Chris Pitchford

CHRIS PITCHFORD
SOLID GOLD SOUNDS

About Chris (what he’ll admit to anyway..)
Since inheriting his sister’s records when he was knee-high to a grasshopper in the 70’s, Chris knew music
and communications was the life for him, and the more buttons, levers, switches, faders and general gadgets
involved the better, with his first “DJ kit” being a Bush Cassette Recorder and a Bontempi Organ, for his 4th Birthday.

Starting with a modest collection of MFP and K-Tel compilations and a few Beatles 45s mostly more battered than your average cod, he’s never looked back. In the early days it was the joy of spending 85p for this week’s hot single from WH Smith, and still having 15p pocket money left for a small scoop of cola cubes.

The 80’s was Chris’s “Golden Age” of music, and despite a brief dalliance with railways and the idea of becoming a station announcer (don’t panic, no numbers were ever collected, and anorak status was rightly reserved for the wonderful world of radio jingles), he continued doggedly with the weekly vinyl pilgrimage, through to the late 80’s – when he was a relative late-comer to CD, after having been told that he didn’t “need” one of those, he stubbornly saved up the 90p an hour earned as a Saturday lad at the Oldies Unlimited Record Shop for the next 675 years, and finally had enough deposit to buy his first Hi-Fi..

Chris has now been a Presenter and Sound Engineer with the East Shropshire Talking Newspaper For The Blind, for the last 32 years, having joined at its inception in 1990 before leaving school.

Despite the minor irritation of having to earn a living for the next few decades (working for 2 Government Departments and 2 IT Companies over that time), he has continued as a Presenter, Engineer, and Committee Member with the Charity, which provides a free weekly 80 minute USB memory stick of local news and features to subscribers with an eligible visual impairment. This includes items from the local press and other local/national publications, alongside content produced in-house by the ESTN team; covering a
wide range of subjects and interests. Chris sees the role of Talking Newspapers as endeavouring to help level the playing field as much as possible for those who have difficulty reading printed publications, and he has always been pleased and proud to be a part of this much valued service.

Music Radio has always remained his true passion, starting with involvement in Community Radio in the 90’s, where he was inspired to buy his first pro mixer, a classic Seck 242, just slightly smaller in size than a cathedral, with the transformer being more like an electricity sub-station !

Chris showcases his perennial penchant for 70’s and 80’s music and it’s modern contemporaries on Solid Gold Sounds, where he is just as happy with forgotten 45s as their well known air-play and chart counterparts, so expect an eclectic and original mix of both on the programme.
He can surprise too and drop an odd track in from before and beyond, but 70’s and 80’s is the main order of the day, along with regular features and occasional themed specials; so if you love that wonderful era too (even if you weren’t there..) – there’s a warm welcome for all to enjoy the classics and maybe even a few you missed !!!). “Relax” T-Shirt, flairs and platforms entirely optional ! The comical and sometimes surreal goings
on at Pitchford Towers can also provide for a good titter when they arise.

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