Tony Blackburn - 1960s and 1970s

1960s and 1970s

Tony Blackburn was in a group called Tony Blackburn and the Rovers which performed in the Bournemouth and surrounding areas. He was the first DJ on BBC Radio 1 when it was launched on 30 September 1967, and presented The Radio 1 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, the first being the Pop-Soul styled "Don't Get Off The Train" on Fontana TF 562 released in April 1965 and two in 1967-68, "So Much Love" and "It's Only Love" made the UK Top 40 on MGM, he stopped singing and concentrated on radio presenting. 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. 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.

In June 1973, he took over the weekday mid-morning slot, where he introduced 'The Golden Hour'. The feature was to prove popular, being carried on by Simon Bates and Simon Mayo when they took over the slot in subsequent years.

In June 1978 he released a Northern soul single under the name Lenny Gamble, a version of Doris Troy's "I'll Do Anything" on the B side of a Flirtations 45 on Casino Classics CC1, and was allegedly furious when Noel Edmonds, who had recently been given Blackburn's BBC Radio 1 breakfast show slot, revealed the alias on air. Nevertheless both broadcasters later became close friends.

Over several years of the 1970s, Blackburn was a co-presenter on the BBC's summer programme Seaside Special, alongside other well known names from BBC Radio such as Dave Lee Travis and David Hamilton.

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.

From September 1979 until December 1981 he presented the Top 40 show on Radio 1.