Biographies

BBC London 94.9FM presenter

Tony Blackburn presents the Sunday lunchtime (12noon-2.00pm) soul and Motown Show on BBC London 94.9, returning to his roots in more senses than one.

Born in Guildford, Surrey in 1943, Tony was educated at Millfield Public School in Somerset, and Bournemouth College.

The son of a doctor in Lilliput near Poole, Dorset, he made his first public appearance with the Ian Ralfini Dance Orchestra at the Bournemouth Pavilion while at college, and later appeared with various bands in hotels.

Having finished his education, Tony read in the music press that disc jockeys were wanted by a pirate radio station. He applied, got the job, and made his first radio appearance on 28 July 1964 on Radio Caroline South.

In 1966, he joined Radio London and introduced the first soul programme in the UK. His soul programme and consequent weekly club nights called Soul Nights became so popular it eventually took over Capital's Best Disco in Town Nights.

Six thousand people were regularly turning up including, on one occasion, Stevie Wonder who wanted to thank Tony for introducing the UK to soul music.

It could be said that Tony commercialised soul music and, in the process, reinvented Radio London.

Tony joined the BBC Light Programme in August 1967 and made his first broadcast on the Midday Spin programme.

When BBC Radio 1 began broadcasting on 30 September 1967, Tony presented the daily Breakfast Show, and was the first disc jockey on the new network.

He hosted the Breakfast Show until 1974 when he took over the morning show for several years, followed by Junior Choice.

He remained with Radio 1 until 1984.

Tony then spent some time at BBC Radio London, before leaving to join Capital Radio in July 1988 to launch their new Capital Gold station where he presented his soul shows until December 2002.

Tony is a legend of the airwaves and has become a household name through his DJ-ing and TV shows – and he inspired the cult of the radio DJ.

His passion for soul music has been the main underlying factor in most of his shows – from the days spent with his assistant Dave Pearce, later a Radio 1 DJ, when they used to go to New York together to bring back the latest music – to him having the first legal soul show in the UK.

Tony has 36 awards including, in 1989, the Gold Award for Outstanding Contribution to Radio. He was also awarded the Best Breakfast Show (Contemporary Music) by Sony Radio Awards in 1993 and the Radio Academy Music and Media Award for outstanding contribution to Music and Radio in 1997.

He is well remembered for presenting BBC Television's Top Of The Pops from the late Sixties and throughout the Seventies.

He continues to make regular guest appearances on a wide range of TV shows. Tony's appearance in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2002 was a huge success – he was crowned King of the Jungle.

Tony is still a big attraction on the DJ circuit, having toured nearly every club in Britain in his career.

Tony continues to make many personal appearances with his trademark Seventies and Eighties show.

He recently marked his 45th year in broadcasting – an amazing achievement from one of the country's most well-loved and respected broadcasters.