Tribute to Charlie Gillett

Written following news that Charlie Gillett died on 17 March 

It all started on a boat from Hong Kong to China in 1987. This guy was playing Kassav and I thought it sounded interesting..............roll forward a few months later and we'd just moved into our new flat. A promo came on Capital Radio and it was Charlie Gillett talking about his show later that evening. He was going to play a track by the Jo'burg City Stars (Grooving Jive #1) and I stuck a tape in, turned the sound down and had a listen the next day.

Charlie Gillett 

Discovery

This was it.......I'd found "A World of Difference." During that period at Capital, Sunday nights became my staple listen and I recorded most of the shows onto cassette. (more on that in a moment...) He introduced me to so many amazing artists from Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens to Youssou NDour to Joe Arroyo y la Verdad....but it was the interesting guests he had on his shows on Capital, plus GLR and BBC London that made those shows so special. Mexican bands in session, an over-enthusiastic Sam Mangwana, it was all in the shows. I still have a signed Kandabongoman CD I won on his show and I have recordings of a couple of times he mentioned my name.

The 'A world of difference' tapes

I was lucky enough to meet Charlie in person. This is the story about those Capital tapes; I had two years' worth of the show on cassette (c60's and c90's). We moved house in 2004 and my wife said they had to go. I was working at BBC London and I instigated a handover moment with Charlie, through his producer Paul Leaper. So I finally got to meet Charlie, even though I'd seen him in the office many times. But here I was handing over his tapes to him. Embarrassingly I used to just write out the names of the artists phonetically on the tape box, so he probably cringed at some of my spellings. Even now I can't find half of the artists on Spotify because I mis-spelt them 22 years ago.

Thank you Charlie

Charlie Gillett didn't just introduce me to world music; he introduced me to many many artists. If there's any way that his family can know how much enjoyment Charlie has dished up for me, then I hope it will help them at this sad time.

Rest in peace Charlie. To me, you made a world of difference.

Was Brighton now Stoke: Man and boy

I dearly wish that I could apply the monicker 'man and boy'. But I can't. As a boy I supported Brighton and Hove Albion.  As a man I support Stoke City.  

At least I must be in a minority. How many Albion fans shifted allegiance to Stoke?

It all started when my family moved to Sussex in 1975. I am so proud to have supported the local team. I saw them promoted at Newcastle in May 1979. All this has recently been brought back to me by reading Peter Ward's autobiography. 

I was at many of the games described in the first half of the book. I emailed Peter and the writer Matthew Horner to say that no one needs to write a biography of my life. I'd just read it. I remember Brighton losing away to someone like Preston and crying in bed until about 8pm one Saturday night. I was really into it. 

Yet, reading that book, I realised the exact point where I started losing interest in football. It was just after the Liverpool away game in the 1979-1980 season. I remember going to the last game of the season, at home to Everton, knowing we were leaving the area, and thinking that that period of my life was closed.

Ten years later and I was dragged back into football by two things: the world cup 1990 and my brother-in-law's support of Stoke.  I had been to a couple of games. But I went to see Stoke V Chester in early 91. Stoke quickly went down 3-0 and were something like 13th in the 3rd Division. 

The Boothen End started singing for a Chester FOURTH goal, and I realised at that moment that Stoke was the team I was going to support for the rest of my life. So I'm not Stoke, born and bred. More, adopted. 

And these days I'm comfortable with supporting Stoke but having a fond affection for Brighton, and especially the team that played in the late 1970s.

Remembering Ian

By Steve Palmer (University of Bradford 1982-1985)
Why is Bradford so important to me? Well, not only did I meet the woman who would go on to marry me, and many friends who I still have...but I was also predestined to find the incredible Ian Nottage.

Read full article >>>>