "mock rock".

1980s

1981 saw Harris move to BBC Radio Oxford, presenting the weekday afternoon show 3-5pm taking over from Timmy Mallett. He remained there until 1984. He then joined London's LBC Radio Station, presenting a weekly half hour music review and also joined GWR, where he did shows on Saturday lunchtimes and Sunday afternoons.

In 1985, Harris was heard on Norwich's Radio Broadland, presenting a Saturday evening show, and on a Sunday afternoon show on Hereward FM in Peterborough. At the same time he was still continuing with his half-hour music review on LBC and was recording shows for GWR. In 1986, he was offered the Weekend Nightline phone-in on LBC every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 10pm-1am, which he hosted until 1989. He was heard on BFBS from 1986 to 1998 and on the UK Independent Local Radio sustaining service, The Superstation.

Return to Radio 1

Harris rejoined BBC Radio 1 in 1989, standing in for Richard Skinner for two weeks on the weekday 12–2am slot, before being offered his own weekly show on Sunday nights from 11pm to 2am later that year following the death of Roger Scott. Harris then took over the weekday 12–2am slot from April 1990, which then became 12–4am when Radio 1 started broadcasting 24 hours a day on 1 May 1991.

Move to GLR

Harris left Radio 1 in October 1993 as he, along with many other Radio 1 DJs, was felt not to fit in with the changes being made by new controller Matthew Bannister. Lynn Parsons took over his 12–4am slot, but Harris continued to do the occasional documentary for the network for some time afterwards.

In the summer of 1994, Harris moved to BBC Greater London Radio, presenting a three-hour Saturday night show from 10pm to 1am, then additionally on Monday to Wednesday evenings from 8pm to midnight. He later left the Saturday night show to concentrate on GLR's Monday-Wednesday evening shows.

Return to national radio

In spring 1997, Harris returned to the national airwaves, this time on BBC Radio 2, where he took up a 11pm–1am Saturday night slot. He still continued to present on GLR, but at this stage he quit the Monday to Wednesday evening shows and presented a Saturday afternoon show from 2 to 6pm.

Harris eventually quit GLR in late 1998 as he took over another show for Radio 2, Bob Harris Country, (previously David Allan's Country Club) on Thursday evenings from 7 to 8pm, and his Saturday night show then went out from 10pm to 1am. From April 2006, his Saturday show moved to an 11pm-2am slot, and moved back another hour from 4 April 2010, meaning it aired early Sunday mornings from midnight-3.00am. Since October 2014 the show has moved to 3.00am-6.00am on Sundays.

Other work

In addition to his Radio 2 programmes, in 2002 Harris became an original presenter on the newly launched digital station BBC 6 Music, presenting a Sunday-evening show from 5 to 8pm. He left 6 Music in 2004 to present another show on Radio 2, which broadcast on Friday nights/Saturday mornings from midnight to 3am. He was replaced in this slot by Mark Lamarr, but returned to it temporarily, when Lamarr left the BBC at the end of 2010. The end of the Friday show has allowed Harris to concentrate more on producing one-off shows such as the 'Maple Leaf Revolution' under the auspices of the Whispering Bob Broadcasting Company.

Harris was heard covering for Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2 drivetime over the festive holiday 2007/2008 and 2008/2009.

Personal life

During his broadcast on 4 August 2007, Harris announced he had prostate cancer and would be taking a break for a few months. He started broadcasting the Country programme again in November and the Saturday Programme on 1 December.

He has been married three times and has eight children.

Awards

• Honorary Fellowship from the School of The Arts, Northampton University.
• Sony Radio Academy Awards 2009 - Silver for The Sandy Denny Story: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
• Sony Radio Academy Awards 2008 - Silver for The Day John Met Paul
• CMA International Broadcaster of the Year 2004.
• Harris was appointed Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to music broadcasting.

Further reading

• Harris, Bob (2001). Bob Harris - The Whispering Years. BBC Worldwide Limited. ISBN 0-563-53775-2.

External links

• Official website
• Bob Harris Country at BBC Online
• Bob Harris Sunday at BBC Online
• The Whispering Bob Broadcasting Company