06.03.2005 tarihinde sabah 4 'te kaybettigimiz efsanevi rock ve heavy metal dj'i. 07.03.2005 tarihli guardian gazesesindeki obituary kosesinde dave laing tarafindan kaleme alinan yazida tommy vance icin soylenenler :

like his contemporary john peel, tommy vance, who has died aged 61 after a stroke, was an english disc jockey who learned his craft in the united states and on pirate radio ships before joining bbc radio 1.
peel favoured the eccentric and experimental; gravel-voiced vance championed unfashionable heavy metal - his friday night rock show gave first airtime to many an aspiring hard rock band.

born richard hope-weston in oxford, he joined the merchant navy at 16. while at sea, he heard us radio and decided to become a disc jockey. he joined kor seattle in 1964 as rick west, but became tommy vance when a broadcaster of that name failed to turn up after his arrival had been much trailed. vance then moved to khj los angeles, one of the most famous top 40 stations.

because he feared being drafted and sent to vietnam, vance returned to britain in 1966, when the bbc light programme and radio luxembourg pop duopoly were challenged by pirate radio - unauthorised stations broadcast from small ships just outside territorial waters. he was hired by radio caroline south, where his colleagues included johnnie walker and dave lee travis; his slogan was "tv on radio". he next worked for radio luxembourg before moving to caroline's rival pirate station, radio london.

after the pirates were closed down in 1967, the bbc's new radio 1 adopted much of their musical philosophy, and took on many of their personnel. at radio 1, vance worked with john peel on the top gear show until he, kenny everett and dave cash were lured to capital radio, one of the first local commercial stations.

in 1975 he made a film appearance, as disc jockey ricky storm, in richard loncraine's flame, a vehicle for the group slade. he also made some forgettable novelty records, including a version of the rolling stones' off the hook.

vance returned to the bbc in 1978, and there kept the flame of heavy metal, introducing the friday night rock show for 15 years. a 1983 edition was the first radio programme to use only compact discs. with his producer tony wilson, he organised many sessions for british groups, notably those associated with the new wave of british heavy metal - nwobhm.

during this second spell at the bbc, he also introduced top of the pops, made many shows for the british forces broadcasting service; for two years he compèred the sunday afternoon top 40 show. he was a frequent choice as master of ceremonies at award shows, concerts and festivals; youthful fans cheerfully pelted the helmeted vance with bottles at such events as the annual monsters of rock show at castle donington.

in the 1990s, vance joined virgin radio and hosted a television version of the friday rock show on vh1, mtv's satellite channel for older fans. most recently, he could be heard on virgin's digital classic rock station, and last december he was the featured dj at a concert at the institute of contemporary art in london.

his longevity in the business made him a minor celebrity. that trademark deep voice brought him television and radio commercial voiceover jobs, and others for television shows, such as channel five's dumber and dumber. he was featured in the channel 4 comedy series, eleven o'clock show, and last year endured a few days as a trainee chef on the reality programme hell's kitchen before walking out.

vance is survived by his ex-wife, their son and daughter.

(hacki - 7 Mart 2005 13:41)

dün hayatını kaybeden efsane radyo dj'i. çalıştığı tüm radyolar; bbc, vh1, virgin radio ve radio1

(besinci goz - 8 Mart 2005 09:03)