Interview With Tony Blackburn

The Sound of the Sixties show hosted by Radio 2’s Tony Blackburn is coming to Bradford in January. A live band and singers will recreate the songs and hits from this classic period in pop music.

I asked Tony about the tour and what we can expect.

What is the show all about?

It is all about the 60’s and the music that made it such a great time. We have been on tour since March and the tour was due to finish before Christmas, but it has been so successful that we are now going through to June in 2020. The show lasts around 3 hours and 20 minutes. It is not me playing records, we have a live 8 piece band, a couple of singers, with the band led by Leo Green who has just done the Beverley Knight tour. I talk about the 60’s in between the songs – there are over 100 hits, we do a Motown melody, cover the Flower Power period, Pirate radio which was where my career started.

It was a great time for music – it must have been thrilling to be involved in it all?

It was a great time for music. Tony Hatch was a great songwriter – he wrote so many good songs for artists like Petula Clark which we feature in the show. There was a lot of rubbish though which came out, but we do not feature them in the show.

Do you think the world seemed a simpler place then?

It was such a special time in such a short period of time, Beatle mania kicked off the 60’s vibe, it was just a terrific era. Everyone these days seems to cater to a younger audience, we cater for an older audience on the tour. I still do my Radio 2 show but I also do a show on BBC Radio Berkshire playing up to date tracks, so I am not stuck in the 60’s as people might think.

What do you think about the state of Radio in the UK today?

Commercial radio stations all seem to play the same records. In the 60’s we pioneered American radio with DJ’s who had personality. Now the presenters on most radio stations are not allowed to have a personality which is a shame. If you think back to DJ’s such as Kenny Everett and the like, where are those DJ’s now?

Of all the artists you have met who are you most proud of?

Diana Ross is definitely one. I helped to introduce Motown into this country in my pirate radio days, up until then no one played black soul music on the radio. I actually toured with Diana in the 70’s. Stevie Wonder is another one who I met many times and got to know well.

How do you spend your leisure time?

I don’t really have much leisure time – my hobby is what I do. I like watching TV, going to the cinema. I am always very busy – I have the tour coming up, my Radio 2 weekly show and then the other 2 radio shows that I do on other radio stations.

The Sound of the 60’s show visits St Georges Hall in Bradford on 16th January 2020

https://www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/whats-on/sounds-of-the-60s-live-with-tony-blackburn