Charlie Gillett RIP

Henry Irving

The DJ, writer (Sound of the City is a great book) and historian Charlie Gillett has died aged 68.

Someone who never liked the term world music but who played anything or everything on his radio shows but could make it accessible and listenable to anyone.

A real music fan, never a swish DJ, just a guy who loved music for its own sake.

Miserableoldgit

2nd only to the Late Great John Peel as a "DJ" (hated that term.....)
One of Deptford and GLR's Greatest.
RIP.

iainment

A great loss. Loved his radio shows, books and cds.

stonemuse

excellent music historian and wide love of music ... I remember his Rock File books.

RIP

BrentfordAddick

Agree with all of this. Met him once, briefly, a very top man.

incorruptible addick

Please see my obit in The Times tomorrow, sadly written back in January when it became clear how ill Charlie was, and updated last night.

Charlie was just about the only man I've ever worked with in the music industry who did things because it was the right thing to do, not because it would advantage him in some way.

He was generous to a fault and my thoughts are all with Buffy, Jodie, Suzy and Ivan ...

He had been working on his memoirs for the last year and there is a completed draft already with his agent, so at least that's something to look forward to as we come to terms with his loss.

mistrollingin

Very, very sad news. Charlie only discovered Soul, R&B in his late 20's. I remember him saying when he first heard "Do I Make Myself Clear" by Etta James and Sugar Pie DeSanto that it made him want to discover everything he could about that genre of music. Still have the vinyl LP of Sound of the City (New Orleans: Where Rock 'N' Roll Began), packed with some of the greatest songs ever to come out of that great city by greats like Benny Spellman, Ernie K. Doe and the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas. RIP.

ken from bexley

Great loss to music and the bbc, we could do with a few more like him in the place.
A man who just loved music, real music that is...... Always had a mind to interview him, seemed a sincere and kind man.

Marco

I enjoyed his radio shows- Capital Radio through the 80's.
His eclectic mixture of tunes prompted me to go out and buy music I'd never heard before.
He became part of my youth though I never met him or even contacted him.