Greater Manchester icons: Tony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson (known by many as Tony Wilson) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager and a journalist for Granada Television and the BBC.
Tony Wilson was behind some of our most successful bands. He was one of the five co-founders of Factory Records and the founder and manager of the Haçienda nightclub. Wilson put in some immense work in promoting the culture of Manchester throughout his career
His involvement in popular music stemmed from hosting Granada's culture and music programme 'So It Goes'. Wilson disliked the music scene of the mid-1970s.
A version of this article was originally posted here. Icons of Greater Manchester: Tony Wilson (gmanchesternews.blogspot.com)
Over his time, he became the manager of many bands, including A Certain Ratio and The Durutti Column. His Factory Records was the home of Happy Mondays, Joy Division and New Order.
Other interests
He was fan of Manchester United. Not long after he passed away, Tony's life finished heavily in an edition of the United We Stand fanzine. A few years ago, their editor Any Mitten uploaded this tribute on the United We Stand forum.
The start of the tribute states:
Where to start with Tony Wilson? Much has been written about a man who had so much to answer for since he passed away. The obituaries and tributes have been wide-ranging, but while many spoke of his involvement and influence in Manchester’s musical and cultural industry, few focussed on another great love in Tony’s life: Manchester United.
It’s a weird one for us because we knew Tony. We first requested an interview with him in 1998. We wrote him a letter and a few days later he called us from Miami to say that it would be a great pleasure. A few weeks later I headed to his Factory offices expecting a half-hour interview. It turned into a three-hour chat."
Icons: Eric Cantona (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
Tony said: “I was born in Salford in 1950 when the Port of Manchester was still really busy,” he said. “Old Trafford was just down the road and from the age of nine this little old lady who lived nearby would take me to matches. At first, they were reserve games – I saw and heard Wilf McGuiness break his leg which ended his career.
“In my teenage years, I went to De La Salle School and had an LMTB in the Stretford End. I went to university where I studied English at Cambridge before working for ITN in London for a couple of years. I came home and saw matches a lot but I never expected to move home permanently until I saw a job at Granada. Even then I only expected to stay for a couple of years before moving back south, but every time I was about to move something better came along in Manchester and I had another excuse to stay.
“We formed Factory records in 1978 with Joy Division, OMD and A Certain Ratio; three bands who we knew were great and we had to prove it to the world. As with all our bands, this took time. It took six years for anyone to take notice of The Happy Mondays and a lot of time for people to notice Joy Division and New Order."
Tony Wilson legacy
St Anthony: An Ode to Anthony H Wilson from Mike Garry & Joe Duddell was released five years ago and the sheer number of people involved points towards his huge legacy and impact.
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