Icons of music: Tony Wilson
This article will examine the impact of someone that wasn't actually a musician.
A man that had a huge impact on the music industry across Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK.
Anthony Howard Wilson (known by many as Tony Wilson) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC.
Tony Wilson was behind some of Greater Manchester's most successful bands. He was one of the five co-founders of Factory Records and the founder and manager of the Haçienda nightclub. Wilson was known as "Mr Manchester", due to his 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, who intensely disliked the music scene of the mid-1970s which was dominated by such genres as progressive rock and arena rock, saw the Sex Pistols at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall, in June 1976, an experience which he described as an epiphany.
He booked them for the last episode of the first series, probably the first television showing of their revolutionary British strand of punk rock.
He was the manager of many bands, including A Certain Ratio and the Durutti Column, and was part owner and manager of Factory Records, home of Happy Mondays, Joy Division and New Order.
Tony founded the iconic Haçienda nightclub and Dry Bar, together forming a central part of the music and cultural scene of Manchester.
What was legacy?
Tony made very little money from Factory Records or the Haçienda, despite the enormous popularity and cultural significance of both endeavours.Both Factory Records and the Haçienda came to an abrupt end in the late 1990s. Check out this song that was released as a tribute to him. Video credit - StAnthonyVEVO - YouTube
Other interests
He was a huge 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."
Read More: Tony Wilson - United We Stand Forums (uwsonline.com)