Stars including Daniel O'Donnell, Philomena Begley, Pete Snodden and Frank Mitchell out in force as Downtown Radio legend Big T laid to rest in touching funeral: "The airwaves won’t be the same without him, but his legacy will live on"

Grieving family and friends were joined by a host of famous faces in tribute to a man who spent five decades as a household name on the airwaves across Northern Ireland.

Singing stars Daniel O’Donnell and Philomena Begley and broadcasters Pete Snodden and Frank Mitchell were among mourners at a touching service at Moneyreagh Non Subscribing Presbyterian Church mixed traditional hymns and bible readings with tear-jerking country ballads performed live.

Giving tribute, lifelong friend Raymond Stewart, owner of country music record label Sharpe Music, said that everyone in the industry has “lost an advocate, a mentor, and a true friend”.

Since meeting him in 1978, stated Raymond, he’d had the pleasure of knowing the successful radio presenter, personality and celebrity Big T, as well as loving family man and charity campaigner Trevor Campbell.

"It’s hard to imagine life without his trusted voice on the radio, whether on long dark nights with the fire on, or long summer nights with the barbecue on,” said Raymond.

"Since 1976, Big T on Downtown Radio in the evenings was the soundtrack in many homes, as he brought the music to life with his anecdotes and requests and stories.

“All was good music, a well-crafted show, and a voice made for radio – though I’d say back in the day, he considered himself a bit of a looker.”

Big T was an instant radio star, he added, combining skills on the turntables with unparalleled timing and an encyclopaedic knowledge of music.

A few spins on Big T’s show were the key to selling out gigs all over Ireland, Raymond added, something that was especially true when acts were reluctant to tour the island during the dark days of the Troubles.

He was an enthusiastic backer of country artists from these shores too, spreading the word of local stars on his international travels.

Remembered Raymond: "What about a sprinkling of the Irish, he would say, committed to bringing our homegrown talent to the music moguls in Nashville and further afield.

"The tributes that poured in over the past week are testament to the esteem in which he was held – but it was his loyalty to all of us involved in Irish country music that was unmistakeable.”

Born in an industrial part of Belfast, Big T was always proud of the manufacturing heritage he came from.

"It was inevitable that the working man and the working man’s music would come together in young Trevor,” he stated, adding that his show and endorsement were vital to getting the ball rolling for new country acts, albums and concerts.

“Big T was on Downtown from day one; one of the originals. For me the words “Downtown” and “Big T” go together, along with his many jingles and the voice recordings he had of famous people introducing their own songs. No one in country music had a collection like it.

"He didn’t just concentrate on the established artists, he wasn’t afraid to be forward-looking and give new singers a chance. As he said to me, I like all types of music – as long as it’s country.

"The airwaves won’t be the same without him, but his legacy will live on.”