One of the more iconic names in British radio has passed away at the age of 88.
Tony Butler, a brash host on BBC Radio WM recently passed away, reports BBC News.
The moment word got out, tributes started to pour in from around the globe.
A Legend is Gone
You have to realize, Butler came up at a time in radio when you could actually be critical of people.
He carried that idea with him throughout his career, only to earn a reputation as being brash and difficult by some.
Above and beyond his reputation, Butler was an innovator, getting credit as the originator of the call-in for sports radio, which is maybe why he got so confrontational.
If you ever want to get a feel for how Butler was on-air, do a YouTube search for Jasper Carrott's impersonation of Butler… as it is quite amusing as well as being quite accurate.
BBC Radio WM's Daz Hale stated, "He was an icon, he was a great and he changed broadcasting in this country and possibly all over the world," reported the Mirror.
Butler got started in the industry working as a journalist for the Birmingham Post and The Telegraph.
He went from the written word to the spoken word when he transitioned over to BBC Radio in the 1970s as a freelance sports journalist.
Former colleague Stuart Linnell stated, "They used him on air but his Midlands accent was so strong they felt that the listeners, even the Birmingham listeners, wouldn't really understand him on the radio so they gave him elocution lessons.
"I learned so much from watching Butler, and I shall always remember him with great, great fondness."
These are the voices of another time, voices the like we will never hear again in this new "woke" world we live in.
There is simply no way a radio personality today could get away with the things that Butler did on-air that would not have their walking papers ready for them by the time they signed off.
