Sunday March 6 2005: It is with great sadness that we learn that
Tommy passed away this morning, a few days after suffering a stroke.
He was 63.
Vance, died in Kent at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday,
his agent said.
Vance, who has two children, presented the "Friday Night Rock"
show on digital channel VH1 and more lately had his own show on
digital radio station Virgin Classic Rock.
Born in Oxford, Vance got his big break on Los Angeles radio's
station KHJ. He then returned to the U.K. to work on pirate
station Radio Caroline.
He was then signed to Radio 1 where he worked for 15 years.
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For those who were there when the NWOBHM took place Tommy Vance was a pillar and beacon of information and new music.
I remember being in my room turning the radio on and hearing this new band singing about standing up and be counted. It was Saxon of course. it was the first time I heard them.
Tommy Vance introduced me to loads of new bands. He invited unknown bands into the BBC studio to record a track. The result was the sampler "Metal Explosion". A great NWOBHM sampler. At the end of the album groove you could hear Tommy say his slogan: "Its the music that matters"
It did for him and it did for us, but part of the reason why it began to matter to us was because of Tommy Vance.
Thank you Tommy from this Dutch metalhead who listened to you on his small radio back in the beginning of 1980. You will not be forgotten.
Tommy passed away this morning, a few days after suffering a stroke.
He was 63.
Vance, died in Kent at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday,
his agent said.
Vance, who has two children, presented the "Friday Night Rock"
show on digital channel VH1 and more lately had his own show on
digital radio station Virgin Classic Rock.
Born in Oxford, Vance got his big break on Los Angeles radio's
station KHJ. He then returned to the U.K. to work on pirate
station Radio Caroline.
He was then signed to Radio 1 where he worked for 15 years.
------------------------
For those who were there when the NWOBHM took place Tommy Vance was a pillar and beacon of information and new music.
I remember being in my room turning the radio on and hearing this new band singing about standing up and be counted. It was Saxon of course. it was the first time I heard them.
Tommy Vance introduced me to loads of new bands. He invited unknown bands into the BBC studio to record a track. The result was the sampler "Metal Explosion". A great NWOBHM sampler. At the end of the album groove you could hear Tommy say his slogan: "Its the music that matters"
It did for him and it did for us, but part of the reason why it began to matter to us was because of Tommy Vance.
Thank you Tommy from this Dutch metalhead who listened to you on his small radio back in the beginning of 1980. You will not be forgotten.
