Tommy Vance Is A Dead

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Tommy Vance, the former Radio 1 DJ and television presenter, has died aged 63 following a stroke.

Tommy Vance

His agent said Vance died at the Durrant Valley Hospital, in Kent, at around 4am following a stroke.

The DJ, who made his name in the Sixties on Radio Caroline and Radio 1, was taken to hospital three days ago after suffering his first stroke.

Jon Roseman, Vance's agent, said: "I had known Tommy for 35 years. He certainly had one of the most recognisable voices on radio. He was a great bloke and he was held in very high regard for his knowledge of rock which was unsurpassed.

"Without Tommy there will be a hole that is not going to be filled."

Vance's trademark gravely voice landed him many commercial voice-over jobs earning him the distinction of the "voice on legs".

He started his career in the USA in the 1960s on LA-based radio station KHJ. More recently TV audiences saw Mr Vance walk out of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen when he could no longer take the heat.

He leaves an ex-wife Stella, and two children Jessie, 19, and 22-year-old Daniel.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 6 March 2005 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Oxo have lost a great (mediocre) spokesman.

Who gets to talk about RAWK~! on Channel 4 list shows now then? Fearne Cotton? Charlie Fightstar?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 6 March 2005 12:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll miss that voice, rock on Tommy!

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Sunday, 6 March 2005 12:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"Tommy Vance ran away to sea aged 16, his first employment was with the Merchant Navy, then having enrolled as a student at a Northern Ireland college, he became an actor/stage hand. Unhappy with his salary he moved to the USA to work in radio."

This is a proper way to make it in showbiz. RIP Tommy.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 6 March 2005 12:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Man, one of the most recognisable voices on radio. First John Peel, now this. RIP :(

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 6 March 2005 12:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I am very sad about this. I love Tommy Vance. Smooth by day ***Rock by night***

― KeithW (kmw), Sunday, 6 March 2005 13:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I will listen to Thin Lizzy's "Emerald" today.

― KeithW (kmw), Sunday, 6 March 2005 13:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Hopefully Channel Five will show a night of 'Dumber and Dumber' in tribute.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Sunday, 6 March 2005 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

A fabulous voice, and apparently one of the few slebs to do Brass Eye and be in on the joke. RIP.

― Richard C (avoid80), Sunday, 6 March 2005 13:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Jesus. RIP Tommy.
Him and Peel have passed away less than a year between one another. I feel like the rest of my childhood has gone now.
Most bands i got into came via Tommy Vance and John Peel.
Tommy had an unmistakeable voice that wont be forgotten.

― Rock Bastard, Sunday, 6 March 2005 13:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Sad, sad news. My early teens, really the start of my love of music, were spent sitting listening through one of those mono earphones to the Friday Rock Show on Radio 1. Tommy had a tremendous sense of humour, and like Peel came across as a real fan of the music he played. Today's DJs really aren't fit to be compared to those two.

Condolences to family and friends, he'll be missed by everybody he gave so much pleasure to during his career.

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Sunday, 6 March 2005 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh wow. At age 14 in '79, the Friday Night Rock Show was as important to me as Peel's programme. Vance hosted a good magazine show on Saturday afternoons on R1 in the early 80s too. RIP.

― Jeff W (zebedee), Sunday, 6 March 2005 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

and we must never forget his stint on the Top 40. part of me can't believe that for the first time a BBC radio chart presenter has died, and it's *not* Alan Freeman (or even David Jacobs who did it on the Light Programme).

very, very sad news.

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Sunday, 6 March 2005 16:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm still waiting for them to mention him on the All-New Top 40. I get the feeling it's not happening.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Sunday, 6 March 2005 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

from Total Rock:

http://www.totalrock.com/

We're all absolutely devastated by the news of Tommy Vance's death and send our thoughts, love and wishes to his family and nearest and dearest.

As well as being The Voice Of Rock (and one of TotalRock's co-founders), Tommy was our friend, our advisor and our inspiration. He was also a true gentleman and a warm and wonderful human being. His departure leaves a massive void in all our lives and the world of rock and metal will be a far, far poorer place without his growling, sunglassed presence.

However, we have to wonder... would Tommy have wanted us to collapse in tears and crumble in weakness? Would he have relished the thought of rock radio broadcasting on without his unmistakable tones? Would he countenance a world without somebody continuing to bang the drum for TRUE rock and Metal? HELL NO!

So, let us proudly celebrate the man, his life and treasure our memories!

TotalRock listeners will continue to hear TV's voice on air and we've opened a special Message Board for EVERYBODY to post their memories of a man who's touched ALL our lives in this special musical area we all share. Please tell us these and also recall, if you will, one particular track which the man Vance turned you on to.

We'll be producing and broadcasting an audio tribute to TV in the next few days.

In the meantime, join us now in saluting Tommy Vance - The Voice Of Rock, bidding him a heartfelt farewell and sending him off with a resounding 'ROCK ON!'

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Sunday, 6 March 2005 18:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Damn, another part of my adolescence is gone. One of those broadcasters driven by a desire to share their enthusiasms rather than schlep on some celebrity ego trip.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Sunday, 6 March 2005 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Everyone knows the friday rock show, but years did the thursday night more melodic rock show run from/ to ?

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Sunday, 6 March 2005 20:56 (twenty-one years ago)

RIP Tommy.

Thanks for the Friday Rock Show and for playing bands that others wouldn't give air time to. You'll always be a hero to me for playing prog during the 80's revival when everyone else was ignoring it.

― Jeff Cook (Bro_Danielson), Sunday, 6 March 2005 20:59 (twenty-one years ago)

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40895000/jpg/_40895945_vance_pa203.jpg

Tommy in his Larry David phase.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 6 March 2005 22:01 (twenty-one years ago)

RIP"Atomic" Tommy Vance.
I spent many happy early teen years listening to the Friday rock show.

― A pair of brown eyes, Monday, 7 March 2005 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

the Thursday night show ran from 1983-85, i'm pretty sure

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Monday, 7 March 2005 02:26 (twenty-one years ago)

IIRC it was called 'into the music', featured mostly bland AOR, and Peel was rightly p***ed off about losing the slot.

― stevo (stevo), Monday, 7 March 2005 08:22 (twenty-one years ago)

i raise a glass of nut-brown ale for that channel five 'idiots hurting themselves' preog alone.

― NRQ, Monday, 7 March 2005 09:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I will second A pair of brown eyes' comments.

He also appeared on the KLF's immortally brilliant Chill Out album, which automatically confers a level of greatness.

― M Carty (mj_c), Monday, 7 March 2005 09:58 (twenty-one years ago)

And in More Bad News!

― M Carty (mj_c), Monday, 7 March 2005 09:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Tommy Vance, WE SALUTE YOU!

/me fires massive cannon.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 7 March 2005 10:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Peel was p*ssed off about losing his Friday slot to Tommy Vance, but also he acknowledged that various music that he did not like should get some coverage rather than get 'perfunctory' play on his show (ref: Pink Floyd "Animals" etc).

Also, a story I beleive, is that when TV got his first radio show, the station had many pre-recorded "Tommy Vance" idents for a DJ they didn't hire, so a condition of employment was that he took the name.

So, what was his real name?

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 7 March 2005 13:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Richard Hope-Weston.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 7 March 2005 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

RIP

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 7 March 2005 13:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks, Marcello. Just that in all the reports I've seen so far, not one mentioned that.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 7 March 2005 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

actually i think the main reason for putting the Friday Rock Show in place of Peel's last show of the week was to provide some kind of replacement for Alan Freeman's Saturday Rock Show, Fluff having just toddled off to Capital (for the first time). although i'm sure that ensuring that Peel no longer had to play music he didn't particularly like was a factor as well; JP even had to play the Stones' "Miss You" when it was released, and you could tell he meant it when he said that he sometimes thought they ought to have given up after "Satisfaction".

Tommy's Thursday night show was replaced by Andy Kershaw.

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Monday, 7 March 2005 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Pretty good article on Mr. Vance in today's Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayreview/story/0,12102,1434407,00.html

― Soukesian, Friday, 11 March 2005 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

"Before grunge strangled it to death and the Darkness arrived to revive it as postmodern pantomime, metal was built on the spectacle of utterly ludicrous individuals affecting to take themselves completely seriously."

the problem isn't "our irony-caked culture", it's that "commentators" like harris (and several dozen radio one DJs) think the present is by definition cleverer than the past, so that they don't have even to bother thinking themselves through to an obit not full of contradictory nonsense

vance rose out of and wz rescued for general fondness by EXACTLY THE SAME CULTURAL IMPULSE WHICH PRODUCED THE DARKNESS (and indeed maiden and dave lee roth and - back in the dear dead days - mahogany rush and uriah heep and and and...)

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 11 March 2005 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Harris is suffering from a bad case of metal denial, which leads him to patronise his subject, but he does acknowledge the significance of the Friday Rock show.

I've been thinking about why it was important to me at the time, and it has a lot to do with why I found myself discontented with Peel around the same period: the post-punk move away from a certain foot-on-the-monitors approach to guitar music. Which, in contrast to Harris, I'd say actually remained pretty unhip in the UK until grunge came along.

― Soukesian, Saturday, 12 March 2005 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Reply From BBC About My Complaint Over No Tribute To Tommy Vance on Chart Show

― Rock Bastard, Friday, 18 March 2005 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

I wonder what the BBC said to Rock Bastard.

― The Man With the Magic Eardrums (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 21:53 (sixteen years ago)

It took some time until I found that Tommy Vance/Johnny Rotten 1977 interview/show.

But I did, eventually.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 3 March 2010 10:42 (sixteen years ago)

thirteen years pass...

Tommy Vance is back

The family of radio DJ Tommy Vance have agreed that his voice can be rebroadcast using artificial intelligence (AI).

Boom Rock will use the recreated gravelly voice of Vance, who also hosted VH1’s Friday Rock Show and had stints at former pirate radio station Radio Caroline, to promote the station between songs.
David Lloyd, the co-founder of Boom Radio, the station aimed at baby boomers, which also runs spin-off Boom Rock, said: “Tommy was the obvious choice owing to his huge reputation and the respect our listeners have for him.
“The suggestion of using technology to recreate his voice was an idea which occurred to several of us simultaneously.”
It works by an AI tool being fed with old recordings to recreate new sentences using his “voice” which then makes a package of different jingles and spoken lines.
These include Vance saying: “Rock. That’s why we’re here.”

― soref, Sunday, 11 February 2024 18:59 (two years ago)

Say hello to the Friday Night Connection

― the most powerful man in cornish politics (Matt #2), Sunday, 11 February 2024 20:44 (two years ago)

Tommy Vance is A Live

― never trust a big book and a simile (Neanderthal), Sunday, 11 February 2024 20:55 (two years ago)

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