The Autobiography

Young Johnnie Walker was obsessed with music and loved to share that passion. So it wasn't long after he'd started DJing in dance halls and pubs around his Solihull home that he got his big break: he talked his way into a slot with newly founded pirate station Radio England - and launched his incredible career. Here, he tells of forty years at the heart of British broadcasting, stints that involved working on the legendary Radio Caroline, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2; of the stars and musicians he's met and worked with; of how he won the hearts of his listeners and of his devotion to pioneering new music. Johnnie also speaks candidly about the personal challenges he's faced: divorce, exile and his very public struggles with drug addiction and cancer. His life has been inspiring and - above all - entertaining. His autobiography is no different.

Johnnie Walker first made his name in 1966, presenting on pirate station Radio Caroline. He established a long career as a Radio 1 DJ from 1969 to 1976 and championed new names such as Lou Reed, Elton John and the Eagles. He moved to San Francisco in the late 1970s, where he joined KSAN, the most respected FM rock station in the USA, and became very involved in the punk scene. Johnnie came home in the early '80s and, following stints with Radio West and Wiltshire Radio in the West Country, he returned to Radio 1 to front The Stereo Sequence and then went on to present the hugely popular Drivetime show on Radio 2. Johnnie was awarded an MBE in 2006. He lives in Somerset with his wife, Tiggy.