Jan Gow / Manager

Jan Gow – The Woman Behind The JanCave

Record collector, radio presenter, jukebox obsessive and co-founder of Rocking Fox Radio.

Born in Liverpool in 1964, at the height of Beatlemania and Merseybeat, I arrived in a household already containing an 18-year-old, music-mad older sister.

Frankly, I never stood a chance of being anything other than completely obsessed with music!

It All Started With Two Singles…

When I was five years old, my mum decided she’d had quite enough of my sticky paws all over the family radiogram.

Her solution was to buy me a little portable Fidelity record player from the John Moores catalogue.

My older sister generously donated two 7-inch singles she’d grown tired of, and that was it. An obsession was born.

Those two records?

Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made for Walkin’

Neil Sedaka – Oh! Carol

And yes, more than fifty years later, I still own both of them!

From a Little Red Record Player to The JanCave

Fast-forward fifty-odd years and that little red suitcase record player has evolved into an entire room devoted to music.

Welcome to The JanCave!

It’s home to my collection of around 2,000 albums, 4,000 singles, a hi-fi system and my beloved Rowe-Ami Cadette jukebox.

Some people have a spare room. I have a shrine to vinyl.

And yes, I really do broadcast from there!

How I Accidentally Became a Radio Presenter

My adventures in radio began at the start of 2018, when a friend invited me onto their two-hour drivetime show on a community radio station.

The plan was simple. I had a 15-minute slot to talk about my three favourite songs of all time.

Fifteen minutes. Three songs. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, I talked about the songs.

And talked.

And talked some more.

In fact, I managed to keep talking for practically the entire two-hour programme!

Rather than banning me from the studio, they invited me back. From the following week, I was a permanent co-host.

Clearly, someone thought giving me access to a microphone was a good idea.

Live From The JanCave

My radio adventures continued when I moved to another community radio station.

Somehow, and entirely by accident (there does seem to be a pattern emerging here), I ended up with my very own two-hour programme.

I called it Live From The JanCave.

The show gave me the perfect opportunity to indulge my wonderfully eclectic musical tastes. I could share old favourites, forgotten gems and tracks that didn’t always get the attention they deserved.

More importantly, I could finally talk about music for two hours without anyone suggesting I should give somebody else a turn!

Over time, I realised that specialist, music-focused radio was where I really belonged.

I wanted to make radio for people who genuinely love music, enjoy discovering records and quite possibly have more vinyl than available shelf space.

In other words, people as obsessed as me!

The Birth of Rocking Fox Radio

In 2021, after eight months of talking about it, Ian (better known as Mr JanCave), Tony (Oi! Oi!) and I finally took the plunge.

Possibly fuelled by lockdown hysteria, we launched Rocking Fox Radio.

The idea was simple: create an independent internet radio station that puts great music and passionate presenters at the heart of everything.

I brought The JanCave shows along for the ride and now combine presenting with running the station.

As Station Manager, I get to work with a fantastic team of presenters who share our enthusiasm for music and independent radio.

And somehow, the little girl with the red Fidelity record player ended up running a radio station!

The JanCave Jukebox

My love of records is at the heart of The JanCave Jukebox, where I share favourite tracks, forgotten gems and discoveries from across my record collection.

It’s all about celebrating great music, rediscovering old favourites and enjoying records that deserve another spin.

And because the show comes from my actual JanCave, there’s never a shortage of vinyl to choose from!

Listen to The JanCave Jukebox

🎙️ Sunday at 7pm

🔁 Repeated Thursday at 8pm

Listen online at Rocking Fox Radio.

Discover More From The JanCave

You can also find me online at The JanCave, where my love of records, radio and all things musical continues.

And if you’re a fellow vinyl enthusiast, don’t forget to explore Rocking Fox Records, our online record shop, where every purchase helps support Rocking Fox Radio.