Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London with 1,073,000 residents (2011 census), an increase of 96,000 over the previous decade. The city lies within the West Midlands conurbation, the third most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a population of 2,440,986 (2011 census). Its metropolitan area is also the United Kingdom's second most populous with 3,683,000 residents.
Links To Peel
In the late 1960s, John Peel was a regular compere at Mothers club in Erdington, Birmingham, which ran for three years to 1971 and hosted many of the top bands of the era. In 1968-9 he also lent his support to the struggling Birmingham Arts Lab, writing in International Times; "It seems that even a city as large as Birmingham cannot produce enough concerned individuals to support a freedom castle". He also had to apologise to Birmingham's students on a November 1968 Top Gear [ref] after accusing them of apathy and unwillingness to support the city's Arts Lab.
Peel would often travel to the city for his DJ roadshows, including a celebrated gig at Aston University in October 1979 when he gave his fee to The Beat to persuade them to play their entire set again. He was also an acquaintance of early Black Sabbath manager Jim Simpson, founder of the city's Big Bear label - home of the Quads and apparently named after Peel’s nickname for him.[1] Simpson was later a strong supporter of (so far unsuccessful) moves to rename Birmingham airport after Ozzy Osbourne.[2]
Peel broadcast his programmes live from the city during two visits for the One Live festival, in May 2000 and October 2001.
During the late 90s, Peel narrated the Rock Family Trees series, which included one episode focusing on 1960s and 70s bands from Birmingham.[3]
Mentioned In Shows
- 29 December 1990 (BFBS): JP: "you don't associate Birmingham with much. Except, kind of, you know, poor football teams."
- 30 May 1994 (Ö3): JP: "It's really surprising actually, bearing in mind that Birmingham is the second biggest city in Britain how little good music has come from the place over the years."
- 29 November 1998 (BFBS): JP: "There was a time when I would have argued most persuasively I think, that very little good music comes out of Birmingham... but now all of a sudden, Birmingham is probably for the first time in its entire history sort of faintly hip."
See Also
- Birmingham: Sessions
- Mothers
- Rock Family Trees: Birmingham Beat
- Arena: Today Carshalton Beeches ... Tomorrow, Croydon: Peel attends a Nightingales gig at the Star Social Club in Brum (from approx 9.30 of first YouTube video).
- Peel On Record Cover Sleevenotes: JP, writing on Forest's self-titled debut album (1969): "In the autumn of a year which historians have, with the aid of carbon dating, pin-pointed as 1968, I was in the gay carbon-monoxide cloud some authorities call Birmingham..."
- John Peel's Record Box: Peel's box of 142 most precious 45s included 'There Must Be Thousands / You've Gotta Jive' (Big Bear Records, 1979) by The Quads, as well as 'Here We Go Round The Lemon Tree / My Father's Son' (Liberty, 1967) by the Idle Race and 'I Can Hear The Grass Grow / Wave The Flag And Stop The Train' (Deram, 1967) by the Move. All three Birmingham bands recorded Peel sessions.
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Carl Palmer, drummer with one of Peel's least favourite bands, comes from Handsworth, Birmingham.