Jan Gow

Born in Liverpool in 1964, at the height of Beatlemania and Merseybeat, into a household already containing an 18 year old music-mad older sister, it was a forgone conclusion that I’d be obsessed with music from an early age.

When I was 5 years old and in an effort to keep my sticky paws off the family radiogram, my mum bought me a little portable Fidelity record from her John Moores catalogue. My sister donated two 7” singles** that she was fed up with, for me to play on it, and an obsession was born.

Fast forward 50-odd years and that little red suitcase is now a room housing my collection of 2000 albums, 4000 singles, hi-fi and my beloved Rowe-Ami Cadette jukebox. This room is known as The JanCave.

In more recent years I accidentally became involved with community radio – and after presenting and co-presenting on several FM stations , migrated towards more specialist, music-focused radio – aimed specifically at listeners who are true music lovers (and in a lot of cases, vinyl collectors like myself).

I currently present 2 music shows : Live From The JanCave (self explanatory – broadcast from the mini studio set up tucked in the corner of that very room) and The JanCave Jukebox years. The latter is a syndicated program devoted to the music from my favourite decade, the 1970s with each episode tackling a specific 70s year’s music, facts and pop culture.

(** Those 2 singles… Nancy Sinatra “These Boots Are Made For Walking” and Neil Sedaka “Oh Carol”. And yes, I still own both)