ArtistInfo

David Simmons

GB

David Simmons grew up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. He studied Law at London University and later, Human Sciences at Oxford. He was first heard in the UK on the pirate easy-listening station 390 where he produced and appeared in commercials. After the pirates closed, David had a stint in West Africa, then moved to Switzerland as a radio reporter and producer based in Bern. While abroad he read about the BBC's plans for a local station in London, applied, and got a job of producer-presenter at the new BBC Radio London, starting there in mid-1970 on the same day as Robbie Vincent. He Rockola, which went out every week for over 25 years and became the longest-running show ever on BFBS Radio. Rockola grew out of Rockabilly Country, an earlier weekly series David Simmons brought to BFBS in October 1981. Rockola was presented and produced by David Simmons. An Essex boy, he grew up in Southend-on-Sea, attended Westcliff High School for Boys, studied law briefly and badly at University College, London, and later graduated from St. John's College, Oxford, with a BA [and MA] in human sciences, specializing in human genetics. After a period in West Africa as a translator at the Presidency in Yaoundé, Cameroun, he started his radio career with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation in Bern, then moved back to London and joined the BBC. He did the first daily telephone talk shows in the UK; a weekly blues, soul and R&B show on Radio One; and "Soul 77" on BBC Radio London. For Radio Four, David wrote and presented "Science Now"; reported for current affairs programmes, and made documentaries. He then worked first as a journalist then as a senior executive with two American television news companies: Worldwide Television News [WTN], owned by ABC News in New York, and Associated Press Television News. His time at WTN included four years as their director for Latin America. David speaks French, Spanish and fair German. He lives in North London with his wife, several of their many children, two of their grand-children, and Ziggy, the family's large chocolate Labrador. A qualified Blue Badge tour guide and lecturer, he does private and public tours, and writes and produces destination travel features.

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