| The greatest showman in Australian history would have to be Johnny O'Keefe. Born in Sydney his career started in the great rock'n'roll era of the 50's. Johnny injected enthusiasm directly into the arm of Australian showbusiness and started many of Australia's local talent on the road to success. His concerts were sellouts and his recordings were snapped up by the Australian public. Despite many setbacks his enthusiasm always shone through. He made many comebacks all of them successful, take for example 'She's my Baby' and 'So Tough'. One thing for certain is that there will never be another like JOK! I believe that like his song 'Sing', he sang some of the tragic events of his life away. In the late 50's there were six Australian artists on the '2UE Top 40', an absolute thermometer of world class talent at this time. On the 12 September 1959, Johnny Rebb had 'Pathway to Paradise', Col Joye had 'Bye Bye Baby', Johnny O'keefe had 'Why Do They Doubt Our Love', Frank Ifield had 'True', Allan Dale had 'Crackin' Up' and Dig Richards was there singing 'I Wanna Love You'. These artists were true pioneers for the Australian rock'n'roll scene and without them and others such as, Roland Storm, Vicky Forest, Barry Stanton, Lonnie Lee, The Delltones and Laurel Lee we would have only the Americans dominating the airwaves. |
| In 1938 Bill Mawson started Sydney's strangest night school in Newtown where he taught Rock'n'Roll and his step the 'Mawson Jive' danced to a six count, unique, difficult to master, but well worth the effort. In 1941 with the help of Nellie Murphy teaching at his school many ballroom dancers saw the light and came over to Bill's school to learn the three R's reelin, rithin and rhythm, such as Brian Marsh, Ron Futuros Daphne Lloyd and Fay Barnett were just some of Bill's star pupils. In 1947 Jitterbug was it! The dance of the era and pure energy. Capital cities around Australia played host to frantic dance marathons and competitions. The Gaiety milk bar in Oxford Street, Sydney, jumped with hundreds packed into the auditorium to jitterbug the night away to the sounds of The Billy Western Dance Band. When the dancers tired they would relax and Jive to the compositions of Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Count Basie and other masters of the swing dance era played by Bob Gibson and his Big Swing Band. Jitterbug dancing was introduced to Sydney with champion jitterbugger, Del Periott. Kids of the day loved dancing and were ready to swing. It seems as though just after the war that Australians were gripped by a common desire to enjoy life to the full. One of Australia's greatest dancers was Lee Neilson, who with her partner Milton Mitchell, won the Australian National Dance Championships in 1947 and remained undefeated for the next 10 years. Later Lee was to partner Barry Frawley they continued to dance and tour Australia as champions well into the 60's, in all Lee Nielson was National champion for an incredible 17 consecutive years! Six O'Clock Rock went to air on February 28 1959 and yes, Lee and her partner Milton did the original opening graphics with two dancers superimposed over a clock with the hands of the clock set to six. |
| The FJ Holden was an Australian designed an built car released in October 1953: a year of great Rock'n'Roll happenings around the world! The car became an Australian icon costing only 750 Australian Pounds. The FJ had a three speed column shift manual gearbox. A six seater comfortable family sedan the FJ could deliver 80 MPH and 30 MPG. The FJ has a juke box style front grille adding to its Rock'n'Roll image. The FJ was coined rightly so, Australia's own car. |
