Peter Young (1951–2018)
“It was so refreshing to play to such a friendly and enthusiastic crowd and the amount of young people present certainly filled me full of hope for the future. This music has got a lot of life left in it yet, thank God.”
In memory
Peter Young, or PY as he was also known, passed away on 1st November, 2018. He will be remembered fondly by his legions of fans for his more than 35 years of radio broadcasting.
It is no exaggeration to say that PY was responsible for introducing generations of British youth to American soul music via his hugely influential radio show, The Soul Cellar, which he began in 1979.
The Soul Cellar
PY saw his Soul Cellar show as a celebration of the R&B music of Black America – mainly from the late-1950s through to the early-1980s, but concentrating primarily on the “golden era” of the 1960s and 1970s.
Tracks from the Motown, Stax, Atlantic, Chess, and Philadelphia stables made up the backbone of the show, along with Southern soul from some of the lesser-known record labels.
Early years
Peter Young said that it was always his ambition to be involved in music and he cited radio presenter Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman as an inspiration for making everything he played sound exciting.
PY remembered buying his first soul record from Edgware Electrics in 1963, at the age of twelve. It was “Fingertips” on the Oriole label by another 12-year old: Little Stevie Wonder.
Jazz FM
After working for Capital Radio for over a decade, PY became one of Jazz FM’s original presenters when it launched in 1990. He also briefly worked for BBC Radio, before returning to Jazz FM (later rebranded as Smooth FM) – the station he regarded as home.
Peter Young at Right On
In 2004, Peter Young celebrated 25 years of The Soul Cellar. We were honoured that he agreed to mark the occasion by playing a rare club set for us at the Right On all-nighter at Sahara Nights in King’s Cross. It was a hugely memorable night for all involved.