America's Greatest Hits with Paul Gambaccini: Everything you need to know
Listen to the show every Saturday at 5pm on Greatest Hits Radio
Join Paul Gambaccini on Greatest Hits Radio as he brings us his famous America’s Greatest Hits programme every Saturday from 5pm-7pm, where he plays two hours of the Greatest Hits that made it big in America.
We've put together some facts about Paul Gambaccini and his show to help you get to know the presenter and what to expect from his America's Greatest Hits programme.
Who is Paul Gambaccini?
Paul is an American-British presenter who is part of our amazing Greatest Hits Radio line-up. As well as being a radio presenter, he has also presented on TV and written several books.
How did Paul Gambaccini get into radio?
Paul got his start in radio pretty early on, and he explained how he ended up on this career path: "I went to Dartmouth College because it had the largest radio station in the country. I was walking around the Hanover, New Hampshire area and I was listening to this radio station and they played the new singles by Simon and Garfunkel and The Lovin' Spoonful which had not yet hit New York radio. And I thought I need to be near the station, not necessarily on it, but if you were going to be engaged with your time you had to engage with what was happening in your time and the Beatles were happening, so I had to be involved.
"So I went to the radio station and this will surprise you because this is not the immediate jump one might expect. I took a voice test and passed and then they said 'what would you like news training or DJ training?' I said 'it doesn't matter to me, what do you need?' And they said news training.
"So for my first year, I was a newsman. But then I stayed over the summer as one of the six students who ran the station throughout the summer and each of us had to do everything. So that's when I became a DJ. It was the summer of '67, and what a time to start."
Paul shared some memories from his first radio job
"Of course, there were so many memories, like the surprise arrivals in the post, because records were delivered in the post, of an unexpected Beatles single 'All You Need Is Love' because they'd just done it on the World TV broadcast. And of course, everyone was familiar with the expression 'the new Beatles single'. All radio stations had to have them immediately or else people would tune into other stations. I was the music director of the station as well as the highest-rated DJ in the tri-town area," Paul told us.
"It was the summer of 'Light My Fire', 'San Francisco', 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', 'Sargent Pepper' of course, and 'Respect'. I have a letter from Aretha who thanked me for helping to give her her biggest hit. So it was an incredible summer, it really was historic."
Who is Paul Gambaccini's favourite artist?
When it comes to his favourite artists, Paul Gambaccini has a couple who he really likes, however, as he wasn't around when Beethoven was, he admitted that he'd have to choose The Beatles as his top pick.
He particularly likes the years between 1964/65 and 1970 from the Beatles, and he told us: "The Beatles were the most underrated group of all time, because, even though they're known as the greatest group of all time - they're greater than that!"
We second that Paul!
Who is Paul's favourite artist to watch perform live?
Having seen a lot of incredible performances in his time, Paul explained: "There is a difference between the greatest recording artists and the greatest artists to watch. As matter of fact, I would say the artists of the 20th century were male pop artist; Frank Sinatra, classical; Pavarotti, female artists you have classical; Maria Callas, you have entertainment; Barbra Streisand, she's film and theatre, and then you have pop and soul; that's Aretha.
"The greatest show I ever saw was James Brown. In 1966, at his peak in a theatre in the round, and this was when he just had the incredible hat trick 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag', 'I Got You' and 'It's Man's Man's World'. He was, as they say, the hardest working kind in show business and he did his cape act. Which was the famous ending, where it appeared that he was being overcome and collapsing and his assistant would come on, put a cape on him, and then he would somehow find a second source of strength, shake the cape off and get back up.
"Other great shows and my top 10 would have to include David Bowie's 'Station to Station' tour, which was the black and white tour where everything was in black or white, the lights, the stage decor, the costumes. It was insane. Brian Wilson as he performed his finally completed 'Smile' project at the Royal Festival Hall was one of the great ones."
Which charity music shows has Paul been involved with?
"Live Aid, Nelson Mandela, both of which I was on the broadcast team for which was inexpressible because they were the two biggest TV audiences in the history of the world at that time," Paul said before going to talk about the work he did for the Secret Policeman's Ball in 1987. He said: "Another one, which I was personally involved with because I was asked to organise two nights for Amnesty International at the London Palladium in the late 80s. I've never been so nervous as when I went to bed that night having taken on two nights I thought to myself 'if nobody accepts, I'm going to have to play records'.
"But we got an incredible bill of Duran Duran, Erasure, Chet Atkins, Mark Knopfler, Chet Atkins, Jackson Browne and then two artists whose performance together has gone viral this year, 34 years later, and that is Kate Bush and David Gilmour."
Watch Kate Bush and David Gilmour perform at the Secret Policeman's Ball for Amnesty International in 1987:
What do the good times sound like to Paul Gambaccini?
We asked Paul what the good times sound like to him and he told us: 'A non-stop mix of the best music from my entire life, starting with Elvis Presley and proceeding through Adele.
'My preferred decades are the 60s, 70s and 80s. A good Motown mix is my idea of heaven on earth.'
What does Paul Gambaccini love about presenting on Greatest Hits Radio?
Speaking about being a presenter, Paul reflected: 'Radio is the perfect form of one-to-one communication. TV can be direct, too, but the camera operator is always in your line of vision!'
He added that he loves: 'Sharing my favourite music, and my admittedly freakish knowledge of it, with people who care about that music. I love the opportunity for challenging talk overs, too!'
What was the first album Paul Gambaccini bought?
Paul revealed that when he was younger, his dad wouldn't buy him a record so he saved up his own money from a paper round. Then at the age of 14, Paul bought his first album which was by Sam Cooke - Paul's favourite singer growing up.
The Greatest Hits Radio presenter revealed how he would lie on the floor listening to 'A Change Is Gonna Come' and the Righteous Brothers' 'Unchained Melody'. He explained that he had to lie next to the speakers because his dad would be watching TV downstairs and didn't want to hear his music.
He said: "I would lie down next to the stereo, to listen to, and I would turn the lights off, and have a really emotional experience."
What music does Paul Gambaccini play on America's Greatest Hits?
Join Paul for the best music to be made by Americans or to have made the American charts throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, with a couple of tunes from either side of that time block added in.
Where is Paul Gambaccini today?
As well as hosting his brilliant America's Greatest Hits show on Greatest Hits Radio since 2020, you can sometimes find Paul involved in different musical history shows on ITV, as well as a couple of radio shows on other stations.
Was Paul Gambaccni at Live Aid?
Back in 1985, Paul Gambaccini was lucky enough to be at Live Aid presenting and interviewing artists. Watch him reflect on the incredible day.
Paul Gambaccini at Greatest Hits Radio Live 2022
Paul Gambaccini joined us at Greatest Hits Radio Live on 25th November for our brilliant Party at the Palladium! The event was hosted by Martin Kemp and Kate Thornton, and fellow presenters Jackie Brambles and Simon Mayo were also in attendance.
On the night, Paul took to the stage to share some stories from his incredible career and take part in a music trivia quiz. Watch it below.
What radio station is Paul Gambaccini on?
You can find Paul Gambaccini on Greatest Hits Radio every Saturday from 5pm, where he hosts America's Greatest Hits.
How can I listen to Paul Gambaccini on Greatest Hits Radio?
You can catch Paul's show on Greatest Hits Radio every Saturday from 5pm.
How can I listen to Greatest Hits Radio?
You can listen to Greatest Hits Radio on your radio, online, on our app or via your smart speaker. Check out all the ways to listen here.
When is Paul Gambaccini on Greatest Hits Radio?
Join Paul Gambaccini on Saturdays 5pm-7pm for America's Greatest Hits!
What kind of music is played on Greatest Hits Radio?
As well as hearing all of the brilliant tracks on Paul's America's Greatest Hits show, you can catch the greatest hits of the 70s, 80s and 90s across all of our Greatest Hits Radio shows.
Is there a Greatest Hits Radio app?
There sure is, and it's free to download.
Download the Greatest Hits Radio for iPhone
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How can I create a Greatest Hits Radio account?
You can experience all of the benefits of logged-in listening when you create a Greatest Hits Radio account. It's free and easy to set up, find out how to make an account here.
Check out the other big names you can hear on Greatest Hits Radio:
We've got an incredible roster of presenters here at Greatest Hits Radio including Simon Mayo, Kate Thornton, Jenny Powell, Martin Kemp and - of course - Ken Bruce. Find out more about our shows below.
Ken Bruce
Greatest Hits Radio is the home of the legend that is Ken Bruce, weekdays 10am-1pm - including PopMaster, the UK's biggest music quiz for 25 years and counting.
Find out more about Ken and PopMaster.
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo hosts Drivetime every weekday at 4pm and The Album Show on Sundays from 1pm.
Simon said of his Drivetime show: "I think the thing about Drivetime is that it is like the flip side of breakfast. You kind of know what an awful lot of people are doing, it's the end of most people's day, they're doing some final bits of work, they're shutting the laptop, they're doing a bit of food preparation, they're driving home. I think it is that sense of camaraderie, it's the end of the day, people want to be cheered up and they want to spend some time with some decent folk on the radio!"
Find out more about Simon Mayo here.
Paul Gambaccini
Paul brings us his famous America's Greatest Hits programme every Saturday between 5pm-7pm, featuring two hours of the Greatest Hits that made it big in America.
Sharing some of the things he loves about his show, Paul said: "Radio is the perfect form of one-to-one communication. TV can be direct, too, but the camera operator is always in your line of vision! I enjoy sharing my favourite music, and my admittedly freakish knowledge of it, with people who care about that music. I love the opportunity for challenging talk overs, too!"
Find out more about Paul Gambaccini here.
Alex Lester
The Dark Lord keeps you company in the small hours. Join him for the Music Marathon from 1am and the Best Time Of The Day Show 4-6am weekdays.
Alex brings: "Your favourite songs. Bizarre insights and unusual thoughts," to his show and told us that he loves that during his show: "It's just the two of us. You and me. (Against the world)."
Find out more about Alex Lester here.
Jenny Powell
Jenny plays the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s on Greatest Hits Radio to kickstart your weekend, every Saturday and Sunday from 6am.
On Jenny's show, listeners can look forward to The Breakfast Club, which she says is: "A warm-up for the weekend, full of positive vibes and feel-good factor when you wake up on Saturdays and Sundays. I insist you have a dance with me on the Kitchen Disco, I share some fun news stories from the previous week on The Headliners and get you smiling no matter what, sharing some of my favourite tracks from the 70s, 80, and 90s."
Find out more about Jenny Powell here.
Andy Crane
Join Andy's late-night community of music and company, Sunday-Thursday at 10pm.
Andy has three hours of the biggest songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s as well as The Top 10 at 10 and Midnight Music Marathon. His show is full of: "Great music and plenty of laughing."
Find out more about Andy Crane here.
Martin Kemp
Join Martin Kemp with The Mix Tape every Friday from 7pm!
Martin has got "the perfect soundtrack to start your weekend," and his show includes: "All the biggest songs of the 70s 80s and 90s that we grew up listening to on full volume. I'll give you TV recommendations for your weekend, there's always a slow dance at the end, and I turn the decks over to you to pick your favourite songs. Plus plenty of stories from my career in music, film and TV. We always have a good laugh and the music is absolutely popping."
Find out more about Martin Kemp here.
Jackie Brambles
Jackie Brambles hosts The Evening Show every Monday to Thursday from 7pm - 10pm.
Jackie promises to deliver: "Great music and great conversations! Every night we're joined by one of your favourite artists of the 70s, 80s and 90s for an in-depth chat about the highs and lows of their careers and their musical influences over the years."
Find out more about Jackie Brambles here.
Kate Thornton
Catch Kate Thornton on Saturdays from 7pm! It's the best night of the week - so if it's a kitchen disco you're after, Kate will make it fun and have you dancing and laughing with her perfect blend of playlist and good times chat.
Kate explained what listeners can expect from her show: "It's the kind of show that lets you know it's Saturday night, no matter where you're listening in from and no matter who you're with. Three hours of songs that make a night in feel like a night out if you're with friends, or offers up the soundtrack for the perfect party for one if you're tuning in alone."
Find out more about Kate Thornton here.
Richard Allinson
Richard Allinson is live on Greatest Hits Radio on Saturday afternoons from 1pm with the perfect Soundtrack of the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s and weekend anthems.
Speaking about his show, Richard said: "The idea is to recreate all those great memories I have of Saturday afternoons growing up, a bunch of us meeting up to buy clothes, records, maybe sort a date…everything happened on a Saturday and we remember the records we played at that time."
Find out more about Richard Allinson here.
Des Paul
Join Des for Rhythm Of The Night every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm, where he plays all the greatest soul, funk, disco and Motown hits to start your weekend.
Des explained what he loves the most about his show: "The favourite bit of presenting Rhythm of the Night is when listeners contact me to say how much they've loved hearing a particular track and then tell us all about when and where they used to hear it."
Find out more about Des Paul here.
Read more:
The Album Show with Simon Mayo on Greatest Hits Radio
Everything you need to know about Drivetime with Simon Mayo on Greatest Hits Radio
The Mix Tape with Martin Kemp: Everything you need to know