DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Gary Burbank Passes away

I know a lot of you are either from Cleveland or live out of state. But Burbank was a legend in the Cincinnati radio market and rightfully so................

Longtime, popular radio personality Gary Burbank has died

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - One of Cincinnati's most beloved radio personalities has died.

700 WLW host Bill Cunningham announced Gary Burbank's death on social media Thursday.

Burbank left listeners laughing for more than 25 years on WLW before he retired in 2007.

Born in 1941 in Memphis Tennessee, Gary Burbank began his radio career as "Bill Williams" and then "Johnny Apollo" at stations in Louisiana in the 1960s.

But Burbank became an overnight star at Louisville's "Wacky" WAKY in 1968, and after a few years of travel around the country and even Canada, Burbank made his Cincinnati debut in 1981. It was on the BIG ONE -- 700 WLW that his became a household name -- partly due to WLW's huge footprint across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. But it was mostly due to the incredible amount of original comedy he created five days a week. He described his show as "Theater of the Mind."

Burbank's mind seemed to be in constant metamorphosis voicing crazy characters for his afternoon drive show, from the full-blooded redneck Earl Pitts Uhmerikun to the hilarious crank calling Gilbert Gnarley and Howlin' Blind Muddy Slim and many more.

Callers to the Burbank show turned the tables on his crew with listeners asking the questions on the Sports or Consequences trivia segments.

He signed off for the last time when he retired on December 21, 2007.

Burbank was also an accomplished musician, performing with Memphis based "The Marquis." He would later create the non-profit Play It Forward in Cincinnati, playing music with artists like Sonny Moorman and Tim Goshorn and raising money to cover medical costs for musicians who didn't have insurance.

Burbank won numerous awards, including prestigious Marconi Awards for Large Market Personality of the Year. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2012.

In an interview shortly before he signed off at WLW in 2007, he said a lot of his personalities were based on real people. Earl Pitts was his dad, who started every morning by saying "you know what makes me sick?" Earl Pitts continued to air in nationally syndicated commentaries until 2021.

Burbank collaborated on his biography with late former TV sportscaster Greg Hoard. It was a chance to again thank everyone who listened over the years and his words, I "especially want to thank you for getting it. I couldn't ask for more."

Gary Burbank was 84 and passed away in Louisville after a long illness. He is survived by his wife Carol, daughter Tracy, son Shawn, and some grandchildren.

https://local12.com/news/local/long...ig-one-earl-pitts-music-musician-moorman

Burbank founded and co-owned Burbank's Real Bar-B-Q and Ribs restaurant in Sharonville, OH. Which made the best ribs I ever ate!

Here are a couple of videos of him doing my favorite character he created.





RIP Gary Burbank.

Never heard of the guy but know that radio personalities can have large followings.

RIP Gary.

Use to listen a lot. I wasn't as big of an Earl Pitts fan as I was Gilbert Gnarley and the salesman with the stubby cigar in his mouth and his pants half zipped infomercial guy. My favorite Gilbert Gnarley was when he called the White House the day after George H W Bush spoke in Cincinnati. He claimed he saw Bush on the news and that GHWB stole his watch, GN claimed to have stayed at the same hotel and someone stole his watch and he saw Bush wearing, The poor WH phone operator.