John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter and journalist. Known for his eclectic taste in music and his honest and warm broadcasting style, John Peel was a popular and respected DJ and broadcaster. He was one of the first to play reggae and punk on British radio. His significant influence on alternative rock, pop, death metal, British hip hop and dance music is acknowledged. He was the longest-serving of the original DJs of BBC Radio 1, broadcasting on it from 1967 until his death in 2004.