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John Peel
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John Peel poses indoors by a window overlooking London, wearing a sweater with a pendant necklace and button, with city buildings visible in the background.
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John Peel poses indoors by a window overlooking London, wearing a sweater with a pendant necklace and button, with city buildings visible in the background.
John Peel British disc jockey John Peel, 1968.

John Peel

British disc jockey
Also known as: John Robert Parker Ravenscroft
Written by
John Pidgeon
(d. 2016) Rock critic; radio broadcaster and producer; writer, The Story of Pop BBC Radio series.
John Pidgeon
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
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•History

John Peel (born August 30, 1939, Heswall, Cheshire, England—died October 25, 2004, Cuzco, Peru) was a popular British disc jockey who for nearly 40 years, beginning in mid-1960s, was one of the most influential tastemakers in rock music. Peel was renowned for discovering and championing emerging artists and for his connoisseurship of groundbreaking offbeat music and performers. The son of a cotton merchant, he grew up in upper-middle-class comfort near Liverpool, for whose powerhouse football...

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