Christopher Stone (broadcaster)
He turned the radio into a personal jukebox, becoming Britain's first disc jockey and co-founding a seminal music magazine.
1882–1965 (age 83)·Birthday: September 19·The Gilded Age
Biography
Christopher Stone was a man of letters who stumbled into making broadcasting history. After writing novels and co-founding the influential magazine The Gramophone, he brought his passion for recorded music to the airwaves. In 1927, on the BBC, he did something simple yet revolutionary: he played records and talked casually between them. This informal, music-focused style invented the role of the British disc jockey. His voice, familiar and friendly, invited listeners into a new, intimate relationship with radio, transforming it from a formal medium into a source of personal entertainment and shaping the future of music broadcasting for decades.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Christopher was born in 1882, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Christopher Was Born
The biggest hits of 1882
Christopher's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1882Born
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1887Started school
President: Grover Cleveland
1895Became a teenager
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Could drive
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1900Could vote
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1903Turned 21
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Turned 30
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1922Turned 40
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1932Turned 50
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1942Turned 60
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1952Turned 70
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1962Turned 80
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Died at 83
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
Key Achievements
- Became the first disc jockey in United Kingdom history with his BBC radio show in 1927.
- Co-founded the influential music criticism and review publication The Gramophone magazine.
- Authored eight novels published between 1907 and 1927 alongside his media career.
Did You Know?
He was the brother-in-law of composer and conductor Ralph Vaughan Williams.
His radio broadcasts were initially sponsored by the Gramophone company, a pioneering form of radio advertising.
He edited collections of poetry and letters in addition to his work as a novelist and critic.
“Put the needle on the record and let the music speak for itself.”
