World Service DJ Charlie Gillett has died

[rostasi]

Hits me a lot like Peelie's death years ago.

Gonna miss those broadcasts of his.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8573682.stm

[ejp626]

Hits me a lot like Peelie's death years ago.

Gonna miss those broadcasts of his.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8573682.stm

RIP. I hope they keep them archived. I had listened to a lot of the ping-pong sessions and have most of his CD compilations. Also, he was one of 3 rotating DJs for the BBC 3 World on 3 slot, and I was listening to that pretty regularly as well.

[paul secor]

Read his book, Sound of the City, in the early 70's. Not a perfect book, but it gave me some background information and a somewhat different outlook on early rock n roll & r&b than I'd had, & I thank him for that.

Sorry that he passed at what seems to me a relatively early age.

[Christiern]

He had a knack for finding truly interesting, often amazing recordings. I will miss staying up to hear his show on WNYC-FM.

[JohnS]

I can't say I've heard much of Gillett on the radio but I read his book about the Atlantic label, Making Tracks, many years ago.

[mikeweil]

Such sad news. He was a very nice guy and so enthusiastic about the music he presented. I got to meet him when I played in his show with the Kurdish musicians about three years ago, and he already talked about retiring. Too bad he couldn't enjoy life a bit longer ...

Edited March 20, 2010 by mikeweil

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Charlie Gillette was an R&B columnist for the Records Mirror in the late sixties and always had something interesting to say. Later, he had a Sunday lunchtime R&B show on BBC Radio London, with a competition, which I won once, getting a Bo Diddley LP, for the stupidest answer to the question.

For their time, "Sound of the city" and "Making tracks" were pretty good books.

He was also the owner (I think) or someone of significance in Oval Records, which was the first one to issue Djeli Moussa Diawarra's first album on CD in the west.

Good programme on the BBC World Service, which I heard occasionally.

Charlie Gillette was important to me.

RIP

MG

[A Lark Ascending]

I often used to wake in the middle of the night to hear something amazing coming out of the radio and thinking 'What is that?' It was usually Gillett's World Service programme - fills the space on Radio 4 from 1-6 a.m. A sad loss.

(We'll forgive him for discovering Dire Straits)

Edited March 18, 2010 by Bev Stapleton

[Head Man]

Yes, I too often woke up in the middle of the night listening to his sounds on the BBC's World Service. I knew he had not been well for a while but this is still very sad news.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Head Man

[kenny weir]

I'm not sure how I'd feel about Sound Of The City these days, but at the time it made a huge impact because it connected dots in a way that was uncommon then yet familiar these days.

Two other Gillett high points:

The compilation Another Saturday Night, which was massively influential in fostering a broader understanding of south Louisiana music as being more complex - and entertaining! - than merely swamp blues and cajun.

Also: He was an early champion of Dire Straits. It's easy to forget - presuming one ever knew in the first place - just what a great little band they were. They were one of my local mainstays when I lived in London, used to see them on a more or less weekly basis at the Marquee for about a quid or so. I use the term little band deliberately and with great reverence - I have plenty of faves who fall into the same category (Iguanas, Radiators to name just two). The problems came when Knopfler tried to be big a la Dylan. Instead, he just got bloated.

[Chuck Nessa]

G'bye Charlie.

[danasgoodstuff]

Sound of the City was a big book for me too, bought when nearly new. My couple is full of marginalia written by me whenever I felt particularly strongly, one way or the other. 'bout something he'd said. Dire straits were a nice little band early on, did they play many covers as a club band?

[kenny weir]

Dire straits were a nice little band early on, did they play many covers as a club band?

No, none at all, IIRC. All tunes from the first album.