John David Yeadon Peel was born in Dumfries, Scotland on 11 November 1941 and was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Balliol College, Oxford.

He held a succession of academic posts at universities in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, finishing his career at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

Paul Gifford wrote that "[his] thrust was generally Weberian, insisting that religion could not be reduced to material or class interests".

[1] Peel was a fellow and vice-president (1999-2000) of the British Academy and president of the African Studies Association of the United Kingdom (ASAUK; 1996–98).

[2] Toyin Falola edited a festschrift in Peel's honour entitled Christianity and Social Change in Africa in 2005.