Tommy Vance

Tommy Vance
Vance in January 2005
Born
Richard Anthony Crispian Francis Prew Hope-Weston

(1940-07-11)11 July 1940
Died6 March 2005(2005-03-06) (aged 64)
Dartford, Kent, England
Other namesRick West
Occupations
  • Radio host
  • presenter
  • DJ
Years active1960–2004
Known forFriday Rock Show (1978–1993)
TelevisionTop of the Pops, Dumber and Dumber, The 11 O'Clock Show, The Nightfly and The Friday Rock Show (VH1)
Spouses
  • Ferne Johnson (divorced)
  • Susan Hanson (divorced)
  • Stella 'Cookie' Brusa (divorced)
Children2

Richard Anthony Crispian Francis Prew Hope-Weston (11 July 1940[1] – 6 March 2005), known professionally as Tommy Vance, was an English radio broadcaster. He was an important factor in the rise of the new wave of British heavy metal, along with London-based disc jockey Neal Kay, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Vance was one of the first radio hosts in the United Kingdom to broadcast hard rock and heavy metal in the early 1980s, providing the only national radio forum for both bands and fans. The Friday Rock Show that he hosted gave new bands airtime for their music and fans an opportunity to hear it. He used a personal tag-line of "TV on the radio".[2] His voice was heard by millions around the world announcing the Wembley Stadium acts at Live Aid in 1985.[3]

  1. ^ Vance's year of birth has been given, variously, as: 11 July 1940 ("Tommy Vance". The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame. Offshoreradio.co.uk. Retrieved 20 August 2010.) and ("Tommy Vance". Radio London. Retrieved 20 August 2010.); 11 July 1941 ("DJ Tommy Vance dies after stroke". BBC News. 6 March 2005. Retrieved 20 August 2010.); 11 July 1943 (Leigh, Spencer (7 March 2005). "Tommy Vance". The Independent (Obituary). Retrieved 20 August 2010.) and (Laing, Dave (7 March 2005). "Tommy Vance". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2010.)
  2. ^ Leigh, Spencer (7 March 2005). "Tommy Vance". The Independent (Obituary). Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  3. ^ Jones, Dylan (2013). The Eighties: One Day, One Decade. Random House.