At 80, he is fighting cancer. A guy who has always seemed to be there either in TV or radio throughout my life.
Good luck Bob
Whispering Bob Hangs Up His Microphone
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Musings on the byways of popular culture
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgpke71kpko
I briefly met him when he was doing a tour a couple of years ago and he was an absolute delight – exactly as you would hope he would be. All the best to one of my heroes.
A true gent and a broadcasting giant. He’s been whispering down the microphone for so long it seemed like he’d always be around. Wishing him all the very best on the road ahead.
He’s genuinely a true legend already, and I wish him all the best for a good recovery. He is personally responsible for many of the biggest wallet-threatening events of my record collecting years, and he should be righteously proud of those effects – they’ve brought me countless moments of impecunious joy.
He’s introduced me to so many artists/bands that have become favourites over the years.
Fingers crossed for a recovery, though I fear as this is a recurrence of the disease, it may not be possible.
Good luck Bob you introduced me to lots of great music that I still play and love.
Good for him, I hope he has a long retirement. Never less than 100% genuine and with endless enthusiasm. He’ll be missed. His autobiography is good. Bruno Brooks can swivel for his part in the story.
If Bob Harris is at one end of the spectrum – a quietly talented broadcaster, passionate music lover, and by all accounts a kindly and self-effacing man, BB is at the very opposite end of that spectrum.
Re Bruno Brooks (who I have no interest in):
In “The Whispering Years” Bob (who I am a fan of) says:
“. . . the value of the flat had inflated to £260,000, way above what we could afford. Bruno came up with a solution. ‘I’ll lend you half the money. interest-free, for two years’ he suggested. ‘After two years you can either pay it back or sell the flat’. Two years later, Bruno wanted his loan back.
Read the book for Bob’s recollection of what happened next. It involves Bruno trying to get financial recompense by acquiring Bob’s music collection.
This reminds me of a chap who used to post regularly here a decade ago – Patrick somebody, who moved to Italy. I think he used to post about his involvement in cataloguing Bob’s CD collection at the bottom of his garden! My memory may be wrong.
@patrick-crowther was that, no longer here, still in Italy and on fb.
One of the unmistakable voices. Has done some commentary on a few docs and you just know he knows what he’s talking about, rather than reading a script.
Wishing him the very best in his attempts to beat his illness. One of the good un’s. I love the story about Sid Vicious threatening Bob in the days of punk and instead being seen off by Wishbone Ash roadies.
‘Seen off by Wishbone Ash roadies’ sounds like a lost Half Man Half Biscuit track.
In “The Whispering Years” Bob does not recall the incident fondly! He went to the Speakeasy for a drink with a sound engineer he’d been working with that evening, George Nicholson. He writes:
” . . . I was confronted by about half a dozen Mohican-cut drunks, faces spitting hatred . . . I was in serious trouble her, more scared than I’d ever been in my life.”
“. . . seemingly out of nowhere, about a dozen guys appeared, in a kind of human wall between them and me . . . I found out later that it was mainly the Procol Harum road crew . . .”
“As I was being pulled away, Sid Vicious had stabbed a broken bottle into George’s face.” which required a visit to “Hammersmith Hospital, where George had 14 stiches in his head wound.”
I remember Danny Baker’s description of Bob’s voice. “Like a vibrator buried in six feet of sand”
Find this rather upsetting. I guess as with most of us Bob had been a constant in my life since I was a teenager. A consummate broadcaster and just a really genuine lovely guy. Deserving of a National Treasure ‘award’ don’t you think? His Sunday show was a regular feature of our Sunday afternoons (sadly his replacement Sean Keaveney is a poor substitute).
I have to disagree about Sean. I find his choice of music is *far* more representative of the 70s I grew up in. Bob played too much American AOR music and it became The Bob Harris show not SOT 70s.
I wish Bob well and hope he has many more years.
I concur, Ms ‘blade. Bob is clearly a lovely man and a great broadcaster – I have nothing but warm respect for him and the listening pleasure he has given to millions over the decades – but having tried his take on SOTS for a couple of weeks after the sad loss of Johnny Walker, I had to tune out, as he naturally adopted the style and tastes that, for me, were always a turn-off on his late night shows. I did have more time for his Country programmes. And lest we forget, he will always have maximum credibility to my mind for being on a David Bowie album.
Unfortunately I’m not a fan of Keaveny either; never got on with him on 6Music, so I don’t see myself starting now.
For those interested, Boom Radio has its own version of SOTS on Saturdays at midday, hosted by the dulcet tones of Simon Beast.
I never took to Bob on SOTS. It might have been an illusion, but I always felt that Johnny Walker had a genuine interest in a very wide range of 70s acts. This was reflected in the guest list. Bob’s preferences, like his tastes in ‘Country’ music, seemed much narrower. A fine broadcaster, but happier it seemed to me on home territory.
A genuinely splendid fella, and a true gentleman. On Sounds of the 70s, he could throw in a “I remember talking to John Lennon”, and it didn’t sound forced or cheap.
Sunday afternoons won’t be the same without Bob on Sounds of the 70s. Apart from the music, it was the stories that were fascinating. Is there anyone he hadn’t met? I’ve just rewatched his 1975 interview with John Lennon, and it’s wonderful. Like two old mates having a conversation over a pint.
Seems a thoroughly nice bloke and an excellent broadcaster – his musical tastes (especially on SOS) and mine were rarely aligned.
Definitely a legend of broadcasting on a par with John Peel in terms of reputation but much more aligned with my own taste. He has introduced me to loads of artists I wouldn’t otherwise have known about.
Not sure Peel’s posthumous reputation is an entirely enviable one.
Undeserved though
I met him at the Oval Cricket Ground about seven years ago. For some reason he was on a cricket panel. After the session I had about ten minutes with him. What an absolute gent. I remember we talked about Big Big Train and I thanked him for introducing me to Leonard Cohen on one of his late night shows. (Prior to that broadcast I didn’t get Cohen but then he played Tower Of Song”.)We talked about other things I guess but most memorable for me was when he told me that he was about a few days away from doing a two handed commentary at a charity Cricket match with Jonathan Agnew. My two favourite radio voices, I’d love to have heard that.
Blessings Bob. Missing Sunday afternoons already.