Veteran BBC DJ Johnnie Walker shares farewell on final show after 58 years

nme.com:

BBC DJ Johnnie Walker has shared a farewell on his final show after 58 years.The 79-year-old presenter announced earlier this month that he would be retiring from radio after nearly 60 years due to ill health.During his final broadcast of Sounds Of The 70s yesterday (October 27) on BBC Radio 2, Walker told listeners that he wouldn’t be taking requests at the time as he would be closing out his final show by “playing all the ones I love”.

The segment also included emotional messages of support from Sir Rod Stewart and Walker’s wife, Tiggy.He opened the show with the George Harrison solo track ‘What Is Life’, before playing Sister Sledge‘s ‘We Are Family’ afterwards and dedicating it to his listeners throughout the years.Walker became the presenter of Sounds Of The 70s back in 2009, but his career in British radio has lasted for 58 years.He started out as a DJ on the pirate station Radio Caroline in the ‘60s, before landing a slot on BBC Radio 1 at the end of the decade.

He would leave the UK and the BBC in the mid-’70s to move to San Francisco, before returning in the ‘80s and rejoining BBC Radio 1 for The Stereo Sequence show in 1987.His most famous shows over the years since have included The Rock Show, which airs on Fridays and BBC Radio 2 Drivetime.

The latter saw him work there for seven years, beginning in 1999, and he hosted his last episode of The Rock Show last week by breaking out more of his favourite tracks.These included ‘Sweet Jane’, which featured on The Velvet Underground’s 1970 album ‘Loaded’, and The Who’s ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’.In his final broadcast yesterday, he told listeners (via BBC): “I get cards from people saying: ‘You’re the friend I’ve never met’ and things like that.