Jim Gellatly, Scotland's very own John Peel

"Jim who?" was the question that came from the other end of the phone when I told Carey that Jim Gellatly was following us on Twitter.

"Eh Jim Gellatly, the DJ, Music Journalist, TV presenter, the guy who played Biffy Clyro and The Fratelli's for the first time on the radio" and after a bit of a long silence Carey said "guess that's pretty cool then, isn't it?"

I think that it's fair to say that in life you're either one, or the other. You're either red or white wine, blue or green, fitba' or Rugby, beer or lager and then there's music. Most people like the odd song they hear on the radio or TV, however if you're seriously into your music then you know who Jim Gellatly is and just because he sports a Mohican and the odd Exploited t-shirt, don't think for a minute that he's a guy stuck in a musical genre.

When I was a teenager growing up in the late 70's early 80's in a world without MTV, never mind the internet, ipods or itunes, there was only one way to hear 'new' music and that was to listen to John Peel.

This meant that at ten o'clock, Monday to Thursday, I was 'In the hoose' and tuned to Radio 1. I would sit there excitedly, tape recorder at the ready and record everything I liked, which was most things really. I would sit and be enthralled by bands like The Clash, The Fall, The Mekons, Joy Division and too many others to mention. It's also fair to say I fell in love with Claire Grogan the first time I heard John Peel play "Dead Popstars" and as for "The Festive Fifty", then it just didn't get any better as that was a whole week where John counted down the top 50 as voted for by his listeners.

The thing I loved about John Peel was that he wouldn't just tell you who he was about to play, he would tell you the what the cover was like, what record label it was on along with the catalogue number, which meant when listing my own record collection, in a small blue covered book, I always had to write down the "catalogue number" too, for no other reason than thinking that John did that too.

John Peel, like Jim Gellatly now, played an eclectic mix of music, which broadened your horizons as although I was a young Punk Rocker, he introduced me to Reggae and Dub, not to mention proper Ska music.

So for me, it was quite an honour that Scotland's equivalent to John Peel started following us on Twitter and better still, started retweeting our messages, which helps promote the word and work of The KiltWalk.

Jim pops up on numerous music shows on TV and during festival season he's often seen chasing artists down for interviews at T in the Park and Rockness, however he's probably best known for presenting programs like In:Demand Uncut, and hosting a weekly unsigned showcase on Amazing Radio.

So although he 'looks' like that aging Punk Rocker, he will spin any new band or tune and give them a chance if he think it's warranted. That's why several bands and artists including Glasvegas, The View, Amy Macdonald and KT Tunstall, not to mention the previously mentioned Biffy Clyro and The Fratellis, all owe a debt of gratitude for "giving them a break" and playing their music for the first time on radio.

It was therefore very apt that in 2008 Jim won the coveted Radio Academy's 'John Peel Award for contribution to Music Radio', which was an award John had won himself and was renamed in his memory after his untimely death.

Jim, who is a regular supporter of charity (see below), dropped us, an email which said:

""Best of luck to everyone taking part in the Kiltwalk. It's a brilliant cause. Sadly I have more than a few inches to lose before I can squeeze back into my kilt. A very lame excuse I know!".

So thanks Jim, we really appreciate that you take time out to support The KiltWalk.
If you want to check out Jim live then he is appearing at the EFC Festival, in aid of Yorkhill Children's Foundation which is taking place over the weekend of the 5th & 6th May 2012 in the Merchant City area of Glasgow.