Burbank began his radio career as "Bill Williams" at KLPL in Lake Providence, Louisiana, then adopted the name "Johnny Apollo" when he worked at KUZN in West Monroe, Louisiana. That was followed by stints in his hometown at WMPS in the mid-1960s and then in 1967 and early 1968 at WWUN in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1968 he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he became an instant hit on WAKY. It was at WAKY that Billy Purser officially became Gary Burbank, a name taken from radio and television legend Gary Owens, who as a regular on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" would announce that he was broadcasting from "beautiful downtown Burbank." (Burbank's natural voice is remarkably similar to Owens' on-air voice, and Owens contributed announcements to Burbank's programs in later years.)