1935 - 1978

Australian rock ’n’ roll legend Johnny O’Keefe, often referred to by his initials JO’K, was born and raised in Bondi Junction. He achieved fame in Australia in the 1950s and ’60s as a rock ’n’ roll singer with his band The Dee Jays. His father Ray was the mayor of Waverley in the early 1960s.

JO’K knew only one way to live: at full throttle. He threw everything into his live performances and won many fans between the late 1950s and his death in 1978. His style of singing was inspired by Bill Haley, of ‘Rock around the Clock’ fame, and both his performances and his suits were loud and exuberant, in keeping with how his ‘primal rock’ contemporaries presented themselves. He formed The Dee Jays in 1956, and in the early part of his career, they played for free at dances and charity gigs.

Johnny’s family members wholeheartedly supported him to ‘go for it’, especially in the early days, when success was coming slowly. His mother Thelma reputedly made the red suit he famously wore for his high-octane, sweaty performances in the late 1950s. In keeping with the toned-down zeitgeist of the early ’60s, however, he swapped the loud suits for the more conservative look that befitted the hosting of his TV programs Six O’Clock Rock (ABC, 1959–61), The Johnny O’Keefe Show (ATN 7, 1962) and Sing Sing Sing (ATN 7, 1963), all of which had strong followings and high ratings.

It was during a 1957 stage performance that he and The Dee Jays were noticed by international promoter Lee Gordon, who gave them a support spot on that year’s ‘Big Show’ Australian tour, which starred American rock ’n’ roll giants Little Richard, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran. He then put them on the 1958 tour, which starred Buddy Holly and The Crickets, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Paul Anka.

Success in Australia followed when Johnny was signed to Festival Records. Between 1958 and ’73, 29 of his records were Top 40 hits, such as The Wild One (Real Wild Child) (1958), Shout (1959), Move Baby Move (1962) and Mockingbird (with Margaret McLaren, 1972). Many of his ’50s and ’60s songs were loud and over the top emotionally, but he could also deliver the goods softly yet passionately, for example in the lyrical ‘She Wears My Ring’, which reached number two on the singles chart in 1964.

In 1959 and ’60, an ambitious Johnny toured the US, where he was (embarrassingly) promoted as ‘The Boomerang Boy’, but both bids were unsuccessful.

In 1960, he was involved in a serious car accident, and his injuries continued to affect him. His hectic pace of life began to take its toll, and he endured a number of breakdowns, often returning to work before advisable. His marriage was another casualty of his lifestyle, and he and his wife divorced in 1966.

In the mid-’60s, The Beatles’ stratospheric popularity and the rise of Australian artists inspired by them were clear signs that popular music was changing. Johnny resisted the seismic shift, but his career took a downturn. He pushed himself to work even harder than previously, and accepted gigs at clubs, festivals and Gold Coast venues, often for charity. He still made records, but his fan base continued to decline.

Johnny was only 43 when he died on 6 October 1978, from a drug overdose, at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst. Ten years later, in 1988, he was inducted into the ARIA Music Hall of Fame. His seminal influence on generations of Australian rockers is appreciated today more than ever.

Courtesy the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, State Library of New South Wales and the Waverley Library Local Studies Collection.