Trevor Nelson MBE

Few DJs have helped to champion the contemporary R&B and soul scenes in Britain more than Trevor Nelson. Whether he’s broadcasting on national radio spinning records at some of London's swankiest club nights or entertaining at private and corporate parties, the former record label A&R man never fails to get the party started.

An award-winning artist, Trevor has left an indelible mark on British urban music through his groundbreaking DJ and radio career spanning decades. Emerging in the vibrant cultural scene of the 1980s, he quickly became a fixture in London's underground clubs, captivating audiences with his encyclopaedic knowledge of soul, R&B, and hip-hop.

Trevor Nelson's first job was in a shoe shop, but his love of music meant a part time role as a DJ. He gained day time work at a record importer in 1985, and cut his teeth DJing at weekend warehouse parties in the mid-1980s before landing A&R roles at the EMI and Cooltempo labels, where he championed the likes of Mica Paris, D'Angelo and Lynden David Hall.

Continuing his heavy DJ schedule he made his name at the infamous Soul II Soul Sunday night jam at the Africa Centre. The working friendship he built up with front man Jazzy B culminated in them setting up the second Soul II Soul shop in London.

After serving as the director of Kiss 100 London, he moved to BBC Radio 1 in 1996 where he helped to showcase the best new urban music on The Rhythm Nation. Two years later, he ventured on to the small screen as the host of MTV Base's The Lick, and went on to judge talent show Just the Two Of Us, co-present a weekly NFL highlights programme and provide commentary for the 2012 London Olympics' opening and closing ceremonies.

But it was on the airwaves where his career truly thrived, and after moving to BBC Radio 2 and BBC 1Xtra, Trevor was presented with the Lifetime Achievement at the 2010 Sony Radio Academy Awards. He has also curated several hugely popular compilation albums and remains one of the UK’s most authoritative figures on modern R&B and soul.

Alongside his various radio and TV commitments, Trevor Nelson continues to keep his finger on the pulse by DJing across the UK and Europe, most notably with a summer residency at Ibiza nightclub Pacha.

His career has seen him win a plethora of awards including 4 MOBOS, Sony Gold Award and the prestigious Radio Academy Hall Of Fame. He was also honoured an MBE for his work with millennium volunteers.

Trevor Nelson's Soul Nation sees the star playing the best in classic and contemporary urban music, from the 1980s soul of Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston and Soul II Soul, to the 1990s R&B of Destiny's Child, Dru Hill and TLC, to the 21st Century hip-hop of Outkast, Nelly and Ja Rule.

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