Tony Blackburn

Born in Guildford, Surrey and raised in Poole, Dorset, Tony Blackburn began in the 1960s as a singer before working as a DJ on the offshore stations Radio Caroline and then Radio London. In 1967 he became the first voice heard at the launch of BBC Radio 1. Blackburn’s career links British pop with American soul and Motown, with a sustained focus on melodic songs and dance‑friendly formats. Alongside his broadcasting work he recorded several singles in the late 1960s — including “So Much Love” (1968) and “It’s Only Love” (1969) — in a pop‑soul style with orchestral arrangements, and released the album Tony Blackburn in 1972. His version of “I’ll Do Anything”, later rediscovered by the northern soul audience, also enjoyed a second life on specialist dancefloors. Over the decades he moved between the BBC and various commercial stations — from BBC Radio London to Capital, Classic Gold, Smooth Radio, BFBS and BBC Radio 2 — hosting programmes devoted to the 1960s, soul and contemporary charts.