Australian Music Archives

Episode 2 of the Frankie Davidson story, covers the years 1961-63. Have You Ever Been To See Kings Cross hits high in the charts. We also learn of the unusual intent of Frankie’s LP of the same title. There’s a W&G custom recording for Lawrence Dry Cleaners which grew a life of its own and, around mid-1963, Frankie heads to London to pursue his dream of taking Australian Music to the world. The UK...

Here’s Episode One of the Frankie Davidson Story; a bit later than expected. As it turned out there isn’t a lot that has been written about Frankie. The History of Aussie Music Blogspot has an excellent summary and Glenn A Baker wrote a thorough obituary at the time of Frankie’s recent passing. I discovered a three-hour field interview on the NLA site conducted in 2013 by Rob Willis. Then, I dug d...

December of 1965 again sees Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs at the top of their game with the double sider, Love Letters/Dancing in The Street reaching a national high of 3. Tony Worsley also hits with the double-sider Missing You/Lonely City reaching a 27 high. There’s a couple of ‘sleepers’ this month which should have reached a much higher chart position but……The Purple Hearts, outta’ Brisbane with...

Heading into November of 1965 and, in a sad irony with the recent passing of Judith Durham, we’ll hear The Seekers’ No.1 hit, the poignant The Carnival Is Over. Normie Rowe takes the 2nd highest position with Tell Him I’m Not Home/Baby Call On Me. We’ll hear from The Easybeats & The Cherokees, with national chart debuts from Sharon Black, Yvonne Barrett and Bobbie Thomas. And amongst all of that,...

October of 1965 and Ray Brown & The Whispers score the highest-charting hit with In The Midnight Hour. We have follow-up hits for Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, The Times & M.P.D. Ltd. First chart entries from Max Hamilton & The Impacts, with Gil Matthews on guitar, and Richard Wright & The Vikings. We will also hear a rare reissue; in this instance, Midnight Bus by Betty McQuade, first a hit in 1961....

September of 1965 brings us 15 Australian-artist songs that made the Top 100, highlighted by Normie Rowe and The Playboys #1 smash double-sider, Que Sera Sera/Shakin’ All Over. Groups that made the national chart include; The Easybeats, The D-Coys and The Flies. The Bee Gees make their biggest chart impression to this point. And, of course, much much more! Enjoy the Australian music for September...

A return to the Chart Series and the month of August 1965. An amazing month with five songs that would in time be considered as 60s classics entering the Australian chart, including the Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody. The highest charting Australian release was Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs’ double-sider Twilight Time/Hello Josephine. We’ll also hear from Merv Benton, The Changing Times, Lynne...

Episode Two of the Top Ten series brings us to 1960 and we find Johnny O’Keefe and Col Joye still dominating with three Top Ten hits each. The other four are once-only (for 1960) Top Ten appearances for Noeleen Batley, Lonnie Lee, Johnny Ashcroft and Rolf Harris. 1960 also brings three Australian artist No 1s whereas in 1959 there was only one. The cut-off point for making the Top Ten was 12 in 19...

Before we move too far from the beginning, here’s a Top Ten episode, featuring the Top Ten Australian artist hits of 1959. All chart positions are taken from David Kent’s Australian Chart Chronicles, compiled on a national basis. Interestingly, only four Australian artists (+ one in a shared chart entry) are to appear in the Top Ten, with two of those having multiple entries. One of those two is C...

A couple of weeks off after this episode; the postponed summer holiday happens in winter! And now for something completely different; Brian Henderson’s Bandstand! This is an early-1962 episode described in the liner notes as a “Super Bandstand”. Festival released the soundtrack on an LP titled, “Brian Henderson’s Bandstand”. The sound quality on the LP is surprisingly good and includes Brian’s ‘ch...

This week we return to the EP series with an episode focussed on Johnny O’Keefe & The Dee Jays’ first five EPs, 1958-60. This is an attempt to look at the career of Johnny O’Keefe from a different perspective. Future episodes will move through the EPs of the 60s and the early-70s; and there’s plenty of them! In researching this, and future, episodes, I’m indebted to the work of Jeff Ellis; “Austra...

July of 1965 is jam-packed with great Australian Music. Ray Brown & The Whispers score the highest chart position, closely followed by The Seekers. And, another bag of chart debutants; Peter Doyle, The Spinning Wheels, Buddy England, Billy Adams, The Kravats and, The Kini Quartet. Regulars, Ray Columbus & The Invaders, The Playboys, The Henchmen and Digger Revell also contribute. Enjoy the Music!

Another whole month of Australian Music; in this episode, June of 1965. Chart high points come with double-siders from Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and The Easybeats. Laurie Allen & Bobby Bright reach No.20 with their 2nd 45. And a wide range of chart debuts from; Marcie Jones, John Perry, The Twilights, The Rondells, The Flies, Jade Hurley & The Wesley Three. Quite a month! Enjoy!

After recovering from Covid, the voice is back in operation: May of 1965 brings us the first release for Normie Rowe & The Playboys with the controversial “It Ain’t Necessarily So”. The highest chart position is achieved by The Seekers with “A World of Our Own”. The Pink Finks, led by Ross Wilson, have a hit with “Louie Louie” and establish their own record label, MOJO. We’ll also hear from Merv B...

In this episode we feature April releases only, such was the Australian artist output, although there were only two that reached the Top 10 nationally. We’ll hear the first release from The Changing Times; the name itself an apt description for the month. There’s a noticeable shift to ‘tuff’ R&B, aligning with The Rolling Stones ascendancy; The Spinning Wheels with Got My Mojo Working, Ray Hoff &...

As we wrap the 1st quarter of 1965, we will learn to dance "The Cling", hear minor chart entries from 'regulars' Colin Cook, Johnny Devlin (Did McCartney really co-write?) and Dinah Lee. The highest chart success was Laurie Allen and Bobby Bright's "I Belong to You" on the GO!! label. We also hear the strange case of how a five-minute folk song reached 33 on the national chart in 1965! Gary Shears...

Part A of the 1st quarter of 1965 is another streamlined episode but not short on highlights. The Seekers hit No.1 with the Tom Springfield written and produced "I'll Never Find Another You". Ray Brown & The Whispers hit the ground running with the double-sider, 20 Miles/Devoted to You. We'll also hear a quite brilliant, organ-fuelled instrumental entry from The Playboys, before they link with Nor...

Returning to the Johnny Rebb Story this week with Part 2. Part 1 was published as Episode 24, August 22, 2021. In this episode, Johnny Rebb goes solo, leaving his band, The Rebels. He moves labels to CBS Coronet and moves to the USA where he was to record two 45s on the DOT label. A return to Australia and a return to CBS follows with the first of many collaborations with The Atlantics appearing....

1964 rounds out with some significant chart entries from Australian artists. The highest-charting entry is from Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs with Over The Rainbow/That I Love, reaching No.2. Jay Justin scores his second-highest chart success with Reminiscing reaching No.18. Dinah Lee, Little Pattie & Bryan Davies all hit the charts, yet none reached the higher echelons. We'll also hear the the first...

After a lean three months for Australian artists post The Beatles tour, the final quarter of 1964 is split into two parts, such was the flood of releases. Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs achieve the highest chart position with Sick and Tired/About Love. Another Linda Lee label artist, Johnny Noble has his biggest chart success with Lonely City. Dinah Lee continues her momentum with Reet Petite/Do The Bl...

Returning to the Chart Series and the 3rd quarter of 1964; a relatively lean period for Australian artists as Beatlemania begins to bite. However, there was a handful of high-charting Australian artist releases and a couple from NZ artists who were very successful in Australia. Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs continue their surge with Don't 'Cha Know/Mashed Potato. If you're up to it, count the "Yeahs"...

As the Australian Summer of 2021-22 closes out, we wrap the Australian Summer of Surf 1962-3. There's more tales to tell of Surf Music Australia - in the future. Of course, the highlight of this episode is the fondly-remembered debut 45 from Little Pattie; now recognised by the NFSA as a "Sound of Australia"! We'll hear surf music offerings from two performers who, up to this point, had stayed on...

A whole month of Surf Music this week, October 1963; the Summer of Surf was well and truly rolling! We'll hear music from: The Delltones, The Denvermen, The Aztecs, The Dave Bridge Trio & more! Amongst the people, places & instruments to be referenced in this episode are: Ben Acton, the Rev. Alan Walker, the Maroubra Ice Rink, Deadly Earnest and a balalaika!! So take a listen to how Surf Music too...

Labour of Love this one: I'm one of 'those' fans of Surf Music, particularly Australian! When my children were young, I used to annoy them by playing Surf Music to-and-from every beach visit! I also think in this 'summer of discontent' it's positive to remember the sun, sand and surf days of 1962-4. In this 1st episode we cover the period, late '62 to September '63. Amongst the luminaries in this...

The first half of 1964 rounds out with very few Australian releases high in the charts. In fact, the highest-charting 45 is from New Zealand's Bill & Boyd; the beginning of a very successful recording career in Australia. Rock 'n' Roll revival is certainly a theme with entries from Johnny Devlin, Merv Benton, Johnny Chester, and Johnny O'Keefe with "Shout Parts 1 & 2", a revival of his 1959 hit, t...