Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, WA Home Inspector (King of the House)

I was intrigued, the other night, to find that there is a group here at Active Rain that is dedicated to the Beatles. Having been in broadcasting during that era, I decided to write a post that would tie the Beatles in with the pop culture of that time. The circumstances, described here, were unique to that moment in history.

You have undoubtedly heard the term "pirate radio". Pirate radio stations, operating only a few miles off the shore of Britain, began their clandestine broadcasts in 1964. The pirate radio ships had powerful AM band transmitters, typically 20,000 to 50,000 watts, and they were cranking music that could be heard not only in Britain but in other European countries as well.

Click on photos, to visit the present Radio Caroline website.

There was a big niche, in the pop culture market, that made it possible for these stations to flourish. The BBC, the national broadcasting service in Great Britain was not keeping up with the demand for the new rock n' roll music. The BBC was too formal, too stodgy.

The pirates had radio studios and radio towers on old merchant ships -- most of them were not much to look at but functional. For a few years, the government was flummoxed and could not figure out what to do about these floating stations that were operating just beyond the government's jurisdiction.

The pirate broadcasts were popular and they cut into audience share at the government's "legal" radio stations. There were several pirate radio stations. The first and best known was Radio Caroline. The British business man, who started the station, was on his way to Dallas to buy his initial radio equipment. While traveling, he saw an American newspaper. There was an article on the two Kennedy children and the man named his station Radio Caroline, after the President's daughter. Another popular pirate station was Radio London. The deejays on board these vessels, not unlike rock deejays in the US, were known for playing more music and a fast-paced style of jabbering.

Renegade pirate radio stations were hugely popular with the youth of Europe. Think about it: What could be better than listening to music your parents didn't want you to hear, while being tuned in to a renegade radio station that was driving the government crazy?

Even after all these years, there is a certain intrigue when one thinks about those off shore ships broadcasting into the night. It is interesting to note that deejays on these water-based stations made personal sacrifices -- they were basically captives and would live and work on the ships for long periods of time. These guys did not just pop in, spin some records and then go home to the kids. The staff was stuck and did not always get regular pay checks either. It was a rough business, being a renegade broadcaster.

You should hear the sound of a pirate station from that era, exactly as broadcast by pirate radio. Johnnie Walker was a legendary deejay on Radio Caroline. Like many of the jocks of that era, he worked at several different pirate stations. This aircheck was recorded smack dab in the middle of the most exciting years of rock n' roll, December 1966. Click on Johnnie's photo to hear him live.

Now, let's connect all of this historical information with the Beatles. Obviously, due to the time frame in which the pirate radio ships were established, the Beatles were on all of the playlists. But, all things must end and the industry came crashing down when, at the peak of pirate radio's popularity, the government passed the marine broadcast offenses act. That law effectively shutdown most pirate radio stations.

As a result of the new law, on August 15, 1967, the pirate ship known as Radio London went dark forever. You can hear the last song ever broadcast from that classic pirate radio station if you click on George's photo below.

For more information on pirate radio, visit here.

For other articles I have written on radio and music, click here.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections