REMEMBERING ALAN: Ben McCormick & Peter Thomas | ENCORE!

About this episode

This episode commemorates Alan McCormick, a dedicated Elton John fan, through discussions with his son Ben and friend Peter Thomas about his impact on the fan community and music availability.

SHOW NOTES: Recorded: 24 Jan 2026 Released to Platinum subscribers: 31 Jan 2026. Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock Welcome to Season 5 of the show, rebranded as ENCORE! on REJ.World. FULL EPISODE: Alan McCormick was a very popular Elton John fan who set up Wrap It Up!, the mail order service which became a lifeline for Elton fans to buy Elton music and memorabilia before the internet was even born. Along with guest Peter Thomas, Alan campaigned for more of Elton's music to be made available. Peter has claimed that a little over 50 percent has ever been released. When this show is released on Silver on 7 February 2026 it will mark a decade since we lost Alan after a short illness. Sadly, Alan never saw a lot of rare items on general release with the Jewel Box of 2019. Alan's musician son Ben McCormick joins Peter to discuss Alan's life and how the vast stock of Elton music was cleared - it took 12 months after valuations. Alan was also a personal friend of presenter George. Hear how they worked together in this special edition as Radio Elton John enters its 5th year on air! Read more about this episode on ⁠REJ.World⁠ and ⁠eltonjohn.world⁠ To get this…

People in this episode

Host: George Matlock

Guests: Peter Thomas, Ben McCormick

Topics covered

• Elton John
• music memorabilia
• fan community
• personal stories
• music history

Keywords

• Elton John
• Alan McCormick
• music memorabilia
• fan community
• Wrap It Up!
• Peter Thomas
• Ben McCormick
• George Matlock
• music history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wrap It Up!, REJ.World, eltonjohn.world

More episodes of Radio Elton John

• DJ Bill Hornblower | ENCORE! · June 6, 2026 · 6 min
• Neil's In The Mix | Cold · May 15, 2026 · 14 min
• RAY JOHNSON | ENCORE! · May 2, 2026 · 59 min
• PREVIEW • RAY JOHNSON | ENCORE! · April 25, 2026 · 17 min
• Neil's In The Mix | Levon · April 17, 2026 · 18 min
• BIRTHDAY SPECIAL: Paul Bacon & Neil Barrett | ENCORE! · April 4, 2026 · 1h 26m