John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. After his death, Peel had things named after him in the UK. Some of them included buildings, trains, festivals, stages and lectures. This is an attempt to list things named after the DJ, which excludes songs, singles and albums. It is divided by category, though each item's description is noted in the entry.
Buildings[]
Inside the Ravenscroft pub
- Ravenscroft: A pub named after Peel's real surname was opened in the town in 2007 where he was born. The pub featured a large portrait of the late Radio 1 DJ and was housed in a former post office and health club in Heswall. The pub, which cost £800,000, was given the name following suggestions from local residents [1] and since then has been closed and replaced by The Exchange.
- John Peel Wing: The BBC named part of a newly refurbished Broadcasting House after the late Radio 1 DJ John Peel in 2012. The section of the building was previously known as Egton Wing and was built on the site of the former Egton House, from which BBC Radio One broadcast its shows until 1996.
John Peel Centre For Creative Arts
- John Peel Centre For Creative Arts: The John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket is a non-profit, community-centric, organisation opened since 2012, where its Arts-based facilities are available to the community. Sheila Ravenscroft, Peel's widow, is the patron of the organisation.
Trains[]
Sheila at the launch of the John Peel train in 2008
- National: In 2005, a Cotswold Rail Intercity locomotive was given the name John Peel as a tribute.[2] Members of the DJ’s family attended the naming ceremony.[3]
- Merseyside: Public transport coordination company Merseytravel put into service a ‘John Peel’ train from Liverpool‘s South Parkway station in 2008. Sheila Ravenscroft, Peel‘s widow, attended the launch, with Ian Prose of Amsterdam performing Peel's favourite ‘Does This Train Stop On Merseyside?' at the ceremony. The train is numbered 507020 and runs from South Parkway to Southport station.
Festivals[]
- John Peel Festival Of New Music: The John Peel Festival of New Music was a music festival in 2012 and was run jointly by the Art Centre and charity Community Music East. The Gigs were held in 10 venues all over Norwich and were open to the public.
Stages[]
- John Peel Stage: Formerly known as the New Bands Tent, the iconic yellow and blue canopy at the Glastonbury festival was renamed in 2004 in honour of the DJ, who would regularly visit the festival.
Tournaments[]
LLTV at Sound City 2014- The John Peel World Cup
- John Peel World Cup: An annual tribute football five-a-side charity tournament was held from 2008 as part of Liverpool Sound City. This followed the John Peel Memorial Trophy event, also organized by Peter Hooton from The Farm and Phil Hayes from the city's Picket venue, which was held on Peel Day from 2005. In 2016, the John Peel World Cup became a table football tournament featuring Liverpool Sound City artists.
Flowers[]
- Tulip John Peel: In 2005, The late DJ John Peel had a tulip named after him. The red-flowering bulbs were sold in Lincolnshire to raise money for local bands. [4]
Traffic Islands[]
John Peel Memorial Traffic Island
- John Peel Memorial Traffic Island: The traffic island is situated on the island of Unst, the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles located in the Shetlands. According to the Geocaching website, the traffic island was named in 2004 after the death of John Peel by two generation of islanders who were fans of the DJ. [5]
Awards[]
- John Peel Award For Musical Innovation: The NME renamed their annual innovation award to honour Peel in the period 2005-2011.[6]
- John Peel Play More Jazz Award: Selected annually by Peel's former Radio One colleague Gilles Peterson, light-heartedly referencing JP's limited enthusiasm for jazz.
- PRS John Peel Award For Contribution To Music Radio: The PRS (Performing Rights Society) award was renamed by the Radio Academy in 2005 in tribute to the late DJ. [7]
Bands[]
- Peel Dream Machine: An American shoegazing drone rock band named after the BBC Radio One DJ, John Peel, founded in 2018 by New York City-based musician Joe Stevens.
Record Labels[]
- Helen Llewellyn Product 19: A former fictitious moniker of Peel[8] is now the name of an indie label.
- John Peel Is A Good Bloke: An indie label created in 1986 for the Mighty Jungle Beasts to release their record.
Events[]
John Peel - Highlights from the BBC
- John Peel Day: The BBC originally planned to hold a John Peel Day annually from 2005 around the anniversary of his last show on 14 October 2004, but Radio One has not officially commemorated the event since 2007, although gigs still take place around the country to mark the anniversary.
Bars[]
- John Peel Bar: John Sicolo, owner of TJ's in Newport, Wales in 2005 named a bar in the club after the Radio One DJ, which was opened by Huw Stephens. The John Peel Bar and Lounge features a jukebox crammed with the DJ's favourite records and walls plastered with photos and memorabilia. [9]
Lectures[]
- John Peel Lecture: The John Peel Lecture is an ongoing series of talks by noted figures in the music industry: they are intended to give an insight into the state of broadcasting into the 21st century. The lectures have been organised by BBC 6Music and have all been broadcast on air and recorded on video.
Racing Tracks[]
- Peel’s Corner: Part of Anglesey Circuit, named after John Peel who did his National Service in Anglesey. The racing track used to be an RAF and army base, the same place where John did his national service. JP was also a fan of Motor Racing.