Roger Scott
Roger Scott established himself as one of the most influential voices in radio throughout the 1970s and 80s. His passion for music was evident to all that listened to his shows. Roger began his radio career in 1966 in New York before moving to Montreal the following year where he honed his skills and developed his style as a broadcaster. He returned home in 1971 to coincide with the introduction of commercial radio in the UK. Following brief stints with UBN and Radio 1, he began a career defining 15 years at Capital Radio in 1973 where he gathered a cult following, shaping the musical tastes of a whole generation of Londoners. Then in 1988 Roger returned to Radio 1 where fittingly, he broadcast to a national audience for the final 2 years of his career before dying so tragically young at the age of 46.
Even though Roger left us over 25 years ago, barely a week goes by without somebody mentioning his name to me. I most commonly get asked if I have any recordings of his shows (which I did, but they were all tucked away in the loft, on old formats like reel to reel and cassette). Roger left a world where the internet didn't exist, so little of his work was available on the web. The bits and pieces that were available were scattered about (thanks to many of his loyal listeners who have contributed by sending me tapes and cds) and I thought now was the time to bring all of this material together and add it to my own collection. I've transferred all I have onto digital format and put it on this website as a tribute to my father and to create a Roger Scott legacy.
Being so young when Roger died I hadn't listened to much of his work so it’s been a really enjoyable, albeit emotional experience putting this website together, getting to know my Dad again after all these years and hearing what a master of his craft he was.
I've laid out this website in chronological order to show the evolution of Roger's career using his own words wherever possible to tell the story. Some of the recordings were taken within weeks of his death (although you'd never know listening to his voice) and it gives me great comfort knowing he was doing what he loved right up until the last moments of his life. For Roger, being a DJ was never about fame or self promotion. It was always about great music and sharing it with his listeners.
| Playlist - Beginnings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number | Title | Length |
| 1. | Roger talking about what being a DJ meant to him | 6:37 |
All of the audio on this site is downloadable. If anyone has any recordings of Roger’s shows they’d like me to add to this site then please get in touch through Roger's Facebook page or email me at jamie24@gmail.com
I’ve added a comments box below if anyone would like to share any of their memories of Roger. Thanks, Jamie Scott.
All the sound recordings on the site present 'in historical context' the life of one of Britain's greatest radio broadcasters. They are reproduced here primarily for research purposes. No copyright infringements of the sound recordings contained herein are intended. Files will be removed if any objection is lodged by the proven copyright owner to the site owner.