One of the most influential and defining voices in British broadcasting, for over half a century legendary writer, journalist and broadcaster Bob Harris has been presiding over the ever changing musical landscape with his whispering tones and broad musical palette. Now the current key holder of BBC Radio 2’s country show, Harris has recently been at the forefront of the genre’s worldwide renaissance with acts including Lil Nas X, Dan and Shay and Taylor Swift dominating worldwide charts. Yet musical revolutions are nothing new for the veteran mood setter who has been at the forefront of music for over five decades. Beginning his career as a journalist in the sixties, Harris found himself at the centre of an explosion in pop culture and informed, knowledgeable writers became increasingly valuable in order to record this extraordinary period of music.
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In 1968 he was among the founding members of the music magazine Time Out alongside the late Tony Elliott which nurtured Bob’s journalistic approach to the music interview. These were still very infant stages for the modern concept of pop culture and even the most forward thinking writers couldn’t have predicted the significance of the role of the reporter on the understanding of what was happening at this time. This was a completely brand new occupation and one that had seldom been in existence just fifteen years previously. First published in the summer of 1968, Time Out magazine went on to become one of the world’s most influential music publications and inspired a whole generation of ardent music fans. However, Bob realised that this journalistic pedigree had the potential to create other opportunities in the world of media.
His music credentials were slowly becoming noticed by the mainstream media and in 1972 he was chosen to chair a music debate on BBC2’s Old Grey Whistle Test. This was the first time that Bob had presented a segment on television but his journalistic pedigree qualified him for such a role. The segment was a success which led producers to offer him the opportunity to join the regular presenting team alongside; Richard Williams, Ian Whitcomb and later Annie Nightingale. The Old Grey Whistle Test was unique in offering bands and artists the opportunity to perform live and unplugged. Frequently performers would play slightly stripped back, extended versions of their biggest hits or just songs that they had previously never performed before. Unlike the commercialism of Top Of The Pops and similar shows, The Old Grey Whistle Test benefited from a slightly more rustic style of music and its presentation echoed this.
From a broadcasting perspective The Old Grey Whistle Test was unique in finding a loyal and moderate audience within the late night BBC2 schedule. As the final offering on the channel’s Friday night lineup, the show had the unique ability to regularly surpass its regulated hour slot which often forced the BBC2 testcard to be delayed. This frequently proved the subject of complaint from the channel controller David Attenborough who was constantly forced to defend the show to the corporation hierarchy. However, by doing this The Old Grey Whistle Test pushed television to uncharted territory and Bob Harris became the ringleader to this televisual anarchy that inspired a whole generation of musicians, writers and broadcasters and set the tone for specialist music shows hereafter.
Such a refined and diverse musical pallet made him the perfect mood setter on the in vogue music station Radio 1. It was here that Bob cultivated his now legendary smooth, informed, relaxed style which has become an ingredient of his enduring appeal for over half a century. Radio 1 has forever thrived on a healthy balance of light hearted radio presenters and experienced, knowledgeable mood setters who add a sense of authenticity to the station. As a broadcaster, Bob would never be comfortable steering a mainstream daytime radio show as that’s never been where his skills lay. Instead his unrivaled expertise and knowledge of the industry provided the legitimacy needed for the station to become a natural barometer for all genres of music. People like Bob, Paul Gambaccini and the late John Peel provided a more informed, cerebral approach to music radio and in turn helped to set the tone for specialist radio programming hereafter.
Indeed, it was the late John Peel who was seen as Harris’s closest contemporary and this comparison would outlive Bob’s Radio 1 tenure. In 1997 he joined Radio 2 and was the custodian of the weekday late night show which meant going up against the person who many saw as his contemporary. From 11 until 1 each weeknight, Bob was live from Broadcasting House with a carefully crafted playlist designed by him. He and Peel both shared a mutual passion for a wide variety of musical genres which were always evident throughout their respective shows. Peel cut his broadcasting teeth on pirate radio and was used to the rustic approach to emerging music. Whereas Bob had come up through the journalistic ranks and approached new music from a slightly more analytical way. However, both of these two men became unrivaled authorities on the world of music and their influence is still felt throughout the whole of the music fraternity.
Therefore in October 2005 Bob joined the whole nation in a state of shock as the tragic death of the legendary John Peel was announced. Peel was among the very few broadcasters to have remained loyal to the corporation for even longer than Bob and despite being his contemporary, John was someone whom he deeply respected. Together they had dominated music presentation for almost four decades and to think that Peel’s ever-present, eclectic musical insight was suddenly no longer there was a difficult concept to grasp. However, the thousands of artists who he championed, together with his diverse radio shows form a legacy which is difficult to ignore. Despite their obvious broadcasting differences, Bob feels it as a huge compliment to be considered in the same context as the legendary John Peel and is forever grateful for their friendly broadcasting rivalry.
In 1999 Bob’s global knowledge of the ever changing musical landscape made him the perfect choice to replace veteran writer and broadcaster David Allan for the Radio 2 Country Show. Having been interested in county music and its connections to Skiffle, Bob was eager to showcase the many different aspects that the genre had to offer. However, even he couldn’t have predicted the unprecedented revolution that the genre would enjoy in the 21st century with acts such as Lil Nas X, Dan and Shay and more significantly Taylor Swift dominating the charts. With Shania Twain perfectly embracing this year’s Glastonbury legend’s slot on the Sunday afternoon, it feels as though Country music is now bigger than ever and Bob thrives on the opportunity to be right in the middle of this explosion.
Despite his unrivaled broadcasting success, Bob has never forgotten his broadcasting roots and in 2024 has ventured out on a nationwide tour alongside old friend and Beatles associate Colin Hall. Hall is now the proud proprietor of Nems; John Lennon’s childhood home and the pair collaborated on a project which resulted in the book The Songs The Beatles Gave Away which documents the prolific writing partnership of Lennon and McCartney. Beyond penning 90% of Beatles songs, Lennon and McCartney also penned songs for Cilla Black, Peter and Gordon and Billy J. Kramer to name but a few. This is a story that has never been told in its entirety and Bob and Colin are the perfect advocates to bring it to life.
To conclude such a celebratory season on the story of British radio with anyone other than an unrivaled pioneer of the medium would feel somewhat of an anticlimax. Yet with a career spanning over six decades and an unrivaled broadcasting reputation that remains internationally renowned, Harris has surely earned his status as a radio legend. It was one of the highlights of Beyond The Title to welcome one of my broadcasting heroes to the podcast and with such a unique relationship to British radio, Bob Harris remains the embodiment of a radio icon.
Beyond The Title