Farewell Johnnie Walker – a little bit of our radio light has gone out

The Pirate – Johnnie Walker – has hung up his headphones after 58 years on the wireless. Fifty-eight years. And while the phrase 'end of an era' is often over-used, you certainly cannot argue with it being delpoyed in this instance.

Listeners to Sounds of the 70s and to Johnnie’s other weekly Radio 2 offering, the Rock Show on Friday nights, have sensed for a little while the end of his broadcasting career has been coming, though it was only three weeks ago he confirmed our worst fears. But knowing what was coming has not made it any easier to bear.

We were emotional on The Pirate’s final day – so goodness knows how the man himself must have been feeling, not to mention his wife Tiggy and his producers, who were with him at his home in Dorset as he effortlessly took us through two final hours of him ruling the airwaves .

Johnnie has been suffering for some time from pulmonary fibrosis, which inflames and scars the lungs and makes breathing increasingly difficult. It is testament to his professionalism and bravery that had his condition not been publicised, you'd have struggled to guess from listening to his shows – even recently – there was much wrong with him. He has soldiered on superbly, selflessly.

Johnnie, now 79, is one of those who comes from the days when radio DJs were radio DJs and TV presenters were TV presenters. They were two very different jobs done, on the whole, by very different people.

He never made the transition to TV – he wasn't even a regular Top of the Pops presenter when many of his Radio 1 colleagues were – and I think his radio career has been all the better for it.

He is as warm, easy-going and genuine as you could wish for from the person talking to you between songs on the radio. He has had a knack of making it sound straightforward – which I am certain it isn't – by never trying too hard, by being hugely knowledgeable about the music he was playing and the artists making it, and by keeping it simple.

It is amazing to think Johnnie started on the airwaves before Radio 1 and Radio 2 had been launched. They arrived a year after he'd made his bow on pirate radio in 1966.

He's had spells on Radios 1 – he was the chart presenter on Tuesday lunchtimes for a while in the 70s – and Radio 2, in America and on local radio and has presented Radio 2's iconic Sounds of the 70s for 50 per cent longer than the 70s themselves – for the past 15 years. It doesn't seem possible that anyone else ever presented it, or that from next Sunday, Bob Harris will be in the chair instead.

The final Sounds of the 70s was always going to be a must listen, and a hard listen. But what a show.

'What we're going to do right here is go back,' are the first words SOT70s listeners have heard every week – and the first track on this special, special edition was George Harrison with What Is Life.

"The day has come I've always dreaded – my last radio show," Johnnie said after George had finished.

Some of the usual features were missing – including listener requests. "These are all my requests, mate, it's my last show," said the Pirate, with a glint in his eye.

We Are Family – for 'the SOT70s family' – followed, as did Roger Daltrey, Elton and Kiki, Peter Gabriel, Neil Diamond, Jackson Browne, The Staple Singers, Simon and Garfunkel, Nils Lofgren, David Bowie, The Skids, Lou Reed, Cat Stevens, Stevie Wonder and the Rolling Stones,

Sound like a stellar list of musicians? It is, but it's only what we have become used to on Sunday afternoons. The musical mixture has always been second-to-none when The Pirate is spinning the discs.

Johnnie told the story of how his 70s stint at Radio 1 ended when the station controller told him not to play any more album tracks. His decision to leave showed he was a man of principle, something he has remained to this day.

There was a touching phone chat with his old traffic presenter Sally Boazman, a final entry into the famous 'Johnnie's Jukebox' – a suggestion from a 'DJ extraordinaire from Shaftesbury', Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and a glowing tribute on the blower from Sir Rod Stewart talking about how JW had helped the careers of so many big and not-so-big names in music

One special guest on this last show was wife Tiggy, who SOT70s listeners will have come to know and love during an extended period during lockdown when she was his regular co-presenter. Tiggy found time late in proceedings to congratulate him not only for a 58-year career but for carrying on this year when his health had been deteriorating.

You could hear the emotion in Johnnie's voice as he thanked the many people who'd helped make the show with him over the years.

In the final hour, we were treated to some clips from an interview Johnnie did with Bowie – a reminder, if needed, that anyone who's ever been anyone in pop music has been grilled on one of his shows.

He likened his career to driving a bus and having people (listeners) 'hopping on and off' at different times, on different stations – and said he didn't mind how long people had been on his bus, but was thankful that so many had. He spoke particularly about his SOT70s era and told listeners "We've done a lot of living together, you and I".

Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now followed that – the penultimate song – and what, wondered everyone, would be the final track?

Before the last record, it was time for Johnnie's final worrds to us.

"So here we are at the end of a 15-year run on Sounds of the 70s and 58 years on British radio, And it's going to be very strange not to be on the wireless any more," he said. "But by the same token, life will be less of a strain trying to find the breath to do programmes.

"Thanks for being with me all these years and take good care of yourself and those you love. And maybe walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts. God bless you and I'll end with this..."

This ... was Amazing Grace by Judy Collins. Amazing indeed.

From next Sunday, Whispering Bob Harris takes over the show and I'd imagine most listeners could not think of a better successor. It’s remarkable to think that 50 years ago tomorrow – October 28,1974, both men could be found on the Radio 1 schedule, alongside – among others Tony Blackburn and David Hamilton.

Whispering Bob will be great and will make the show his own in time ... but, it must be said, 3pm to 5pm Sunday will never be quite the same.

Enjoy the rest and some calm seas, Pirate.