Remembering 2025’s Losses: Gary Burbank

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Being so wrapped up in music I’ve paid tribute to the greats and barely-known artists who’ve passed away since I’ve been here (eleven years now!). Last year I decided to look at other walks of life and salute them as well. And, what do you know, the first two people on my list of non-musical people have had music connections! It isn’t intentional. Here’s today’s almost top ten entry. Gary Burbank As Earl Pitts would say, “Y’know what makes me sick? Y’know what makes me so angry I could just challenge a one-legged man to a butt-kicking contest?” It’s that we lost this comedic genius this year. Yes, he was initially in the top ten list (you probably know why he got “bumped” ). Gary Burbank was born William Purser in 1941. After a stint in the Army he began working at various radio stations. Inspired by Gary Owens’ Laugh-In line about “beautiful downtown Burbank,” he took the stage name of Gary Burbank. And radio wasn’t the same. One of his major radio homes was right here in Louisville. One day I called him and, as any 12-year-old would do, asked if he’d play a song. The song in question was Chuck Berry’s cover of “My Ding-a-Ling.” His reply when I asked if he’d play it: “Yes, but don’t tell anybody.” In 1981 Burbank moved up the river to WLW in Cincinnati, where he stayed for the remainder of his career. There, he’d pick on the Bengals when they were bad (usually) or the Reds when they were bad (seldomly, for a long time) and create characters that found a national syndicated audience. Among those were “Earl Pitts, American” (he’d conclude every commentary with “Pitts off,” which sounds hilarious with the pronounced southern accent he used for the character) and Gilbert Gnarly (a phone call prankster). In addition to that, he was a good musician. One of his characters was a blues musician named Howlin’ Blues Muddy Slim, and Burbank played slide guitar for the character. Even after he left WLW he continued to syndicate the “Earl Pitts, American” skits until his failing health put an end to it in 2021. Burbank moved back here to Louisville, where he died under hospice care a month after his 84th birthday. He was part of my childhood, and part of my adulthood. He was what a disc jockey used to be: funny and nice enough to answer the phone and take requests. We’ll never see the likes of him again. Gary Burbank Born William E. Purser, July 29, 1941, Memphis, Tennessee Died August 28, 2025, Louisville, Kentucky (Alzheimer’s disease) (age 84) HALL OF FAME: National Radio, 2012 A news item from when Burbank retired from WLW: