Tony was born in Guildford, Surrey in 1943 and was educated at Millfield Public School in Somerset and Bournemouth College. His father was a doctor from Lilliput near Poole, Dorset, and Tony made his first public appearance with the Jan Ralfini Dance Orchestra at the Bournemouth Pavilion while still at college.
In 1964, Tony joined pirate broadcaster Radio Caroline as a DJ, where he quickly became successful due to his informal, American-influenced presentation style, which contrasted with the more staid style of his contemporaries. After a spell on Radio London, Tony was hired as the first of a new generation of DJs for the BBC's newly established pop station, Radio One in 1967.
Tony's "Breakfast Show" programme on Radio One soon became popular, ensuring that he rapidly became a household name. He also started a 17-year run as one of the regular presenters of the TV programme "Top of The Pops" in 1967.
Not content with being a popular DJ, Tony also had a moderately successful career as a recording artist. Although not the strongest of vocalists, he made the lower reaches of the UK charts twice with the singles "So Much Love" and "It's Only Love", and released three albums of songs in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Tony also took over presenting the Radio One weekend children's show "Junior Choice" for a while, resulting in an album "Pops for Tony Tots", and eventually moved from the Breakfast Show to the mid-morning slot. Just as he was in danger of becoming passé, Tony started presenting a soul show on BBC Radio London, which re-established his talents as a DJ.
By 1988, Tony was to be heard on Capital Gold in their own "Breakfast Show", winning a prestigious Sony Radio Award along the way. At present, Tony is a member of the Manchester radio station Jazz FM's team and still tours British clubs and universities with his very own 70s style disco.
