Born into Australian rock ‘n roll royalty, Vicky O’Keefe is now a legend in her own right after forty years in the music industry. Vicky O’Keefe’s family story is literally about the founding of rock ‘n roll music in Australia. Vicky O’Keefe is Johnny O’Keefe’s daughter.
© Mark Anning photo (left) was made in Surrey Hills in 1985 to promote Vicky O’Keefe’s band VOKROK.
Right: Vicky O’Keefe’s mother, Marianne Renate (nee Willimzik), and father, Johnny O’Keefe.
Vicky’s legendary father, Johnny O’Keefe was Australia’s first rock ‘n’ roll star who recorded many hits including Wild One, SHOUT!, Move Baby Move, She Wears My Ring, She’s My Baby, and Mockingbird.
In his twenty-six-year music career, O’Keefe cut than 500 record tracks, and released over fifty singles, 50 EPs and 100 albums. O’Keefe sold more than 200 million LPs and singles, and had twenty-nine Top 40 hits in Australia between 1958 and 1973.
“I love performing my Dad’s songs for people as it brings them so many memories and I love hearing all the stories of the old days as I was only young when I lost my Dad” Vicky O’Keefe said.
Vicky O’Keefe aged about 24 in early 1985 © Mark Anning photo 1985
& her father Johnny O’Keefe about the same age, in the late 1950s.
John Michael O’Keefe married Marianne Renate Willinzik on 2 August 1958 and they had three children: Vicky, John and Peter.
Vicky O’Keefe started playing the piano when she was five and learnt guitar soon after. Her mother Marianne played the piano and music was constantly playing in the O’Keefe household.
After losing her dad at 17, O’Keefe threw herself into her music. J.O’K died in 1978 at the age of 43.
She became a prolific songwriter and performer with her band VOKROK and toured the east coast of Australia in the early 1980s when the pub rock scene was booming.
Vicky released two singles for RCA Records in 1982: ‘I’ve Had My Share Of You‘/’Fallen For You‘ (April 1982) and ‘He Was Really Saying Something‘/ ‘Trapped In A Cage‘ (November 1982).
By 1983 Vicky’s band VOK ROK was performing regularly in her own right, and as support act for international stars including Ricky Nelson (her father also supported Ricky), America and Suzie Quatro, and for Aussie rock bands such as John Paul Young, Goanna, Dragon and Midnight Oil.
During her illustrious career, Vicky O’Keefe has shared the stage, performing with Chubby Checker, The Sweet, and Aussie Icons Brian Cadd, Russell Morris and Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum.
Vicky is now signed with US entertainment agency Blackburn International, providing entertainment and reliving the Johnny O’Keefe Story on international cruises with Princess Cruise Lines, and performs her tribute to her father at Star Casino Sydney, Melbourne Crown Casino, Wrest Point Casino, Tasmania.
For details of her tours, see: Vicky O’Keefe website ° Vicky O’Keefe Facebook ° Vicky O’Keefe Instagram ° Book Vicky O’Keefe as a speaker or entertainer here
Johnny O’Keefe died on 6 October 1978 from a heart attack induced by an accidental overdose of prescription barbiturates, less than a month after introducing his children to the world via the Australian Women’s Weekly:
Australian Women’s Weekly ° Wed 13 Sep 1978 ° Page 55 ° Johnny O’Keefe introduces his children
The Canberra Times ° Wed 5 Jan 1983 ° Page 12 ° Vicky O’Keefe steps out on own
Johnny O’Keefe gave a proud endorsement of his daughter, Victoria (Vicky) in the 1978 Women’s Weekly story:
“She is going to do a four-year course in all branches of entertainment,” he said, sitting down at the grand piano himself to give her an immediate lesson in how to smile for the camera.
“She’ll be a Bachelor of Pop Music.”
Johnny O’Keefe , The Australia Women’s Weekly, 13 September, 1978
Likewise, a very proud Vicky O’Keefe gave a glowing endorsement of her father:
‘ One thing I know from Dad is showbiz is not fun biz . . . his advice is valuable, he’s done so much ‘
Vicky O’Keefe , The Australia Women’s Weekly, 13 September, 1978
Vicky O’Keefe VOKROK © Mark Anning photos 1985
The history of Rock n Roll music in Australia
An 18-year-old Johnny O’Keefe began his singing career in 1953 impersonating American jazz/blues singer Johnnie Ray with the Gus Merzi jazz quintet. Johnnie Ray’s animated stage personality influenced many acts including Elvis Presley. Tony Bennett called Ray the “father of rock and roll”.
Bill Haley singing “Rock Around the Clock” in the film Blackboard Jungle in June 1955 impressed the young Johnny O’Keefe who then dedicated himself to becoming a rock ‘n roll star.
In September 1956 O’Keefe and an American-born tenor sax player Dave Owen formed Australia’s first rock’n’roll band, the Dee Jays. The original lineup was Kevin Naughton on guitar, Keith Williams on bass and Johnny “Catfish” Purser playing drums.
Naughton was soon replaced by Indonesian-born guitarist Lou Casch, and Johnny Greenan joined the band on tenor saxophone. This was the Dee Jays lineup that supported Little Richard on his Australian 1957 tour.
Johnny O’Keefe met Bill Haley during his tour in 1957 in Australia. Haley was impressed by O’Keefe and he gave him a song to record “You Hit The Wrong Note, Billy Goat” which was released in July 1957 as O’Keefe’s debut 78rpm single but it didn’t sell well.
In 1957, Botany Council kicked Aussie Father of Rock N Roll, Johnny O’Keefe out of Botany Town Hall for singing Rock N Roll
O’Keefe’s trademark was his flamboyant stage attire, which included gold lamé jackets and brightly coloured suits trimmed with fake fur. In 1959, Johnny O’Keefe claimed he had 40 suits all worth over 100 pounds each, according to a tape housed in the National Film Sound Archives of Australia‘s considerable library collection about Johnny O’Keefe.
The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney has a few of Johnny O’Keefe’s performance costumes and other memorabilia associated with his life and career.
Lee Gordon & ‘The Big Show’ concerts
O’Keefe caught the eye and ears of Lee Gordon, an American entrepreneur and concert promoter working in Australia in the 1950s and early 1960s who had made a name for himself promoting jazz acts such as Louis Armstrong. When rock and roll was taking off, Lee Gordon was ready to take advantage.
Gordon became O’Keefe’s manager and in 1957 the Dee Jay’s became the featured support act for Gordon’s popular “Big Show” concerts at the Sydney Stadium.
These “Big Show” concerts featured top American acts such as Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, Fabian and Ricky Nelson.
J O’K and the DJs were loved by the Sydney crowd. O’Keefe’s energetic performances upstaged many of the visiting performers. The Big Show tours gave O’Keefe the national exposure he was seeking and within a year he had a string of hit singles and a huge fan base.
O’Keefe biographer Damian Johnstone claims that Gordon introduced O’Keefe to marijuana during 1957 who took to it “like mother’s milk”. Dee Jays drummer Johnny Purser said that Gordon was a bad influence on O’Keefe, and Dee Jays saxophonist Bob Bertles said that he avoided Gordon and O’Keefe as a pair – they were “… bad news together. Double trouble.”
By mid-1959, Johnny O’Keefe was brought in to Lee Gordon’s record label ‘Leedon’ to handle A&R (Artists and Repertoire is responsible for talent scouting and artistic development of recording artists). Gordon and O’Keefe signed Lonnie Lee, Barry Stanton, Warren Williams, The Delltones and Booka Hyland, amongst others.
The various Big Show tours brought 472 American performers to Australia and broke down decades-old racial barriers by presenting integrated bills that featured leading African-American jazz, pop, R&B and rock’n’roll artists performing alongside ‘white’ artists.
The enigmatic impresario Lee Gordon left Australia in 1962 and died from a heart attack in London in 1963.
Left: Johnny O’Keefe live at the Sydney Stadium, Rushcutters Bay, with the Deejays and the Delltones
Right: ABC radio programme ‘Johnny O’Keefe Show, Rockville Junction’ Vol. 21 No. 33 (19 August 1959).
Johnny O’Keefe sings ‘Shout’ with the Dee Jays and the Delltones as part of a 1959 Big Show concert with American teen idol, Fabian that was made into documentary feature film entitled ‘Lee Gordon’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Spectacular‘, directed by the pioneering Australian director Lee Robinson and commissioned by the legendary promoter Lee Gordon.
The “Wild One” Johnny O’Keefe
The first rock and roll hit record by an Australian was “Wild One” written by Johnny Greenan, Johnny O’Keefe and Dave Owens.
The movie “The Wild One” starring Marlon Brando had made a huge impact on younger audiences when it was released in 1953.
Wild One was the first single by an Australian rock’n’roller to reach the national record charts. The release date of the single, 5 July 1958, is considered the birth of Australian rock and roll.
Dee Jays members Johnny Greenan and Lou Casch tell the story that the song “Wild One” was inspired by an incident at a gig in Newtown, Sydney in about 1957.
O’Keefe and the Dee Jays were playing at an upstairs venue while an Italian wedding reception was taking place downstairs.
Dance patrons and wedding guests started fighting in the men’s toilets and within minutes the brawl had become a full-scale riot that spilled out into the street. Local police called in the Navy Shore Patrol to restore order.
“Wild One” has been covered by other recording artists, sometimes under the title “Real Wild Child”, by Jerry Allison with Buddy Holly backing him on guitar, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jet Harris, Albert Lee, Status Quo, Everlife, The Runaways, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Suzie Quatro, Marshall Crenshaw, Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, Teenage Head, Levi Kreis, Wakefield (used in the soundtrack of the movie EuroTrip), Christopher Otcasek (in the film Pretty Woman), and Jet.
The 1986 Iggy Pop version was produced by David Bowie at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland and is used as the theme song for ABC’s all night music TV show, Rage!
The stage was set for Johnny O’Keefe to move onto becoming a radio and television entertainer and presenter.
Six O’Clock Rock Television
6 p.m. on Saturdays became the time rock and roll fans turned on their televisions to hear the latest releases from their favourite bands and new acts. Television first aired in Australia on 16 September 1956 and TV stations were hungry for appealing local content for their shows.
Bandstand with compere Brian Henderson was launched on station TCN-9 in November 1958, featuring a mix of jazz and rock and roll, and was an instant success with the nationwide audience.
O’Keefe was given his own ABC television show, Six O’Clock Rock in February 1959. In August the same year, he also hosted a weekly ABC radio programme, the ‘Johnny O’Keefe Show, Rockville Junction’, which was broadcast on Friday nights. Vol. 21 No. 33 (19 August 1959).
In August 1959, The Isley Brothers released their song “Shout!” which Johnny O’Keefe covered a month later for the first time on Six O’Clock Rock, and released his own recording soon after. Shout peaked at Number Two on the charts.
He had a serious car accident on 27 June 1960, when he fell asleep at the wheel of his Plymouth near Kempsey. His face was heavily scarred, he needed 70 stitches and 15 plastic surgery operations, but he continued with his television show, Six O’clock Rock.
Johnny O’Keefe’s biggest hit ‘I’m Counting On You’ spent an incredible ten weeks on top of the Sydney Top 40 Charts in 1961.
O’Keefe left the public broadcaster in mid-1961 to star in the bigger budgeted, better produced and hugely successful Johnny O’Keefe Show on commercial TV station ATN-7. Six O’Clock Rock closed in 1962 due to the fierce competition from the Johnny O’Keefe Show on Channel 7 and Bandstand on Channel 9.
Compering the weekly TV show, touring and recording, plus dealing with the recovery from his car accident, all took a toll on O’Keefe’s health and he left the Johnny O’Keefe Show in August 1962.
The show was renamed Sing Sing Sing in his absence, but after a six month break, in February 1963 Johnny O’Keefe returned as host. Regular performers in Sing Sing Sing included Little Pattie and The Delltones.
By late 1963, a new era in popular music called Merseybeat was gaining popularity with the younger generation. International groups such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and Australian groups including Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Normie Rowe, and The Easybeats, who took the Australian pop scene by storm.
Sing Sing Sing aired weekly until October 1965. In January 1967, new TV station TEN-10 began their first attempt at a music show with compere Johnny O’Keefe. TEN’s transmission signal did not cover the entire city of Sydney at the time, and so, with low ratings and a low budget, Johnny O’Keefe’s final tv show was cancelled in November 1967.
In 1966, Johnny O’Keefe divorced Marianne Renate, whom he had married in 1958 and had three children (Victoria is the second child). On 14 February 1975 O’Keefe married Maureen Joan Maricic, a 29-year-old fashion consultant.
From 1968 onwards O’Keefe performed on the burgeoning Australian club and cabaret circuit and in 1969 O’Keefe toured Vietnam to entertain Australian troops.
O’Keefe continued recording during the later 1960s, including “Sun’s Gonna Shine Tomorrow“(May 1966), “Be Careful of Stones That You Throw” (August 1966) and a re-release of “She’s My Baby” in August 1969. In 1972 he re-recorded his 1958 hit “So Tough“.
In 1974, O’Keefe recorded his last hit record, Mockingbird, with Margaret McLaren. It was in the charts for 12 weeks.
Johnny O’Keefe died on 6 October 1978 from a heart attack induced by an accidental overdose of prescription barbiturates.
“John was a pioneer and also a very determined man. Had it not been for O’Keefe it might have taken much longer for Australian talent to be recognised. He was a man of tremendous energy.”
Brian Henderson, who was host to Johnny O’Keefe on many Bandstand programs, said just after Johnny O’Keefe died.
Several biographies on Johnny O’Keefe have been written including The Wild One by Damian Johnstone and Johnny O’Keefe – The Facts written in 2008 by Lonnie Lee.
Johnny O’Keefe: the Wild One – the Documentary is available from Amazon.
In 1988, Johnny O’Keefe was posthumously inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Footnote: Lee Gordon and Abe Saffron
While researching this story we found these interesting facts about Lee Gordon.
Lee Gordon was a trailblazer in the Australian music and entertainment scene. ‘Lee’s of Woollahra’ was an upmarket adult cabaret night club opened by Gordon in 1959 that featured exotic entertainers such as a Parisian transsexual, Coccinelle.
Gordon and Abe Saffron (“the boss of the Cross”) opened the first drag club in Australia, the ‘Jewel Box Revue Club’ in Darlinghurst which launched the career of famous drag queen Carlotta. Impresario Sammy Lee, another Saffron business associate, later acquired the venue and it became the ‘Les Girls’ nightclub.
Gordon and Saffron’s other major joint venture was ahead of its time for Australia – the first drive-in fast food restaurant in Sydney, the ‘Big Boy’ hamburger bar on Parramatta Road.
From Amazon in the USA:
Video:
- Shout!:Story of Johnny O’Keefe — Johnny O’Keefe
Popular Music:
- Greatest Hits [IMPORT] — Johnny O’Keefe
- Hits [IMPORT] — Johnny O’Keefe
- Rockin With Johnny O’Keefe & The Dee Jay [IMPORT] — Johnny O’Keefe
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