| Tony Blackburn | |
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| Born | January 29, 1943 Guildford, Surrey |
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| Occupation | disc jockey |
Tony Blackburn (born 29 January 1943 in Guildford, Surrey) is an award winning English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first presenter to appear on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Guildford ( IPA /ˈgɪlfəd/ is the County town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Guildford ( IPA /ˈgɪlfəd/ is the County town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience Radio Caroline is a European Radio station that started transmissions on Easter Sunday 1964 from a ship anchored in International waters off the coast of The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Reality television is a genre of Television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations documents actual events and usually features ordinary I'm a Celebrity Get Me out of Here! is a Reality television show in which celebrities live in jungle conditions with few creature comforts and have to earn
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Early career
He was born Antony Kenneth Blackburn. His father was a doctor and he was educated at Millfield School. Millfield is an independent school in Street Somerset, England. He began his career as a singer, then worked as a DJ for the offshore pirate radio stations Radio Caroline and Radio London, before joining the BBC in the mid-1960s. The term pirate radio usually refers to illegal or unregulated radio transmissions Radio Caroline is a European Radio station that started transmissions on Easter Sunday 1964 from a ship anchored in International waters off the coast of
He currently lives in Arkley, near Barnet, Hertfordshire. Arkley is a village in the London Borough of Barnet. It is located north north-west of Charing Cross, and at above sea level is one of the highest points in High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet in North London, England.
1960s and 70s
He was the first DJ to be heard on BBC Radio 1 when it was launched on 30 September 1967, and presented the breakfast show until 1973. The first words spoken on BBC Radio 1 were ". . . and good morning everyone! Welcome to the exciting new sound of Radio 1". As his singing career failed to take off, despite 14 singles being released (two of which, "So Much Love" and "It's Only Love" made the UK Top 40), he stopped singing and concentrated on radio presenting. The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. His cheery style and corny jokes ensured his household reputation and made him a popular figure with some, though his dislike of heavy and progressive rock and punk/new wave made him a hate figure with others. His fellow Radio 1 DJ John Peel would often derisively refer to him as "Timmy Bannockburn".
At first he was associated mainly with bubblegum and mainstream pop, but he later championed soul music. It was largely due to him that "I'm Still Waiting" by Diana Ross, which was initially just an album track, was released as a single in the UK in 1971 and reached number one. Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire He was a regular host of Top of the Pops and in 1968 he fronted his own show, Time For Blackburn, produced by Southern Television for the ITV network. Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart Television programme, made and broadcast Southern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until 1 January Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent
In 1973 he released a Northern soul single under the name Lenny Gamble, and was allegedly furious when Noel Edmonds, who had recently been given Blackburn's Radio 1 breakfast show slot, revealed the alias on air. Northern soul is a type of mid-tempo and uptempo heavy-beat Soul music (of mainly African American origin that was popularized in Northern England from Noel Ernest Edmonds Nevertheless both broadcasters later became close friends.
In June 1973, he took over the weekday mid-morning slot, where he introduced 'The Golden Hour'. Simon Bates later carried this feature. Simon Bates (born Birmingham, 17 December 1947) is best known for being a Disc jockey in the UK and New Zealand.
In November 1977 he took over the weekday afternoon show. During this period, he was going through divorce with his first wife, actress Tessa Wyatt. Tessa Wyatt (born 23 April 1948) is an English actress who first came to the public spotlight through her marriage to Tony Blackburn
In September 1979 he was taken off his afternoon show after criticising an article on air about him, David Jensen and Peter Powell. David "Kid" Jensen (born July 4, 1950) 58 is a Canadian -born British Radio DJ. Peter Powell may refer to Peter Powell (disc jockey (born 1951 a British DJ Peter Powell (kite, the inventor of a dual-line steerable He was then demoted to a Saturday morning show & the Sunday Chart rundown.
1980s and 90s
In early 1980 he took over Junior Choice on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 8-10am, while continuing to present the Sunday chart show until the end of 1981 - being succeeded by Tommy Vance. Children's Favourites was a BBC Radio programme from 1954 broadcast on the Light Programme on Saturday mornings from 900 Tommy Vance, born Richard Anthony Crispian Francis Prew Hope-Weston ( 11 July 1941 &ndash 6 March 2005) was a British During 1982 Radio 1 dropped the name Junior Choice and the show became the Weekend Breakfast Show which Tony continued to host until his final show on 23 September 1984. Children's Favourites was a BBC Radio programme from 1954 broadcast on the Light Programme on Saturday mornings from 900 In addition to his Radio 1 weekend show, Tony joined BBC Radio London in 1982, where he presented the weekday afternoon show. It was here that he showed his love for soul music.
Having left Radio 1 after 17 years he took over BBC Radio London's weekday mid-morning show in 1984, mixing soul music with guests and phone-ins until 1988 when he joined Capital Gold presenting the breakfast show for many years, later moving to the drivetime slot until early 2002 when he took over the Weekday Evening Show from 8-10pm, playing soul music. Gold is a network of oldies Radio stations which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold Network in August 2007
Recent years
Tony left Capital Gold in late 2002; he joined London's Jazz FM following the station's acquisition by GMG Radio in March 2003 as host of Real Soul every weeknight from 10pm until midnight, initially a live programme before a contract to host the Classic Gold breakfast show that May meant the show became voicetracked - Real Soul ended in March 2004. GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House Salford Quays in Manchester along with Century Radio Classic Gold was a network of three "Gold" music formatted stations which broadcast on AM in Bradford, Hull and Sheffield. Tony was awarded the prestigious "Oldie Of The Year" in 2003. In addition, Tony presented a pre-recorded uptempo soul show entitled the Real Party Night, broadcast across the GMG Radio network and later by CN Radio stations every Saturday evening, prior to its conclusion in mid 2005. GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House Salford Quays in Manchester along with Century Radio CNR Radio or CN Radio (officially the Canadian National Railways Radio Department) was the first national Radio network in North America.
In March 2004, Tony returned to BBC London 94.9, presenting a Monday evening soul show, and in addition to that, in April of the same year, he also took on the Saturday lunchtime show.
Tony also hosted the breakfast show on Classic Gold, with co-hosts Erika North and Sandy Warr. Not to be mistaken for the original Yorkshire Radio Network named station Classic Gold. Although his Monday evening show on BBC London 94.9 ended in July 2004, he still continued to present the Saturday lunchtime show for the station. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
In June 2004 he was temporarily suspended from his show on Classic Gold for playing songs by Cliff Richard, in defiance of a ruling by the head of programmes that Richard's music did not match the station's 'brand values'. Sir Cliff Richard, OBE, (born Harry Roger Webb on 14 October 1940 is an English Singer, Actor and Businessman. The dispute made national headlines and was even referred to in Parliament, with Leader of the House Peter Hain voicing his support for Blackburn. Peter Gerald Hain (born 16 February 1950, Nairobi, Kenya) is a British Labour Party Politician who has He was reinstated, amid rumours that the episode was merely a publicity stunt. The station started adding Richard's songs to their playlist after public reaction to this.
He performed in a science fiction audio play based on the Doctor Who television series by Big Finish Productions - The Rapture. Radio drama is a form of audio storytelling broadcast on radio. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to Compact disc and The Rapture is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series He played himself as a DJ, in an Ibiza nightclub where sinister forces are brainwashing the patrons. Ibiza (Eivissa is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea about 80 km off the coast of Spain
In 2002, he appeared in the first series of the British reality TV series, I'm a Celebrity. . . Get Me Out of Here!, which he eventually won. Blackburn also occasionally fronts competitions on GMTV, including "The Clues Brothers" (a parody of The Blues Brothers), with fellow DJ Keith Chegwin. GMTV ( Good Morning Television) is the national ITV Breakfast television contractor broadcasting in the United Kingdom. The Blues Brothers are a Grammy Award -nominated American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd Keith "Cheggers" Chegwin (born 17 January 1957 in Bootle) is an English Television presenter, former Child actor
In 2007, Tony was part of Beat The Boys on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. Saturday Night Takeaway was a Variety show shown in the UK on Saturday evenings on ITV, presented and executively produced by Ant & Dec His obstacle was Tony Blackburn's Wheel of Steel.
In 2007, Tony collaborated with The Wurzels to re-release I Am A Cider Drinker, in aid of a Bristol Prostate Cancer charity. Adge Cutler and The Wurzels, renamed The Wurzels after Cutler's death are a British Scrumpy and Western band Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London
He left the Classic Gold breakfast show, upon the merger with Capital Gold, the same year. Not to be mistaken for the original Yorkshire Radio Network named station Classic Gold. Gold is a network of oldies Radio stations which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold Network in August 2007
His autobiography, Poptastic; My Life in Radio was published in September 2007, by Cassell Illustrated.
On September 30, 2007 he co-presented a recreation of Radio 1's very first programme with Chris Moyles to mark the station's 40th birthday. Christopher Moyles (born 22 February 1974 is an English broadcaster from Leeds.
Upon leaving Classic Gold, Tony still continued with his Saturday Lunchtime show on BBC London 94.9 and also took over a 3 hour soul show on the kmfm network in Kent each Sunday afternoon from 4-7pm
Blackburn made celebrity guest appearances on Channel 4's Countdown in early October 2007. Classic Gold was a network of three "Gold" music formatted stations which broadcast on AM in Bradford, Hull and Sheffield. KMFM is the name of seven Independent Local Radio stations and one digital station (on the Kent Digital Multiplex owned by KM Radio Ltd each broadcasting locally to a Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began Countdown is a British Game show presented by Des O'Connor and Carol Vorderman, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent
Current work
In January 2008, in addition to his two weekend shows, Tony began presenting a weekly show on KCFM 99. KCFM is the new Independent local radio station based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. 8fm in Hull and East Yorkshire from 10am each Friday.
In February 2008, he took over the weekend breakfast show on 102.2 Smooth Radio in London between 7am and 10am every Saturday and Sunday. The show began simulcasting on several other stations in the Smooth Network from 7 June, 2008. Blackburn also acts as holiday cover for his Smooth colleague Graham Dene on the weekday breakfast show. Graham Dene (born April 7, 1949) is a British Radio personality.
Tony also announced plans in 2008 to hook up with American rapper Fat Joe. Joseph Cartagena, better known by his Stage name Fat Joe, is an American Rapper of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent and Fat Joe has admitted being a big fan of Tony's and it has been rumoured they are working on a song together entitled "Dollars, Pounds and the Cheese".
On 9 March 2008, Tony began a new Sunday request show (in place of his Saturday show) on BBC London 94. 9.
External links
- Tony Blackburn at the Internet Movie Database
- Tony Blackburn at SmoothRadioLondon. com
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by First presenter |
BBC Radio One Breakfast Show Presenter 1967-1973 |
Succeeded by Noel Edmonds |
| Preceded by Simon Bates |
BBC Radio One chart show presenter 1979 - 1982 |
Succeeded by Tommy Vance |
| Preceded by N/A |
I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! winner 2002 |
Succeeded by Phil Tufnell |
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