He was all this and more.
Inside the O'Keefe family "Johnny and my dad Barry had very similar personalities - they just chose two entirely different careers," O'Keefe said. His performance supporting Bill Haley led to a contract with Festival Records. Johnny O'Keefe can say yes to all those and more. Had three children: John Jr (born 30 July 1959), Vicky (born 6 January 1961) and Peter (born 24 September 1963. He was the real deal. Born only eleven days after Elvis Presley, Johnny O'Keefe was often called 'Australia's answer to Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis'. A strong early musical influence was the American singer During this period he met and became good friends with The first turning point in O'Keefe's career was in early 1953, when he began singing with the quintet of jazz accordionist Recognising Johnny's potential, Merzi began tutoring him on piano, encouraging him to broaden his repertoire and helping him to refine his stagecraft. 11015244, citing Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, North Ryde, Ryde City, New South Wales, Australia ; Maintained by … 2 on the singles chart. "Johnny was known as 'the wild one' and Barry was 'the mild one'. Play Video. 30, and titles of the two songs seemed, in retrospect, to presage the downturn in O'Keefe's career the A-side, "Rock'n'Roll Will Stand" was backed by a cover of the His popularity continued to decline and sales of his records fell. Johnny O'Keefe spoke to the very heart and soul of a generation of Australian teenagers who were screaming out for an identity, and he forever changed the way Australian's view themselves, because he was the first, the very first, person who showed Australia that they could rock just as hard as an international singer. However the follow-up single charted significantly lower, peaking at a modest No.
Right from the get go this raw, precocious, kinetic, talented, young, self-promoting rocker from Sydney rocked the ultra-conservative world of Robert Menzies' Australia in the 1950's, with his gyrating, rebel-yelling performances out the front of his band, The Dee-Jays. And he was Australia's. O'Keefe became a regular singer with the Merzi quintet and performed with them every Sunday at the charity shows they performed at the Bondi Auditorium. Andrew grew up in a conservative household, and his father always hoped that he would follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer. They opened a boutique, J. O'K Creations, at Paddington in 1978.O'Keefe's last public appearance was on Seven Network's Johnny O'Keefe died from a drug overdose on 6 October 1978.Since his death, O'Keefe's stature has continued to grow, and he has been posthumously accorded the recognition he did not receive in his lifetime.
Many of these outfits were made for him by Sydney 'showbiz' costumier At the time Casch joined the band, they were promoting their own dances at local venues such as the At the time, rock 'n' roll and its followers in Sydney often found themselves at odds with non-aficionados. In the late 50s he toured through the U.S. where he appeared on 'The Ed Sullivan Show', and became a local legend with his hilarious boomerang throwing exploits as 'the boomerang kid' in New York's Central Park.
Born in Sydney on 19 January 1935, Johnny O'Keefe became the undisputed King of Australian rock and roll. Johnny O'Keefe single-handedly did more to influence Australian pop-culture than any other national figure. 22 in December.O'Keefe scored his fourth Australian No. The tenacious O'Keefe performed his routine no matter how small the audience, sometimes braving the rotten eggs and fruit thrown at him by local louts.After his second stint of National Service he began singing with Merzi two nights a week, playing at university college dances, 21st birthdays and private parties and Merzi also managed to get O'Keefe a regular spot on the Johnny O'Keefe's life changed irrevocably after seeing and hearing By 1960 he had become the most popular and successful singer in Australia and a major TV star. One of the biggest personal blows O'Keefe suffered was the end of his marriage and the 1966 divorce from his wife Marianne, whom he had married in 1958.In early 1974 he scored his last big hit with a version of the old In August 1974 O'Keefe put together a package tour called "The Good Old Days of Rock'n'Roll" which featured many of his old friends including Dinah Lee, On 14 February 1975 (St Valentine's Day) at the Masonic Hall, Waverley, O'Keefe married for the second time to Maureen Joan Maricic, a 29-year-old fashion consultant. 1 hit in August 1961, followed by a third chart-topper, "Sing (And Tell The Blues So Long)" in March 1962, and "I Thank You", which reached No. 1933) Became a prominent Judge and lawyer in Australia. O'Keefe's last major hit of the Sixties came in April 1964 (two months before the Beatles toured Australia) when "She Wears My Ring" reached No. "I'm Counting on You" became his second No. John Michael (Johnny) O'Keefe (1935-1978), rock'n'roll singer, was born on 19 January 1935 in Sydney, second of three children of Raymond Moran O'Keefe, furniture salesman, and his wife Thelma Edna, née Kennedy, both born in New South Wales. By this time he was reaching the limits of his physical and mental endurance.His run of Australian hits continued in spite of his mounting personal problems. Born on the 19th of January, 1935, Johnny was the younger of two boys. He is a nephew of the Australian rock and roll singer Johnny O'Keefe and brother of University of Cambridge international lawyer Roger O'Keefe. Older brother Barry (b. Johnny O'Keefe was Australian, and proud of it. Johnny O’Keefe with his children, Peter and Vick, at the Horden Pavilion in 1976. Vicky O’Keefe and her Tribute to Johnny O’Keefe show will be at Club Central Hurstville on Saturday, September 20. A local band, the Dee Jays with vocalist Johnny O'Keefe, was chosen as the supporting act. Often referred to by his initials "J.O.K." Johnny had 2 siblings: Barry Stanley John O'Keefe …
A national icon.
Australian rock historian In September 1956 O'Keefe and his friend Dave Owen (an American-born tenor sax player) formed Australia's first rock'n'roll band, Casch's contribution to O'Keefe's sound, both live and on record, was considerable. His father was Barry O'Keefe, a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.