Biography

Andy Kershaw

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Andy Kershaw was born in Littleborough, Lancashire, England. He is a radio and television broadcaster with a specialty in music, known for his long association with the BBC. He began his career as a DJ with BBC Radio 1 in July 1985, and that summer co-presented Live Aid (1985). With an eclectic taste in music, Kershaw became the first to play African and other music outside the Anglo-American mainstream on British radio. After 15 years on Radio 1, he switched to BBC Radio 3 until 2007. His older sister is fellow radio broadcaster Liz Kershaw.
- IMDb mini biography by: Amanda the Awesome

He is a music broadcaster known for his radio and television work for the BBC. His sister Liz Kershaw also works on BBC radio as a DJ.
Former BBC Journalist and Presenter who worked for BBC Radio in Sheffield and York and reported for BBC 5 Live and BBC Radio 4. Not to be confused with the freelance national DJ of the same name who has also worked for the BBC.
He is a fan of the music of Bob Dylan and The Clash. He is also one of the UK's biggest champions of "world music". He famously criticised Bob Geldof for not including African performers on the main concerts for Live Aid (1985) and Live 8 (2005).
He was jailed for three months for breaking a restraining order involving his former partner, Juliette Banner. (15th January 2008). He was freed on 29th February.
He has a son and a daughter from his relationship with Juliette Banner.

[on presenting television coverage of Live Aid (1985)] I did feel some unease about having to rub shoulders with, and in some cases interview, a lot of pop stars who I didn't actually detest personally but whose music I was well known for not liking. So at one point I found myself sitting around with the holy trinity of Sting, Phil Collins and the ubiquitous Howard Jones; performers whose music for me epitomized everything that was bland, mainstream, insipid, tragic, gave rock and roll a bad name.
There have been rumblings on the Radio 3 message board about too much world music, but, really life's too short to even respond to these people, if they're going to advertise their own narrow-mindedness.
I've never seen as many Dolly Parton records on sale anywhere as I did in Zimbabwe, and I've seen Kenny Rogers tapes on sale in Timbuktu.
[speaking in 2002] Some of the most exciting music being made now, I think, is from Africans.
I've met U2 and on a lot of what, politically, Bono and his pals will campaign about I'm entirely in sympathy. I just don't particularly want to hear their damn records.

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