Johnnie Walker
1945 to 2024
For Ever The Pirate
"No man will ever forget Monday, August 14th, 1967..."
...and nobody who enjoyed listening to 'pirate' radio broadcasts from ships and forts between 1964 and 1968 will ever forget Johnnie Walker, regardless of whatever watery wireless station was their favourite. We all remember the emotional broadcast just after 3pm on that fateful day, when the other stations had vanished from the airwaves and Johnnie and Robbie Dale showed their defiance of the British government by continuing to broadcast on Caroline South. Other DJs soldiered on aboard Caroline North. We remember midnight, when the Marine Offence Bill became Law and Johnnie and Robbie played 'All You Need is Love' and 'We Shall Overcome' and stayed on the air. A band of Caroline renegades managed to keep both north and south stations on the air for another 6 months. When the end came, it was due to financial issues, rather than the government.
"When the ship (Mi Amigo) was towed away in March 1968," Johnnie told us, "It was one of the saddest days of my life. I kept thinking about the people who had woken up to find us gone. I thought, 'That's the end, but at least we gave it a go.' "
Johnnie, whose wife Tiggy referred to him as 'The Pirate' till the untimely end of his life, was generous enough to allow us to incorporate his famous 'No man..." quote in the logo that Mary designed for the Offshore 50 Reunion in 2017. The event, which we co-organised with Jon Myer of the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame and the late Alan Hardy, commemorated the 50th Anniversary of that sad day of the closedown in 1967 and was attended by over 120 guests from around the world who had been a part of the Sixties pirate stations. Whether they worked aboard ships or forts, they felt the special bond of a unique shared experience.
It would be impossible to cover the numerous occasions over the years when Chris and I met Johnnie, but those below, in date sequence, are some of the major ones.
We first met Johnnie in the early Seventies, after I was a contestant on his Radio 1 quiz, Pop the Question. Asked how Cliff Richard had fared in the Eurovision Song Contest, I had no idea and said, "I don't watch it as it's so awful !" Johnnie, amused by my on-air comment, and most likely sharing that view, asked me to repeat it. I failed the quiz, but asked if I could visit the show at Broadcasting House. Somewhere, we have a black-and-white photo of me sitting on JW's lap in the Radio 1 studio, taken and printed by Chris.
We next encountered Johnnie in 2002, when he attended our first major offshore radio reunion in London, marking 35 years since the fateful day of August 14 1967. Below, Johnnie is surrounded by Caroliners from both ships.
Caroliners at the Doggetts Reunion, 2002. Credit: Martin Van der Ven
Back row, l to r, Dave Williams (North ship, Fredericia), Robbie Dale (Post-MOA shipmate), JW, behind Johnnie, Keith 'Keefers' Hampshire (south ship Mi Amigo), Ronan O'Rahilly – Caroline Founder, Dave Lee Travis, (both North and South ships)
Second row, Nick Bailey, (North ship), Mick Luvzit, (North ship), Tommy Vance (South ship), Mark Sloane (South ship)
Front Row, Bud Ballou (Post-MOA shipmate), Keith Skues (South ship)
Another memorable occasion was Sunday, October 6th, 2002. Aylesbury's local hero John Otway, was appearing at the London Palladium. Johnnie had made a point on his daily show, of supporting Otway's Hit Squad's campaign to ensure that their hero achieved a second chart success as his 50th birthday present. Fans were delighted when Johnnie made an unexpected appearance on stage to count down the just-announced Top Twenty, which had Otway's single 'Bunsen Burner' at #9. As Johnnie read the chart list, he referred to several entries as being by "someone you've never heard of". We are sure he was right! We would not have heard of many of the artists in that chart.
Digital cameras were quite new then so this was the best shot that Chris managed to get.
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In 2004, Roger Day organised a reunion at the pirates' old haunt, the Red Lion in Mayfair, to mark Radio Caroline's 40th Birthday. Johnnie had been undergoing cancer treatment, but managed to attend the party with Tiggy for part of the afternoon. Roger's birthday was March 29th and Johnnie's the day after. They usually exchanged gifts and here's Roger with his from Johnnie.
Below, three more photos from the Red Lion in 2004 |
Johnnie, Tiggy and Twiggy
Post-MOA shipmates: The Admiral Robbie Dale, JW, Twiggy Day, Spangles Muldoon
Spangles Muldoon, Ronan O'Rahilly, JW, The Admiral
Radio England and sister station Britain Radio, went on the air in May 1966 and were the second shipborne venture after Radio London to be launched by Texan Don Pierson. Both stations broadcast from the same ship, mv Laissez Faire. When Johnnie Walker and Roger Day joined the American-style Radio England at the launch, they were new, raw, recruits who learnt their DJ craft from US DJs who were radio pros. Both were required to broadcast under new identities. Johnnie had used the pseudonym Peter Dee for club DJ work, but his on-air Radio England name was chosen from a jingles package recorded originally for WPTR, in Albany, New York. Shipmate Larry Dean had worked for the station prior to coming to the UK to join Don Pierson's new venture and he brought the jingles with him. 'Johnnie Walker' was a popular, generic name for American DJs. However, we have never managed to unearth the real identity of the man who broadcast under that name on WPTR.
For the twin stations' 50th Anniversary, Don Pierson's son Grey arranged a London reunion and many of the former DJs and staff travelled from the USA to participate. Once again, the chosen venue was the Red Lion.
Stars of Swinging Radio England and Britain Radio:
Phil Martin, Twiggy, JW, Rick Randall, Larry Dean
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Following the huge success of the Pirate BBC Essex broadcast in 2004 from the LV18 in Harwich, a second 'pirate'' BBC broadcast took place in 2007 and this time, Johnnie participated.
The ship was anchored in Harwich harbour, and at night, Johnnie reintroduced his popular 'Frinton Flashing'. In his Caroline days, Johnnie's listeners would flash their headlights from the Essex coast to spell out messages to him aboard the Mi Amigo. In Harwich 2007, Pirate BBC Essex listeners flashed torches and even the lights in their rooms in the Pier Hotel!
When Johnnie came ashore to participate in a charity fundraiser dance, he was interviewed in Harwich by Tony Currie. |
For Pirate BBC Essex in April 2009, The Walkers arrived in their best Sixties gear.
Interest in offshore radio had received a huge boost that month, with the release of the Richard Curtis film, The Boat That Rocked, aka Pirate Radio. Johnnie, a consultant on the film, presented his Radio 2 show, Pirate Johnnie Walker, from the LV18, this time anchored beside the quay in Harwich. |
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Also participating in 2009 was Tony Blackburn, who began his broadcasting career aboard Caroline's Mi Amigo, but had jumped ship for Radio London's mv Galaxy by the time Johnnie joined the station in October 1966. |
Johnnie's ex-shipmate, Steve Young, and his wife Trish visited London, where we met up with a few other Caroliners in August 2009.
Mary, Chris, Steve and Trish with JW |
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Chris and I last encountered Johnnie at the Offshore 50 reunion.
On August 14th, 2017, after making an appearance on the BBC Essex broadcast from Harwich, he dashed to catch a train to London to join us and our guests aboard the Tattershall Castle on the Thames.
Mary, Keith Skues and JW afloat on the Thames
Sadly, by the time Caroline's 60th Birthday came around in 2024, Johnnie was not sufficiently well to attend any gatherings. He did, however, participate by phone in various commemorations.
Johnnie has departed for the Great Radio Station in the Sky, but his lifelong love of radio lives on in the memories of those who loved him.
Farewell and '"smooth sailing", Johnnie.
Radio London tribute by Mary Payne
pp Chris and Mary Payne, Radio London Webmasters
All photos © Chris and Mary Payne unless otherwise stated |