My personal feelings...
Both Kenny and Peely were friends but...
Kenny was a truly creative artist who used music as random building blocks but didn't care THAT much for it (though I did turn him on to Harry Nillson).

Peely played 99% shit but you had to listen to hear that 1%. I thought he was far better as an amusing talker (i.e. on Home Truths).

I loved The Real Don Steele on KHJ in Los Angeles in the 60's - he created an atmosphere by using great music that made you want to rush out and buy almost everything he played.

There are too few DJ's to whom the music is the essential ingredient, who use their skills and personality to boost the music, not the other way around.

Johnny Walker is one of the best still working, in my opinion.

For me the greatest was "Fluff".

I also like DLT, John Peel, Johnny Walker, Stuart Henry and Tommy Vance.

As for USA DJs ... I enjoyed listening to Gary Bird when he did a stint over here.

Kenny was the best of the Character DJs IMO... the others were very much cookie cutter plastic crap. Having said that, listening to non DAB wireless, I remember fondly the days that giant like Gary Davies once bestrode the airwaves like a colossus... There's that much crap out there...

Peely could be self indulgent, but he did play a lot of stuff that no one else would. Some times justifiably, some times not... I'd put the ratio of Crap to good stuff closer to 95 crap to 5 good per hundred.

I'd agree on Walker.

For good Adult Oriented stuff I'd say that the Wogan/Walters partnership was one of the best. Certainly within my tastes... How it's going to be now the musical brains of the operation has gone is anyone's guess, but for bringing stuff that was neglected and became VERY popular they have to be up there... Eva Cassidy, anyone?

I have fond memories of Alexis Korner in the early 70s.

At the risk of being boring, I have to say John Peel, after that I would say Chris Evans when he was on Virgin, but without Kenny his anarchic show would not have had a platform.

Hard call to make.

There are so many variables here on what is "Best".

Someone like Chris Tarrant manages to get up every morning and sound chirpy and happy - regardless of how he feels.

He's not especailly unique or ground-breaking but he does his job very well. Even if like me you don't actually like it, he does it very well.

One of the aspects I like about the 1960s is that nobody had decided yet what was right, what you HAD to do. This meant a great creative burst that sometimes worked, sometimes didn't.

The 1960s was a classic era of DJs (And much more)the like of which we are unlikely to see again.

Marc n Lard

The first englisch DJs I heard as a kid were the ones on Radio Luxembourgh (208). I remember especially Stuart Henry and Johnny Walker.

On german radio there were two very good and important englisch DJs:

Chris Howland (the first "real" DJ in Germany), who came with the British forces and stayed here after the war. Very very funny guy

David Christopher John Coleman (bass player of Casey Jones & The Governors), who had some great shows on WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) in the 70s.

Evans was Everett with the charisma and the talent removed...

Now he's become a human being I think he's better...

DJones wrote:
The first englisch DJs I heard as a kid were the ones on Radio Luxembourgh (208). I remember especially Stuart Henry and Johnny Walker.

On german radio there were two very good and important englisch DJs:

Chris Howland (the first "real" DJ in Germany), who came with the British forces and stayed here after the war. Very very funny guy

David Christopher John Coleman (bass player of Casey Jones & The Governors), who had some great shows on WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) in the 70s.
I remember that, and listening to Radio Caroline live from the North Sea playing lots of music that was impossible to find in the shops (I think they put on Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" or the longer Yes tracks when they wanted to go for a cup of tea).

Now we have Last.fm!

Ah now Mr Harley, thats a different subject altogether.
I heard Chris`s show only last week, and he sounded like he was chained to a desk, it was worthless in the forum, but I understand the need of a job. Dreadful, employ a robot with a "name" instead, I bet he hates it as well.

Evan's 'talent' was effectively being an arse, while having a few talented people around him. To quote Lovecraft, any fool can be nasty. I can be surrounded by ill informed twats for free in any local pub...

Jimmy Savile.

Can't remember the name of the show but it was Sunday mornings and the theme tume was the In Crowd.

He introduced me to the 'classics' and very grateful I am.

Another one of those in at the beginning when he and the others were writting the rules - or ripping them up.

Alan Freeman must be in that class of DJ...

Johnny Walker is...

In NYC in the sixties it was B.Mitchell Reed (WMCA)
and Murray the K (WINS). In the seventies, Scott Muni
(WNEW-FM) in the eighties Vin Scelsa (WNEW-FM). I think after that the art of speech and segue got lost.
It's something I miss alot, nothing like a fantastic
segue.

And I will never forget the Classic FM "DJ", in it`s first week of broadcasting, who said the immortal words.."there you go, that was the sound of Bach!"

EVERYONE listened to Annie Nightingale after the Top 40 and discussed some of the wierder stuff she'd play at school the next day. I liked Steve Wright, regardless of where his ideas came from.

Batesy does Our Tune on Classic FM...

Emperor Roscoe?

A classic Alan Freeman moment has just come to mind. It was 1977/8, and he played "Problem child " by the Damned, followed by a track from the debut solo Ian Dury album, I thought to myself, "hmmmm I hope he takes this record off in time before the next track comes in".
Unfortunately for Fluff, he didnt.
I guffawed with laughter, as he stuttered dispairingly, whilst trying to fade out Ian Dury belting out "A******** B******* F****** C**** and P*****!"
It was hilarious.