Born in 1957 in Deptford, south London, Danny's first
job after dropping out of school at the age of 15 was in
One Stop Records, a small record shop in London's West
End, frequented by Elton John and Mick Jagger, a store
rather like the one in High Fidelity. His career in
print journalism began in 1976 when he co-founded the
fanzine Sniffin' Glue leading to an offer from the New
Musical Express, where his first job was as a
receptionist. Soon after, Baker was contributing regular
astute articles, reviews and later interviews to the
publication. Danny then began making 30-minute
documentaries at LWT for the cult series 20th Century
Box, and appeared in two television commercials: Daz
washing powder and Mars bar chocolate. His stellar
career on the radio began on BBC GLR in 1989, then moved
to BBC Radio 5 where he presented sports shows including
the groundbreaking 6-0-6, which still influences the
media's approach to criticism of players, managers and
referees. He also worked on BBC Radio 1, back to BBC
GLR, Talk Radio and later on Virgin Radio.On his return
to BBC last May, Danny won 'Sony Radio Personality of
the Year' and appeared on Desert Island Discs last July.
Six months earlier he had gone public on his cancer and
chemotherapy treatment, and thankfully all seems well.
Danny Baker currently presents a weekday show at BBC
London 94.9, which features phone-ins and discussions
with his on-air team regarding music and entertainment
of the 1960s and 1970s, and a Saturday morning show on
BBC Radio 5. This book charts Danny's showbiz career,
the highs and lows, and everything in between, including
the accusation that he killed Bob Marley... |
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