Info coming
| When I started there were no stars, and this motivated me to change that. In the field of popular music there were only dance band singers, who appeared on radio variety programs, and of course I suppose you could call them stars. People such as Johnny 0 Connor, Darryl Stewart, Jimmy Parkinson, Kathy Lloyd, Edwin Duff and others. Not then, but certainly they are now I was getting paid Working a day job while I got more work in Show business Because of my Parents guidance in keeping to learn a trade, I missed out on early travel opportunities The night Johnny O’Keefe took me to his Dover Heights home to meet his family, when we were both trying to crack the Rock’n’Roll Industry A trail blazer Johnny O’Keefe, Ron Wills trom EMI, Johnny Charter who was my very loyal early pianist, Frank Donlevy from Chappels Music, Roy Farr from Essex Music, and of course Howard Craven and Radio personalities Allan Lapin and Allan Toohey. | ||
| con .. w… diu …. beautiful rendition of it, it wasn’t easy to put down and we took it to Festival, Ken Taylor, said “Oh Yeah, Yeah” right we’ll have a look at it, and it was released alright, but it wasn’t my version, it was Col Joye, Taylor got Col Joye to do it, and it was a terrible record, Try and buy a copy of it! I think it’s unobtainable, I think they made sure they killed ’em all. So that wrecked my chance at a good record. | ||
| The demand for my service. trom Booking agents and Promoters By their congratulations, I knew they were on side No No To give up my day job They day I heard my first recording played on Radio Trying to do too much Redfern, Alexandria, Newtown, Glebe, and Liverpool Yes, The House Rockers, Piano, Bass, Drums, Guitar and Sax Yes, Keith Walsh In Sydney Tonight, Johnny O’Keefe – Six O’Clock Rock, Brian Henderson’s Bandstand, and before that John Dodsons – Accent on Youth, which eventually became Bandstand, I mention these TV Shows because they were live. As far as public concerts were concerned. I did not appear on any others Shows, they appeared on mine, although I did relieve or dep for Johnny 0’Keefe, Col Joye etc when they were away and vice versa Bill McColl from the Town Hall concerts, Lee Gordon to the Sydney Stadium My own early dances, because it was there that Rock’n’Roll really began in Australia Having credibility and a little money Not really’ having a private life anymore June 1959 EMI Label it was Columbia, Producer-Ron Wills and Jo Luther, The title was ‘Crack’n Up’ and ‘Back in the USA’, one by Bo Diddley and the other a cover version by Chuck Berry In order of success in release – ‘Crack’n Up – Back in the USA released in 1959, ‘Very Young’ released Oct 1959 “Torment ‘ and ‘You Threw a Dart’ released in Feb 1960 As a contestant on Name that Tune, compered by Chuck Faulkner in 1958 that was after the advent of television here on Channel 9, and I went on and on week after week, picking up 10 pounds a tune. Appeared on every Sydney TV Station, 2,7,9 at the time, and Interstate, of course a lot of work in Brisbane on 9 in Brisbane, also 9 in Adelaide for Southern talent Working with some very fine musicians in those days, well known musicians that I looked to look up to, giants of the musical industry, there they were backing me, it was great. The demise of 6 O’Clock Rock, I think we all felt the pinch there, that seemed to be about the end of it I performed with just about every International Act there is to mention such as, The Platters, Zola Taylors Platters & Buck Rams Platters, Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker, Yvonne De Carlo, Frank Fontaine, Frank Sinatra Jnr, Freddy & The Dreamers, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Vic Damone, Matt Monroe, Jack Jones , Del Shannon to mention a few. Those performances were all in Sydney My impresion of International Artists were we should all watch them so could all learn something from them, I was very impressed with their stage presentation, some of them I would think that Australians may have a better stage presentation, but the overall charisma that most of the International Artists has was something to behold. I certainly did, and the Melbourne Festival Hall, Brisbane Festival Hall, back in the heyday of the Lee Gordon Shows. | ||
| It’s hard to remember particular dates, but we did appear on shows with various artists and they came out here thru the country like sausages, I just can’t remember dates or who they all were. The original concert we did at the Sydney Town Hall, we didn’t draw that many people, but it was a trendsetting performance, there were only 3 Rock’n’Roll bands in Sydney then, Johnny O’Keefe, myself and Col Joye. Even at the last minute, this was Dec 1959, before we went on stage, Col Joye’s Bass player was putting strings on a homemade Electric Bass. That was all raw energy on stage that night, you could never ever recapture it. It was a trendsetting night, it was the first time 3 Bands had got together on one stage, and we performed to a huge crowd for a Xmas Concert. It was a fun era, a great fun era, we never took anything too seriously they were pretty good times, plenty of money, everyone was affluent and Rock’n’Roll was just a good time. Good days they really were, that’s how I’d like them to be remembered. 1958 to the very early 60’s, this trend changed as all music trends change as nothing continues forever in the vein that it is originally produced and it happened to all RnR artists were shuffled into the background a little bit because of media changes, TV was becoming more popular. Of course that influenced so many people in those days, more people were sitting home watching television, these shows got bigger and better, then the other social problem, it wasn’t a problem, it was a great moneymaking thing for a lot of people, and that was 10 o’clock closing in hotels in NSW. Of course that changed everything and the dances we used to attend and sing at were swallowed up by hotels putting on bigger entertainment in their lounges My Nickname was “Bodg”, because I came out of the Bodgie era, and used to dress in all the bodgie gear, so that name stuck with me for quite a while. Some finance, personal growth was a plus, and as I said earlier, Happy times. Wouldn’t have missed it for quids ! | ||
| I’ve only been an Australia act Boy, I’ve toured all round Australia but never performed out of Australia Not applicable South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, and NSW Mainly performed with my own Band in those early years I did enjoy touring, most memorable tour was with Jimmy Little, we toured with Jimmy’s Band and toured for almost 6 months, worked allover the place every whistle stop, every Club every Hall, and with Jimmy it was a most memorable tour One of the incidents that came out of that tour, relating to Jimmy and the Boys, he had an aboriginal band, and as good as musicians as they were they were spooked by a bridge down the bottom of NSW over the river and we were crossing it one night after a job a..d they claimed they saw a ghost jump off the bridge, I couldn’t believe this,we went back to the hotel and they sat up all night and wouldn’t go to bed because they thought the ghost was loose and would get them, when we got back to Sydney I checked it out, and it was a fact that on that particular night and round about that time, the architect who actually built the bridge, because it subsided he was so distraught with what happened to his bridge, he did jump off the bridge and committed suicide. So what the boy saw was actually a re-run of the actual suicide many many years before, I’ve never forgotten that. I didn’t tour with a lot of artists, the things I did, I did alone with my own group. I just didn’t tour with any names. The shows I prefer, I guess, would be dances because you get to feel the vibe coming back from your audiences. Yes, I love the Dances The biggest show I ever performed on during the time would have been at the Sydney Stadium, and it wasn’t a Lee Gordon Show, it was some kind of a Country Show from what I can remember, and Roy Acuff of music fame was on the Show, and that was a thrill a minute, I met a lot of exciting people and it opened my eyes to a different type of music, yes. that was a great show No, no regrets from the time, treatment of fans, no problems there at all. Promotions, other Artist, well everything was pretty raw, and everybody was learning their skills in those days. The press were pretty good, Radio Stations, well they were excellent, better than they are today, I mean it’s a big ZILCH at the minute, but back then at least you got your Records played. The first article written about, was to do with Rockaround The Clock, out of the movie Blackboard Jungle. That’s gotta be the first to grab the headlines, Yes I have clippings and I also have ads and photographs Artists I liked most, in Australia, O’Keefe, I thought Johnny Rebb’s work was excellent, he was slightly into country, his work was fresh different, and I thought Barry Stanton had a great future in front of him, he had some very genuine, great raw songs that he did. My biggest achievement I guess was making records, everyone would give their right arm to make a record in those day, and I made quite a few. My biggest disappointment concerned a record, I’d made a test pressing of Little Star, recorded by the Elegance in America and bought back by a friend of mine, and I loved it and thought it would be a really big hit, so I really worked hard with a lot of muso friends and my own band. | ||
| Married to Bernadette/1957 Four daughters-Michelle, Marie, Kathleen and Alana DEC’59 MAR62 OCt ’64 SEP’67 Yes, Rhuematic Fever when I was 13, that took 2 yrs out of my schooling, I went back to school, I think I only did a few years, there wasn’t any interest in it, I’d lost the track of it, and those couple of years well out of it, I was in hospital for 6 months, and in a convalescent home for 12 months at least. I didn’t have much schooling at all actually, tho’ I did go to Sydney Boys High, I didn’t do much there As well as involvement in Showbusiness, I am also Manager of my own business, as well I do Shopping Promotions and also I book a few Clubs, and at Wentworthville Leagues I am the Entertainment and Promotions and Marketing Manager, and all the other hats I wear. Well, it had an air of electricty and excitement way back in those early days.. because you were doing your own thing, nowadays, everybody seems to have their own Managers, and its become and electronic thing, the personal touch has gone right out of it, right out the window all together, and the business has fragmented to what it used to be, I don’t think todays in comparison is anywhere near as good as what it was back then. My youngest, girl Alana, she’s involved, she plays guitar, and I do agree, I certainly do, Kathy also plays piano, that’s good to have, musical people in the family Yes, today’s audiences are as receptive, we’re looking at an older, audience now, the younger one.. that we used to know, the 15 and 16 year olds don’t seem to be around much anymore, we’ve got a more mature audience these days, but they are still receptive. No there are not enough opportunities tor new talent today, in the days gone by there were radio talent quests, there were talent quests available through the early late closing, the 10 o’clock closing in the Hotels, there were plenty of opportunities tor people to be aired, these days I really don’t know how you go about it, it’s a mystery to me. Well, I’d tell them to think very seriously about it before they went into it, put money into’ it, have a good, look at other acts, learn as much as I could from them, really have a good hard look in the mirror and think if its all worthwhile, because it would be hard going today. Yes the Industry is harder today, there’s not much left of our Industry as far as variety is concerned, and that’s what I’m concerned with, it’s tough getting audiences to sit down and actually watch variety, there are various channels one can go in now, we look at the electronic media, there is so much there, we look at videos, and there’s so much what they call contemporary rock, now, that swallows up a big large slice of the audience Yes the Industry is hard. Yes there are a few people I’d like included in this questlonaire, and I did mention earlier Frank Donlevy from Chappels Music, I don’t think I would have got started without people like that and Roy Farr and all the various people from the music houses who in those days were very liberal with sheet music, and letting you listen to latest records from America whatever they shared with you a very personal thing, none do that today. | ||
| I think the Showbiz Industry has ended to a certain degree, we have a Mo Award set up as a barometer for people in this country and the apathy with that is unbelievable, 83 people turned up at Rooty Hill last Wednesday night for the Mo Awards Concert, there’s a lot of apathy in the business and the showbiz Industry has ground to a halt with random breath testing videos, they are two of the things that have brought about its downfall, it can only get better. Yes I enjoy performing today, and yes I have retired, I retired many years ago, but the phone keeps ringing its unbelievable, all the doors keep opening, I talked to my wife some two years ago and said that’s it, I’m right out of it altogether, and the next day I was offered something I just couldn’t resist, so back into it again, it’s something, you can’t retire from. Well, yes, I played a part in Showbiz, I produce a lot of shows that are done in this Club I’m working in at the moment in particular, and do a lot of consultancies, so yes I’m actively involved in Showbiz still. No the ambitions are gone, I think I’ve been there done that and let somebody else have the stage and the microphone now. | ||
| 1 n….v….r ~ ….t e:tr_gs, I never worried about drugs, alcohol’s never been a problem although I’ve always been a drinker, and I like a beer, but I’ve never drank spirits, so mainly I drink beer tor thirst, talk too much, sing too much, so I do drink a lot of beer. I’m not sorry I entered Showbiz, maybe in some respects my wife and family would be sorry, I left them on the shelf many time.” but no, myself I’m not sorry. The only thing that I regret and most Entertainers would regret that there is no Superannuation, and no holidays but I think you know that when you go into it The transition wasn’t hard at all, because I was doing work in Clubs, Pubs, before the Rock’n’Roll era came along, so I graduated from working in, there were no Clubs really in those days but the Pub scene into the Rock’n’Roll era, and then back into the Pub scene again so that’s a case of nothing new to me there. No I don’t think the Club agents, Club Management appreciate the roleany of us played in the formation of the industry, (a They don’t want to understand b)They don’t understand and c)They are too dumb to understand. Well, I think the audience that appreciate that role now would be the 46 to 55 age group, they’re the people that will come along to your concert, spend the money, and they are still involved, with it, because they grew up with it. No I don’t think today’s successful artists really appreciate the role at all, And I don’t think the young of today appreciate the role, it;s very hard to explain it to them. No, peers do not get the media attention they should, they do in other countries, that is one of the failing, of this country that we do not recognise our peers, those early people, there are a few names people talk about like Melba, and Peter Dawson, there’s not enough attention givento our peers, we should hold them high on a pedestal The era that probably gets the most media respect in Australia would be I suppose, 59 to 64. Although not of late, but it is the era that was a turning point in the countries music tastes, a turning point in the Entertainment tastes during that period 59 to 64 we saw so many changes, with newspapers, with television radio, everything had a new boom swept through it, I think that’s the important change point and I think that the era that will be most remembered by the media, and there is so much they can write about it, if they’d only pull their finger out, and that probably answers 10. 10 see above I’m not happy with my original record company is doing with my old popular records, they didn’t want to do anything for them, so much so I’ve taken them off them, I’ve got them now, they’re my property, and I’ve done things with them that they could have done with them and made money out of them and how many of us that recorded, in that era had things put down and they’ve just been thrown away out. Put aside or not bothered to be even touched I think it was a shame, a shocking shame that those things have been let to slide by. Companies | ||
| Well, I think I’ve explained it by saying the Record Companies didn’t do anything, I would, have loved them to put out a compilation Album or something of the Artists recorded on that particular label, but they didn’t do it, the only way to do it is to grab it yourself and go and get it done through another Record company which I did, asked them to do it but they don’t want to know, they say who? , Alan who ?, no their a whole bunch of new people in there and they don’t know what happened, they’ve got no idea Yes I think my role in that era has been portrayed correctly, my name has bounced up in quite a few books, including the Johnny O’Keefe Story, Yes, so far it’s been portrayed correctly because they haven’t written too much about me I’ve just been sighted, so that’s exactly OK, but its when they start to add to it, especially people who weren’t there and start to write there own interpretation of what it was all about that’s when they bend the facts,so,so far, because I haven’t had a lot written about me or if I have it hasn’t been expanded the facts have been there Well, I think I’ve explained that, the main objection… to Historians they’re latter day Historians, they weren’t there when the powder keg went off. Yes, Historians have contacted me about books, John Bryden-Brown in respect to the J O’K Story, I played good part in that, Glenn A. Baker has many times rung me and asked questions about things I’ve been mentioned in a lot of his correspondence, and also Bob Rogers, Ken Taylor wrote a book we’ve all been mentioned in those books, other trade magazines and feature articles that have been written. So that’s about it folks, I hope that the information that’s contained on the previous 30 minutes is advantageous and can be of some use. Thank you. | ||
| WHICH CATEGORY: MAIN ARTIST. Page 1 SHEET LETTER : A Alan Dale Robert Alan Ramsay 09/06/1933 Gemini 7 Hincks St, Kingsford Kathleen Wills Robert Scott Ramsay 1938 Daceyville Public till 6th class then on to Sydney Boys High 1948, Apprentice Compositor in the Printing trade Nil . School Choir and stage musicals Radio announcing and Art course Nil below middle class When 100’clock closing,was introduced I fronted a band at the Pagewood Rex Hotel, and at that time a signwriter wanted to put my name on a sign at the front of the Hotel, because of a space limitation he said I should have a lot less letters in my name, at that time my cousin who was with me, Jack Dale, so we decided I should use his name, just for the day, I stayed in the job for 4 years, and so the name stuck. I can’t remember anything that really delighted me created: 11/7/86 modified: 11/20/86 reminder: 11/20/8 ‘, Roots of OZ Rock AN3WERS from: Alan Dale Code: All Answers and Queations (c)1986 Starlite Records, NSW Australia Q. WHICH CATEGORY: MAIN ARTIST Page 2 SHEET LETTER : B M:· Mother taught piano, some of her students were Darryl Stewart, and and John Charte , because of her interest, I was interested in music at an early age, I was singing at dances, charities as soon as I quit school Help Printer Nil To be a Dance band vocalict Recording Artists such as Frank Sinatra, one must remember this was pre-Rcck’n’Roll days Ye.:., Frank Sinatra Maroubra Junction Returnee Servicemans’ Dance Hall 2 Guinees Winner of the 2UW Amateur Hour Howard Craven, who was 0 2UE on Rumpus Room, I was still at school, that was in the 40’s persevere with a musical instrument No There were far more opportunities to break into show bizz than today, A lot less people too, it was also tough going, sound systems rnrnnl~t~lv in~ rlpn llate . and musical backing wa.::. pretty rough at many ———————————— Q. WHICH CATEGORY: MAIN }\RTIST Page 3 SHEET LETTER : C no Whe.. I started there were no stars, a..d this motivated me to change that In the field of popular music there were only dance band singers, who appeared on radio variety programs, and of co…rse I suppose you could call them stars those people on radio Johnny 0 Connor, Darryl Stewart, Jimmy Parkinson, Kathy lloyd, Edwin Duff, Not then, but certainly they are now I was getting paid Working a day job while I got more ork in Showbusiness Because of my Parents guidance in keeping to learn a trade, I missed out on early travel opportunities The night Johnny O’Keefe took me to his Dover Heights home to meet his family, when we were both trying to crack the Rock’nRoll Industry A trail blazer Johnny O’Keefe, Ron Wills trom EMI, Johnny Charter who was my very loyal early pianoist, Frank Donlevy from Chappels Music, Roy Farr from Essex MU..>ic, and of course Howard Craven and Radio personalities Allan Lapin and Allan Toohey —————————— Q. WHICH CATEGORY: MAIN ARTIS. Page 6 SHEET LETTER : E t: to”,. _______—~W’a rs» C) I’ve .nly been an Aust.alia . Boy, I’ve toured allround Australia but never performed out of Au,tralia Not applicable So…th Australia, Queensland, Victoria, and NSW Mainly performed with my own Band in those early years I did enjoy touring, most memorable tour was with Jimmy Little, we toured with Jimmy’s Band and toured for almost 6 months, worked allover the place every whistle stop, every Club every Hall, and with Jimmy it was a most memorable tour One of the incidents that came out of that tour, relating to Jimmy and the Boys, he had an aboriginal band, and as good as musicians as they were they were spooked by a bridge down the bottom of NSW over the river an… we were crossing it one night after a job a..d they claimed they saw a ghost jump off the bridge, I couldn’t believe this,m we went back to the hotel and they sat up all night a..d wouldn’t go to bed because they throught the ghost was loose and would get them, whe.. we got back to Sydney I checked it out, and it was a fact that on that particular night and round a bout that time, the Architect who actually built t.e bridge, because it subsided he was so distraught with what happe.ed to his bridge, he did jump off the bridge and committed suicide. So what the boy… saw was actually a re-run of the actual suicide many many years before, I’ve never forgotten that. I didn’t tour wi..h a lot of Artists., the things I did, I did alone wi ..h my own group. I just didn’t tour with any names The shows I prefe., I guess, would be dances because you get to feel the vibe; com ing back from your audiences. Yes, I love the Dances The biggest show I ever performed on during the time would have been at the Sydney Stadium, and i.. wasn’t a Lee Gordon Show, it was some kind of a Country Show from what I can remember, and Roy Acuff of music fame was on the Show, and that was a thrill a minute, I met a lot of exciting people and it opened my eyes to a different type of music, yes. that was a great show No, no regrets from the time, treatment of fans, no problems there at all. Promotions, other Artist, well everything was pretty raw, and everybody was learning their skills in those days. The press we.e pretty good, Radio Stations, well they were excellent, better tha., they are today, I mean it’s a big ZILCH at the minute, but back then at least you got your Records played. The fi.st article written about, was to do with Rockaround The Clock, out of the movie Blackboard Jungle. That’s gotta be the first to grab the he…dlines, Yes I have clippings and I also have ads and photosgraphs Artists I liked most, in Australia, O’Keefe, I thought Johnny Rebbs wo.k was excellent, he was slightly into country, his work wa… tresh,different, and I thought Barry Stanton had a great future in front of him, he had some very genui..e, great raw songs that he did. My biggest achievement I gues… was making records, everyone would give their right arm to make a record in those day”, and I made quite a few My biggest dissapointment conce.ned a records, I’d made a test pressing of Little Star, recorded by the Elegance in America and bought back by a friend of mine, and I loved it and thought it would be a really big hit, so I really worked har… with a lot of muso friends and my own ban… and 11/20/86 Roots of OZ Rock ANSWERS from: Alan Dale Code: All Answ…rs and Questions (c)1986 Starlite Records, NSW Australia Q. WHICH CATEGORY: MAIN ARTIS. Page 8 SHEET LETTER : F rr:;T) ———————————-~ M…rrreu to Ber..adette/1957 Four daughters-Michelle, Marie, Kathleen and Alana DEC’59 MAR62 OCt ’64 SEP’67 Yes, Rhuematic Fever when I was 13, that took 2 yrs out of my schooling, i went back to school, I think I only did a few years, there wasn’t any inter…st in it, I’d lost the track of it, and those couple of years well out of it, I was in hospital for 6 months, and in a convalescent home for 12 months at least. I didn’t have much schooli..g at all actually, tho I d.d go to Sydney Boys High, I didn’t do much there As well as involvement in Showbu…iness, I am also Manager of my own Bu..iness, as well I do Shoppi.ig Promotions and also I book a few Clubs, and at Wentwo.thville Leagues I am the Entertainment and Promotions and Marketing Manager, and all the ot..er hats I wear. Well, it had au air of electric.ty and exciteme..t way back in th… early day.. because you were doing your own thing, nowaaays, everybody seems to have their own Managers, and its become and electronic thing, the personal touch has gone right out of it, right out the wLdow all together, and the busLess has tragmented to what it used to be, I don’t think todays in comparison is anywhere near as good as what it was back then. My younges, girl Alana, she’s involved, she plays guitar, and I do agree, I certainly do, Kathy also plays piano, that’s good to have, musical people in the tamily Yes, todays audiences are as receptive, wer’e looking at an olde, audience now, the younger one.. that we used to know, the 15 and 16 year olds don’t seem to be around much anymore, we’ve got a mor… mature audience these days, but they are still receptive. No there are not enought opportunities tor new talent today, in the days gone by there were radio talent quests, there were talent quests available through the early late closing, the 10 o’clock closing in the Hotels, there were plebnty of opportunities tor people to be aired, these days I really don’t know how you go about it, it’s a mystery to me. Well, I’d tell t..em to think very seriously about it before they went into . it, put money into’ it, have a goo., look at other acts, learn as much as I could trom them, really have a good hard look ill the mirror and think if its all worthwhile, because it would be hard going today. Yes the Industry is harder today, there’s not much left of our Industry as far as variety is concerned, and that’s what I’m concerned with, it’s tough getting audiences to sit down and actually watch variety, there are various channels one can go in now, we look at the electronic mecia, there is so much there, we look at videos, and th…re’s so much what they call contemporary roc., now, that swallows up a big large slice of the audience Yes the Industry L hard. Yes there are a tew people I’d like included in thi.. questlonai.:e, and I did mention earlier Frank Donlevy from Chappels Music, I don’t think I would have got started without people like that. and Roy Farr and all the various people from the music houses. who in those day.. were very liberal with sheet music, and letting you listen to latest records from America whatever they shared with you a very personal thing, Tr, and do that today. 11/20/86 Roots of OZ Ro…k A “SWERS from: Ala. Dale Code: All Answers and Questions (c)1986 Starlite Records, NSW Australia Q. WHICH CATEGORY: MAIN ARTIST Page 9 SHEET LETTER : F cont 12…. t Lk t..e Showbiz Industry has ende… to a certai.. degree, we have a Mo Award set up as a ba.ometer for .people in this Country and the apathy with that is unbelievable, 83 people tur..ed up at Rooty Hill l…st Wednesday night for the Mo Awards Concert, there’s a lot of apathy in the business and the showbiz Industry has g.ound to a halt with random breath testing videos, they are two of the thi..t;s that have b.ought about its downfall, it ca.. only get better. Yes I enjoy performing today, and yes I have retired, I retired many years ago, but the phone keeps ringi..g its unbelievable, all the doors keep opening, I walked ill to my wife some two years ago and said that’s it, I’m right out of it altogether, and the next day I was offered something I just couldn’t resist, so back into it agai.., it’s sornethi.L, you can’t retir… trom, Well, yes, I playa pa, t in Showbiz, I produce a lot of shows that are done in this Club I’m working i.. at the moment in particular, and do a lot of conmsultancies, so Yes I’m actively involved in Showbiz No the ambitions are gon…, I think I’ve been there done that and let somebody else have the stage a.d the microphone now. created: 11/9/86 modified: reminder: 11/20/86 Roots of OZ Rock ANS .. ERS from: Alan Dale Code: All Answers and Questio..s (c)1986 Starlite Records, NSW Australia Q. WHICH CATEGORY: MAIN ARTIST P~ 10 SHEET LETTER : G ____(~~T) I, 1 n….v….r ~….t e:tr_gs, I never worried about drugs, alcahol’s never been a problem although I’ve always been a drinker, and I like a beer, but I’ve never drank spirits, so mainly I drink beer tor thirst, talk too much, sing too much, so I do drinka lot of beer. I’m not sorry I entered Showbiz, maybe i.. some respects my Wife and tamily would be so. ry, I left them on the shelf many time.” but no, myself I’m not sorry. The only thi..g that I regret and most Entertai..ers would regret that the. e is no Spuera..nuation, and no holidays but I thi..k you know that when you go into it The transition wasn’t hard at all, becau..e I was doi..g work in Clubs, Pubs, before the Rock’n’Roll era came along, so I graduated trom working i.., there were no Clubs really i.. those days but the Pub scene. into the Rock’n’Roll era, and then back into the Pub scene again so thats a case of nothing new to me there. No I don’t think the Club agents, Club Management appreciate the role any ot us played in the torrnation of the Industrry, a)They don’t want to understa.id b)They don’t underssta..d and c) They are too dumb to understa..d. Well, I think the audience that appreciate that role now would be the 46 to 55 age group, they’re the perople that will come along to your concert…., spend the money, and they’.estill involve., with it, because they grew up with it. No I don’t think todays successful artists really app, eciate the role at all, And I don’t think the young of today appreciate the role, it;s very hard to explain it to them. No, peers do not get the media attention they should, they do i. other Countries, that is one of the tailing, of this Country that we do not recognise our peers, tho..e early people, there a. e a tew names people talk about like Melba, and Pete. Dawson, there’s not enough attention given to our peers, we should hold them high on a pedestal The era that probably gets the most media respect in Australia would be I suppo..e, 59 to 64. Although not oflate, but it is the a. ea that was a tur..ing point in the countries music tastes, a turning point in the Entertainment ta….tes during that perios 59 to 64 we saw so many changes, with new….pape., with television radio, everything had a new b.oom swept . through it, I think that.. the important changi”6 point and I think thats the era that will be most remembered by the media, and there is so much they ca.. write aboc.t it, if they’d only pull thei, tinger out, and that probably answers 10. 10 see above I’m not happy with my original record compa..y is doing with myoid popular records, they didn’t want to do anythi..g tor them, so much so I’ve take.. them off them, I’ve got them now, they’re my property, a..d I’ve done thi..gs with them that they could have done with them and made money out of them a..d how many of us that recorde., in that era had things put dow.. and they’ve just been thrown away o. put aside or not bothered to be even touched I think it was a shame, a shocking shame that those things have been let to slide by. Compa..ies 1~/20.8v Roots of 02 Rock ANSWERS from: Alan Dale Code: All Answers and Questio.is (c)1986 Starlite Records, NSW Australia Q. WHICH CATEGORY: MAIN ARTIST Page 11 SHEET LETTER G cont W_11, I thi..k I’ve explained it by saying the Record Companies didn’t do anything, I woul., have loved them to put out a compilation Album or something of the Artists recorded on that perticular label, but they didn’t do it, the only way to do it is to grab it yourself and go and get it done th.ough a..other Record compa..y which I did, asked them to do it but they don’t wanto to know, they say who, Alan who, no their a whole bunch of new people i.. there and they don’t know what happened, they’ve got no idea Yes I thi..k my role in that era has been portrayed correctly, my name ha… bounced up in quite a tew books, including the Joh..ny O’Keefe Story, yes, so tar it’s been porttrayed correctly because they haven’t written too much about me I’ve just been sighted, so thats exactly OK, but its when they start to add to it, especially people who weren’t there and start to write there own interpretation of what it was all about. thats when they bend the tacts , so, so tar, because I haven’t had a lot written about me or if I have it ha…n’t been expanded the facts have been there Well, I think I’ve explained that, the main objection… to Historians they’re latter day Historians, they we.en’t there when the powder keg went off Yes, Historia..s have contacted me about books, Joh.. Bryden-Brown respect to the J O’K Story, I playa good part in that, Glenn A. Baker has many times rung me and asked qu…stions about things I’ve been mentioned in a lot of his corr…spondence, and aLo Boib Rogers, Ken Taylor wrote a book we’ve all been mentioned in those books, other trade magazines and teature a. ticles that have been written. So that’s about it folks, I hope that the i..formation thats contained on the previous 30 minutes is advantageous and ca.. be ot some use Tha..kyou. created: 11/9/86 modified: reminder: |