Some of his hits include "Wild One" (1958), "Shout!" John Michael O'Keefe, known as Johnny O'Keefe (19 January 1935 - 6 October 1978) was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the 1950s. Director: Uwe Boll | Stars: Michael Par, Wilson Bethel, Mitch Eakins, Erik Eidem. The complete soundtrack is out now https://rocknroll1959.com/buy-the-soundtrack. [9] During his time at high school Johnny joined the school cadets, where he made good progress learning trumpet,[6] and he (reluctantly) sang solo in the school choir. In December 1952 Dale and O'Keefe were called up for National Service. During his time at high school Johnny joined the school cadets, where he made good progress learning trumpet, and he (reluctantly) sang solo in the school choir. In August 1962 he suffered another breakdown and spent two months in the psychiatric ward at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney,[32] beginning what was to become a repeating cycle of much-publicised breakdowns, hospitalisation and recovery. 1970. Born in Fort Madison, Iowa, [4] O'Keefe was the son of Edward Flanagan and Charlotte Flanagan, [5] Irish vaudevillians working in the United States. 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. Come On and Take My Hand 5. In his twenty-year career, O'Keefe released over 50 singles, 50 EP's and 100 albums.Often referred to by his initials, "J.O.K." He was born in Ambon in 1924, grew up in Aceh and Jakarta, began playing guitar at an early age, and became a dedicated jazz musician. Johnny O'Keefe's life changed irrevocably after seeing and hearing Bill Haley singing "Rock Around the Clock" in the film Blackboard Jungle in June 1955. 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. O'Keefe's debut single (issued as a 78rpm record), "You Hit The Wrong Note, Billy Goat" b/w "The Chicken Song", was released in July 1957 but it failed to chart and sold poorly, as did the follow-up, a cover of Pat Boones "Love Letters in the Sand" which O'Keefe later described as the worst record of his career. It was produced and broadcast by the newly-opened Channel TEN-10 and filmed at various outdoor locations around Sydney, and O'Keefe released a 'spin-off' album also titled Where The Action Is during the year, but the series was not successful and budget problems and low ratings led to its cancellation in November 1967.From 1968 onwards O'Keefe devoted most of his time to performing on the burgeoning Australian club and cabaret circuit, and aside from the 1969 live LP Live On The Gold Coast, his only album releases were compilations of past hits, mostly issued on Festival's budget label Calendar.O'Keefe doggedly continued recording new singles during the later 1960s, but only three made it into the Top 40 "Sun's Gonna Shine Tomorrow"(#38, May 1966), "Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw" (#28, August 1966) and a re-release of "She's May Baby" which reached #22 in August 1969. [citation needed] He spent several days confined in a straitjacket and heavily medicated, but by chance he encountered a staff member who had recently arrived from Australia who recognised him and was able to confirm his identity. Haley was impressed by O'Keefe, giving him a song to record ("You Hit The Wrong Note, Billy Goat") and recommending him to Ken Taylor, A&R manager of leading local record company Festival Records. O'Keefe continued to issue singles, including a cover of the Harry Vanda-George Young song "Saturday Night", originally recorded by The Easybeats.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. Leather jackets were banned in an effort to reduce fights mostly outside the premises, and if patrons were caught fighting within the club, the two police officers (John and Reg) on duty and in uniform, would force the culprits to don boxing gloves and get into a boxing ring downstairs.Many fans would attend the live Saturday "Six O'Clock Rock" TV show at ABC's Gore Hill studios then go direct to The Leichhardt Dance. Johnny Dangerously; Kidco; The Lonely Guy; Lovelines; Meatballs Part II; Micki + Maude; Moscow on the Hudson; No Small Affair; Nothing Lasts Forever; Oh, God! The dance is on Saturday night. J O'K as he was known became the undisputed King of Australian rock and roll. "At the time, rock 'n' roll and its followers in Sydney often found themselves at odds with non-aficionados. Collection of various track : HO , O, G and standard gauge. [34], In January 1967, O'Keefe compered a new TV show called Where The Action Is. My parents had landed in New York on the eve of the depression; my father's hope was that I would never have to live through one myself. His drug and alcohol use escalated, he suffered a series of highly-publicised breakdowns, and he was involved in driving offences and a charge of possession of marijuana ca. The young O'Keefe was intelligent and perceptive, with a great sense of humour, although his school grades fluctuated due to his misbehaviour and the fact that he was easily distracted; Sydney radio personality Gary O'Callaghan,[8] who was a classmate, later recalled that O'Keefe was often in trouble. Synopsis: Woody (Tom Hanks) is stolen from his home by toy dealer Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight), leaving Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). He matriculated in 1951, gaining an 'A' in French and a 'B' in English, mathematics, physics and economics. The first turning point in O'Keefe's career was in early 1953, when he began singing with the quintet of jazz accordionist Gus Merzi at charity dances. A local band, the Dee Jays with vocalist Johnny O'Keefe, was chosen as the supporting . In his twenty-year ca read more. Johnny O'Keefe's life changed irrevocably after seeing and hearing Bill Haley singing "Rock Around the Clock" in the film Blackboard Jungle in June 1955. The enterprising O'Keefe was involved in every aspect of the group's career including hiring the halls, placing ads in the local newspapers and putting up posters. It became his 29th Australian hit, reaching #8 nationally in April 1974. The original lineup of the group was Kevin Naughton (guitar), Keith Williams (bass) and Johnny Purser (drums). O'Keefe was born in the eastern Sydney suburb of Bondi Junction on 19 January 1935. Meghan O'Keefe 1 hr ago. MC Paul Hogan introduced him as a "newcomer" and urged the crowd to "give him a go", and although he was at first greeted with some jeering and booing, by the end of his set he had completely won over the crowd.[35]. R | 96 min | Action, Drama, War. [citation needed] It was an era in which many major artists mimed songs at outdoor locations, such at Manly Beach's Fairy Bower in 1967. Anxious not to lose face, Taylor auditioned O'Keefe and signed him to the label.[22]. The pattern of dynamic performance leading to overwork, depression and breakdown was repeated for the next ten years. Now, his nephew and TV star Andrew has given a rare glimpse at what he was. The FBI raided the New York home of James O'Keefe, the head honcho of right-wing sting operation Project Veritas, on Saturday.O'Keefe confirmed the search of his apartment in Mamaroneck on the . Often referred to by his initials, "J.O.K." or by his nickname, "The Wild One". O'Keefe and the Dee Jays quickly attracted a strong local following. It was also recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis, Everlife, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Glamour Camp, Marshall Crenshaw, Brian Setzer, and Wakefield and Jet. There was little or no rock music scene in Australia, and certainly no Australian rock recordings, prior to 1957, when Bill Haley toured the country. The event cemented O'Keefe's status as Australia's top pop star came just after the NZ tour ended. He was 52.<br><br>He was born February 9, 1965 in Fort Knox, Kentucky son of Leokadia (Duvenage) Dunn of Brewster, NY and the late . O'Keefe was charged with breaching bail after he allegedly failed a drug test . The only surviving copy of this film had been lost since the 1970s, but miraculously surfaced almost 50 years later in 2020, in Melbourne, Australia. At their first meeting O'Keefe played Casch a selection of rock'n'roll records and asked him to imitate the guitar playing, which he was easily able to do. In 1986 the Seven Network produced the successful 'docu-drama' mini-series based on his life, Shout! He was born in Ambon in 1924, grew up in Aceh and Jakarta, began playing guitar at an early age, and became a dedicated jazz musician. That award was presented to him by the the talented Bryan O'Leary, a former pupil of Jimmy's, who was in turn a pupil of Bryan's grandad Johnny O'Leary. [21] Sydney disc jockey Tony Withers was credited with helping to get radio airplay for the song but writer credits on subsequent versions often omit Withers, who later worked in the United Kingdom on pirate stations Radio Atlanta and, as Tony Windsor, on Radio London. O'Keefe suffered multiple lacerations, a concussion and fractures to his head and face; he lost four teeth, and his hands were also badly lacerated. Son of prominent Sydney Judge Barry O'Keefe (b. Johnny O'Keefe first met Bill Haley during his tour in 1957 in Australia. By late 1963, however, a new music trend from the UK known as Merseybeat was gaining momentum. In December 1952 Dale and O'Keefe were called up for National Service. Cast List: Cosmo Jarvis, Rhys Mannion, Claes Bang, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Lalor Roddy (World Premiere) Linoleum. According to Lou Casch, on one occasion, while O'Keefe and the Dee Jays played at an upstairs dance venue in Newtown, an "Italian wedding" reception was also taking place downstairs. It had had some minor success but by 1959 Gordon was in financial trouble and he sold the label to Festival. Johnny O'Keefe-The Wild One's King-Size Hits Vinyl LP 1966 Leedon LL-30,656 MONO AU $69.95 AU $12.00 postage JOHHNY O'KEEFE---BE CAREFUL OF STONES THAT YOU THROW 45 AU $10.00 0 bids AU $3.50 postage 6d 18h Johnny O'Keefe ORIG OZ 45 Ready for you VG+ '60 Lee Gordon LS607 Dee Jays AU $14.90 AU $3.50 postage or Best Offer The King of Pop award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978. . Many of these Fan Clubs had arisen out of performances which Johnny gave at Police and Citizens Boys Clubs.A series of hit records and performances on Lee Gordon's "Big Shows" supporting overseas artists (who often were greeted with chants of "We want Johnny") led to Johnny being given his own national TV show, Six O'Clock Rock, in 1959. SPONSORED. It became his 29th Australian hit, reaching No. His performance supporting Bill Haley led to a contract with Festival Records.At his first recording session on a Saturday afternoon in July 1957, Johnny recorded Bill Haley's Billy Goat and I'm Still Alive. Johnny O'Keefe, Australia's first and most enduring rock star, died in St Vincent's Hospital last night. In 1959, Lee Gordon contracted O'Keefe to perform and be filmed in his film 'RocknRoll', a live filming of one Lee Gordon's 'Rock'n'Roll Spectacular' shows that travelled nationally during that year. In 2021, a clip from the film featuring O'Keefe performing 'Swanee River' was uploaded to youtube. Directed By: Ash Brannon, John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich. Andrew O'Keefe's photo. [citation needed] Given the severe head injuries he had sustained in the car crash, it is also possible that O'Keefe was suffering from undiagnosed neurological trauma which may have affected his personality and contributed to his later mental health and drug issues, and these problems were undoubtedly exacerbated by his heavy drug and alcohol use. Johnny O'Keefe became the first Australian pop star to chart. John Michael O'Keefe (19 January 1935 - 6 October 1978) was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the 1950s. [August 2003] His father, Barry O'Keefe, died in Sydney, Australia on 24 April 2014, aged 80. 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