He was born in Cinderford, Gloucestershire. He joined the RAF in 1942 (lying about his age) and left 1949.
Jimmy Young achieved success as a singer in the 1950s with a number of hits including Unchained Melody and The Man From Laramie; but he is best known as a BBC radio presenter. He joined the BBC as one of the first disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 1973 he joined BBC Radio 2 where he presented a regular programme (known to listeners as "the JY Prog") until his retirement from broadcasting in 2002. His radio slot has now been taken over by the former Newsnight presenter, Jeremy Vine.
Shortly after leaving the BBC, Jimmy Young wrote a newspaper column attacking his former employer for instances of "brutality", and saying that it had not been his idea to leave.
He was knighted in 2001.
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