The Whispering Years

Bob Harris is best known as the face of the premier live music show in the 1970s, The Old Grey Whistle Test, but his trademark 'whisper' has always given him a distinctive presence on radio. Now after 30 years in the music business Bob tells the story of his roller coaster journey. From the young passionate music fan who moved to London in the late 60s determined to make music his life, he carved a niche for himself in music journalism by cofounding Time Out and launched his radio career with Sounds Of The Seventies on Radio 1. The Old Grey Whistle Test soon followed and during the years he fronted the programme, he interviewed, and toured and hung out with some of the biggest names in music: Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Queen, the Bee Gees, John Lennon...However it hasn't all been good. His career has had as many downs as ups (he has rebuilt it four times); he's been married three times and near bankrupted and hounded for his record collection by a fellow DJ. Yet 30 years on from his first broadcast, with strong and loyal audiences for his two shows on Radio 2, Bob is still driven by his passion for music.