Johnnie Walker closes final radio show: May we walk with our heads held high

DJ Johnnie Walker has told listeners “may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts” as he closed his final radio show which featured messages from his wife Tiggy and Sir Rod Stewart.

The veteran presenter, 79, signed off his final Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday afternoon after he hosted his last episode of The Rock Show on Friday by playing some of his “favourite rock anthems”.

Walker announced earlier in the month that he was retiring from radio after 58 years due to ill health, having been previously diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

After playing Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now, he closed the show by saying: “Here we are at the end of a 15-year run on Sunday afternoon’s Sounds Of The 70s and 58 years on British radio.

“It’s going to be very strange not to be on the wireless anymore. But also, by the same token, life will be slightly less of a strain, really, trying to find the breath to do programmes.

“So thank you for being with me all these years and take good care of yourself and those you love, and may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts. God bless you.”

Walker’s condition causes the lungs to become scarred and makes breathing increasingly difficult, according to the NHS.

For his final song he played Judy Collins’ version of Amazing Grace after opening with George Harrison’s track What Is Life.

Reflecting on his years on the airwaves, Walker said: “It was just great spending Sunday afternoons with you and it’s going to be very strange for me next Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock to think that I won’t be speaking to you. It’ll be somebody else, namely Bob Harris, who’ll be doing Sounds Of The 70s.

“So I’ll miss you a lot and it’s been great connecting up for all these years. We’ve done a lot of living together, you and I.”

Birmingham-born Walker began in pirate radio with Swinging Radio England in 1966 before moving to the offshore station Radio Caroline.

He departed, after the station closed, for BBC Radio 1 in 1969, continuing until 1976 and later moving to San Francisco, where he recorded a weekly show broadcast on Radio Luxembourg.

In the early 1980s, he returned to the BBC and has remained there ever since. For several years he has regularly broadcast from his home in Dorset.

Walker chose all his favourite songs for his last show but dedicated his second track, Sister Sledge’s We Are Family, to Sounds Of The 70s listeners.

He added one last song to Johnnie’s Jukebox – Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird – before sealing it forever and joking that he would give it to SpaceX boss Elon Musk so it could be sent to space.

Other tracks to feature included Sir Elton John and Kiki Dee’s Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Neil Diamond’s Holy Holy and Sir Rod’s Sailing.

Sir Rod sent a pre-recorded message to Walker to thank him for helping the careers of many rock bands over the years.

He said: “Hi Johnny, it’s Rod Stewart here. I have to thank you, my man, thank you from the bottom of my heart for playing not only my songs but The Faces and just about every other rock band in the world on your wonderful show over the years.

“By doing so, you propelled the careers of a bunch of unknown layabouts to the top of the charts, and overnight fame and everything that goes with it.

“It goes without saying, without your support, we never may have got there.”

The rock star ended the message by making Walker an offer, saying: “So if I do manage to get through the pearly gates, I’ll have a pint of Guinness, please mate, and guess what? I’ll pick up the tab. See you later, Johnnie. Rock on mate, rock on.”

Later in the show, Walker’s wife Tiggy praised him for continuing to broadcast after he became “very ill” in January.

Tiggy, who has been married to the radio DJ for more than two decades, spent five months presenting alongside her husband during lockdown.

As she sat in on his last show on Sunday afternoon, she told him: “I think you should also be proud about how long you have gone on broadcasting this year.

“You fell very, very ill in January this year, and I didn’t think you’d be doing shows into February. You’ve kept going for 10 months.

“I know it’s been really hard for you. I’m the one person who knows how hard it’s been for you, and I just want to say well done for keeping going as long as you have, because you make a lot of people very happy.

“And I know there will be a lot of tears out there today, including mine.”

Walker admitted he might shed a tear or two as well as he thanked her for all her “wonderful care”, adding: “I certainly couldn’t have done the show without that so thank you for that.”

His former colleague Sally Boazman also joined him on air to say working with him on the Drivetime show from 1999 to 2006 was the “best luck of my life”.

“I just want to say thank you for everything. We had such good fun. And Johnnie, I will never, ever forget you,” she added.

Former Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris is to take over Sounds Of The 70s from November 3, and Shaun Keaveny will become the new presenter of The Rock Show on November 1.