Born at Parkstone, Dorset, on 29 January 1943, the son of a GP and a nurse, Tony Blackburn began his broadcasting career in 1964 on offshore pirate ships.
He broadcast for Radio Caroline and Radio London, bringing an informal, American-influenced presentation style to British youth.
Before working as a disc jockey, Blackburn had tried his hand at a singing career, releasing 29 singles and three albums.
While his singing career never really took off commercially, he is widely credited as a UK soul music pioneer.
At 7.00 am on 30 September 1967, he launched BBC Radio 1 with Flowers in the Rain by The Move.
He subsequently spent 17 years at the station and also presented Top of the Pops and was a weekly fixture on Noel’s House Party. Prior to all that, he had broadcast on Radio Caroline and then Radio London.
Tony married actress Tessa Wyatt (Robin’s Nest) in March 1972. Their highly publicised divorce in November 1977 deeply affected him. He famously used his live radio show to openly beg her to take him back.
After Radio 1, he was one of the launch presenters on Capital Gold. He has also hosted Radio 2’s Pick Of The Pops as well as regular bank holiday specials for the station.
In 2002, Blackburn reached a brand-new generation of fans when he won the first-ever series of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, earning the title “King of the Jungle”.
In March 2024, he received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) at Windsor Castle from Princess Anne for his services to broadcasting and charity.
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Before working as a disc jockey, Blackburn had tried his hand at a singing career, releasing 29 singles and three albums.
