Tommy Vance 1943 - 2005
 Tommy
Vance 11th July 1943 - 6th March 2005
Legendary rock radio DJ Tommy Vance died of a stroke in the early hours of
Sunday March 6th 2005. He was 61 years old and had one of the most recognisable
voices in radio. Tommy's career began in the early 60s in US radio followed by
successful periods with Radio Caroline South where he made his UK debut in 1966;
Radio London, Radio Luxembourg, BBC Radio 1, Radio Monte Carlo International,
Capital Radio, GLR, Virgin and Total Rock. His substantial TV career included
BBC, VH-1, Channel 4 & Channel 5. Tommy is reknowned for his passion for
radio and his championing of new rock bands. TV on Radio's volume control was
always set to 11 until the very end. (Read an extensive history of Tommy Vance's
career from Radio Caroline listener and radio DJ Paul Corfield further down the
page.)
Radio Caroline DJ Pat Edison paid tribute to Tommy Sunday morning by playing
Rod Argent's 'God Gave Rock & Roll To You' and dedicated an anthology of
Lemmy & Motorhead. Pat recalls meeting Tommy Vance at Capital Radio's
opening party in 1973.
"Yet another jock goes to that great studio in the sky. I only met
Tommy Vance once, back in 1973 when I "gatecrashed" the launch of
Capital Radio on 16th October and stayed there some 36 hours! Mike Baker aka
Denny Tewson on Radio Kaleidoscope was an engineer at Capital and got me in the
evening before Capital was due to launch at 6 a.m. the following morning. Of
course it was complete chaos as a lot of work still had to be done in the
studios and there were all kinds of people tripping over each other to meet the
deadline.
I did a little "show" from the on-air studio which was used by
the engineers to line-up levels and was really in my element using their top
class gear compared to what I had been used to in my little bedroom studio. The
following morning as it launched with Richard Attenborough and then David
Symonds we all had mini bottles of Champagne and as no one knew I didn't
actually work there I got one too! Just before Tommy Vance and Joan Shenton came
on (at 9 a.m. I think) I was sent into the studio with a spare pair of DT100's
for TV as his were naff. I handed them to him, he said "Thank you" and
that was the end of my only "meeting" with TV!! Great memories."
Radio Caroline & former Total Rock DJ Pandora
Radio Caroline DJ Pandora was a colleague of Tommy's on Total Rock and has
had the pleasure of presenting radio shows on a Friday
night directly after his show. Pandora says, "He
was always kind, courteous and wonderful to me, and I appreciate him doing
one of my radio show promo jingles which I use on Radio Caroline. I spoke
with him in January, and he told me he would love to come to the
Ross Revenge (radio ship) and guest on a show with me. Sad
that he will not do this "live"... BUT watch this space, as Pandora
may just have a TOMMY VANCE special in her Saturday noon Rock Box
from the Ross Revenge this Easter. ROCK ON TOMMY."
ANYONE who has any memories of TOMMY and/or audio clips,
including from his time on Caroline, please e-mail
pandora@pandorasrockbox.com AND post your written mesages
about TOMMY VANCE on the guest book at: www.armageddonrock.com/HTML/guestbook.htm
If you would like to add your tribute to this page, click
here.
Click
here to read more about Tommy Vance and hear some audio clips
Click
here for the BBC's obituary
Click
here for The Guardian newspaper's Obituary
Tommy Vance at a recent offshore radio reunion (picture
couretsy of http://www.offshore-radio.de)
A Tribute to Tommy Vance from Paul Corfield
"Richard Anthony Crispian Frances Prew Hope-Weston" was better
known to most of us as "Tommy Vance". As 'Rick West', he started his
broadcasting career shortly after taking up residence in the USA working
initially in Washington State on radio stations KEPR and KARY. After moving to
Los Angeles he joined radio station KOL but within a short time was poached by
the legendary "Boss Radio - 93 KHJ". When joining 93KHJ, Rick West
became "Tommy Vance" - KHJ had already recorded its legendary Drake
jingles sung by the Johnny Mann singers, the package included a Tommy Vance
jingle made for another presenter who was due to join the station but for
reasons unknown was unable to take up the job. As KHJ were paying Rick West a
lot of money to join their station, he naturally didn't object to the change of
name and became Tommy Vance, becoming a number one Los Angeles DJ on the 6 pm to
9 pm show on Boss Radio 93KHJ. Whist in Los Angeles, Tommy also recorded and
released 2 songs 'You Must Be The One' and 'Off The Hook' for the CBS's American
'Columbia' record label.
During 1965, the US Army decided Tommy Vance was to be drafted into their
army. Tommy kindly declined their offer and as he still held a British passport,
returned to the UK and London at Christmastime 1965. He visited Radio Caroline
programme director Bill Hearne at their Chesterfield Gardens HQ and went out to
the MV Mi-Amigo, starting his British radio career on Radio Caroline South 199
in January 1966, also spending time as a Radio Caroline South jock on the
Swedish MV Cheeta II as well, bringing his Tommy Vance KHJ name jingles and
brash US Top 40 style presentation to the British airwaves and gaining his
"TV on the radio" nickname.
After his initial 3 month stint at Radio Caroline, Tommy moved out to the
Grand Duchy broadcasting on Radio Luxembourg. Unhappy at 208, Tommy returned to
the North Sea and the MV Mi-Amigo joining Radio Caroline South 259 on 5th
December 1966. He left Radio Caroline once again around June 67 to join Radio
London 266 on the MV Galaxy and sadly was only with Big L for a few weeks before
the Marine Offences Act, Tommy was also the presenter of the very final Big L
Fab 40 chart show on Radio London at the beginning of August 67.
Like so many of the other ex-offshore radio jocks, Tommy eventually joined
the ranks of BBC Radio 1 co-presenting Top Gear with John Peel, later joining
the short lived English pop service of Radio Monte Carlo 205 along with Kenny
Everett and Dave Cash. Between May and July 1968, Tommy also made his first
appearence on British TV as compare of Granada Televisions original version of
the "New Faces" show.
Between 1973 and 1979, Tommy Vance was at Capital 194 where he presented the
mid-morning show with Joan Shenton. During 1974, Tommy was in the film
"Slade In Flame" along with the rest of the members of Slade. As part
of a scene that was loosely based on the Radio City 299 raid of June 66, Tommy
played the part of a Radio City DJ interviewing the ficticious mid-60's band
"Flame" in the original Radio City studio, with the 're-created' Radio
City again being raided by a boarding party as Tommy was interviewing Noddy,
Jim, Don and Dave live on the Radio City airwaves on the Shivering Sands fort,
and the rock band Flame being precariously whisked off to dry land and safety by
helicopter!!!
In 1979 he re-joined Radio One and started the famous "Friday Night Rock
Show" and also was for a time presenter of the Sunday Top 40 show, as well
as being a presenter on BBC1 TV's Top Of The Pops show. He left Radio One to
join Virgin Radio 1215 at their launch in April 93 as their Drivetime jock.
Over the years Tommy continued to be a regular voice on BBC TV & radio,
GLR, Sky TV, the BBC World Service, BFBS Forces Radio, and on TV he could also
be seen on the VH1 television version of the "Friday Night Rock Show"
and was the voice of many British radio and TV commercials.
Tommy along with Anthony Wilson was a founder and for a while a DJ on the
satellite/internet radio station Rock Radio Network which became better known as
"Total Rock Radio". More recently Tommy Vance could be heard on
DAB/Internet radio station "Virgin Classic Rock" and had recorded his
final Friday Night Rock show for Virgin Classic Rock early last week which was
only broadcast on Friday night 4th March.
Over the years, Tommy Vance has been a big infuence on UK music radio, and
with the British music industry, particularly with rock music. Following a
stroke and a short spell in hospital, Tommy Vance sadly passed away at around
4.00 am on Sunday, 6th March 2005. As a tribute, Virgin Radio re-broadcast his
very final Friday Rock Show recorded for Virgin Classic Rock during Sunday
evening 6/3/2005 on all of Virgin Radio's AM, FM, DAB, Satellite and Internet
radio channels.
He will be missed by his many collegues and friends in the TV/radio and music
industry and also by radio listeners around the world. At this sad time, our
thoughts are with his family, friends and collegues. Tommy Vance -
RIP......... Paul Corfield 6th March 2005
I had the pleasure of seeing Tommy on stage at a Radio One Club gig in
Burnley, possibly in 1970 / 71. We hurled paper plates at the stage with our
dedications on. Our's was a non too reverent reference to our teachers who had
released us from school for a couple of hours, so we could attend. Tommy
presented this dedication with total enthusiasm, and we returned to school in
deep shit - they were listening after all! The next Radio One Club in town was
hosted by DLT and the audience just hurled bog rolls at him! Enough said! Tommy
- Great!!! - Thanks for the memory! Pete Balderson
If it wasnt for Tommy, heavy metal would have never got played on the radio,
you where the hero Tommy for many people of my age 40ish. RIP Tommy and rock on.
Greg & Linda Nelson
I recorded nearly all his "Friday Rock Shows" in the 80s. He knew
how much they meant to me when I worked abroad. More recently he played a couple
of tracks unavailable in the UK for me. I will always be grateful for the music
he introduced to me and his wit will never be forgotten. I as a listener will
dearly miss Tommy. Tom Ormiston, Peebles, Scotland
Thanks for the many memories Tommy, especially when I was away from home with
the Army God bless you and Rock on. John, Bournemouth
For Tommy. We worked together on Dumber and Dumber, Channel 5, and it was a
real treat... you saved the show from mediacrapity. I saw a real individual, a
true heart and soul ready to give the truth where needed with a wry smile. Love
and light and may you shine down on us and light our paths as we head onwards. Phil
Stebbing
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