the Shower Of Stars Australian tour 1959

-the Age January 31st 1959 Promoted by Headliners Chuck berry Bobby Darin George Hamilton IV jo Ann Campbell Johnny O'Keefe and the Dee Jays Dates- Melbourne Festival Hall January 31st, February 2nd and February 3rd 1959 Sydney Stadium February 5th,6th and 7th 1959 This was the first tour for American Chuck Berry who had been on the scene since 1955 with hits like maybellene, school Days, Johnny be Goode, Sweet Little Sixteen, Rock N Roll Music and many others, Bobby Darin who had been on the scene with Splish Splash and Queen Of the Hop at that time, George Hamilton IV had hits with I Know Where I'm Going and Why Don't They Understand, Jo Ann campbell had the hit single You're Driving Me Mad and Johnny O'Keefe and the Dee Jays had hits the Wild One(Real Wild Child), Over the Mountain & So Tough throughout 1958. this tour was promoted by Headliners which was led by Bill Watson along with Dick Conklin and Bud Ackerman as they had launched it in 1958 and had 2 tours first Billy Eckstein in October 1958 and Johnny Mathis/The Diamonds in November 1958 and also it was that time Lee Gordon had disappeared after the 1958 Buddy Holly tour but it was revealed that Lee Gordon was in an sanatorium where he was there for a few months but would eventually promote his shows again by march 1959. On this tour the Dee Jays backed up all the artist and it was an resounding success.

Johnny Cash Australian Tour 1959

Promoter- Lee Gordon(the Big SHow) Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two(Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant) Gene Vincent The Playmates Bobby Day Robin Luke Frankie Sardo Col joye and The Joy Boys dates- Melbourne Festival Hall April 15th 1959 Hobart City Hall April 16th 1959 Sydney Stadium April 17th and 18th 1959 Brisbane Milton Tennis Court April 20th 1959 Newcastle Stadium April 21st 1959 The April 1959 Australian tour was the first for Johnny CAsh who had been on the scene since 1955 when he began recording for Sun Records with hits like Cry Cry Cry, I Walk The Line, Ballad Of A Teenage Queen, Hey Porter, Folsom Prison Blues, Home Of the Blues etc and signed up to the Columbia label in 1958 which his first hit for the label was All over Again, Don't Take Your Guns To Town, What Do I Care etc. This was Gene Vincent's second Australian tour as he had been in Australia for the famous 1957 with Little Richard and Eddie Cochran and had broken up with the Blue Caps in November 1958 and had his final top 40 hit in the USA late 1957 with Dance to the Bop which he still record but would have not any more hits. Bobby Day (aka Byrd) had been around the music since the 40's as he sang with the Hollywood Flames, was an member of the singing duo Bob and Earl and he formed his own group the Satellites in 1957 which the only big solo hit that he had was Rockin Robin that was number 2 in the USA in 1958 and it's an rock classic to this day which has been recorded by many artists including the Henchmen(Australian group), Michael Jackson, the Hollies and many others. the Playmates with Chic Hetti, Donny Conn and Morey Carr had been perfroming together since early the early 50's in Westbury, Connecticut and in 1958 signed up with Roulette label which their big hit was Beep Beep that went to number 4 in the USA which sold over an million copies as well as having other top 40 hits Jo Anne and Don't Go Home. Robin Luke had been on the scene since 1958 with the top 5 hit Suzie Darlin that was released on the International label that eventually was on the Dot label. Frankie Sardo had an single out on the ABC Paramount label called Fake Out and had been on the famous Winter Dance Party which led to the tragic plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper @ Clear Lake Iowa on February 3rd 1959. This tour was the first for Col Joye and the Joy Boys who had started out as the KJ Quintet which included his brother Kevin Jacobsen playing around Sydney @ local dances and became Col joye and the Joy Boys which it added Keith Jacobsen(Col and Kevin's brother) at the suggestion of an clairvoyant and eventually playing at the Jazzarama concert as well as playing the Capitol Theatre in sydney and began recording for festival in 1958 which they released an EP and their first single "Stagger Lee"(the Lloyd Price song) but failed to sell. It was after this tour that they released the 2nd single Bye Bye Baby in May that would become their first big hit number 1 in Sydney, no 3 in Melbourne and no 2 in Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth and the rest is australian music history. 10,000 people attended the brisbane show.

Little Richard/Gene Vincent/Eddie Cochran 1957 Australian Tour

Promoted by the Big Show Lee Gordon Little Richard Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps Eddie Cochran Alis Lesley Johnny O'keefe and the Dee Jays Dates- Wollongong Crown Theatre October 1st 1957 Newcastle Stadium October 2nd 1957 Brisbane Stadium October 3rd 1957 Sydney Stadium October 4th and 5th 1957 Broken Hill Masonic Hall October 6th Adelaide Wayville Stadium October 7th Melbourne Stadium October 8th,9th and 10th Sydney Stadium October 11th and 12th This tour in October 1957 was the second rock n roll tour of Australia and it was to become in the period an dramatic time in the history of space with the launch of Sputnik the first satellite as well as to be an dramatic in the history of rock n roll. Little Richard(Richard Penniman) who had been on the scene since 1955 with hits like Tutti Frutti, Lucille, Long Tall Sally, Jenny Jenny, slippin and Slidin etc, Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps who had been on the scene since 1956 with hits like Be Bop A Lula, Lotta Lovin, Race With the devil,Blue Jean Bop and others and an incredible band the Blue Caps which featured Drummer Dickie Harrell, guitarist Cliff Gallup who left in 1956 which was taken by Russell Williford before eventually taken by Johnny Meeks, Tommy Facenda,Bobby jones and Paul peek, Eddie Cochran who had been on the scene in that year with sittin in the Balcony and Drive In Show and all those 3 performers had been in the 1956 movie The Girl Can't Help It which Little Richard sang the title track. Alis lesley was called the female Elvis and an single on the Era label with He Will Come BAck To Me/Heartbreak HArry. this tour would also feature an Australian act that was to be Johnny O'keefe and the Dee Jays and O'keefe had singing around Sydney since the early 50's doing Johnny Ray impersonation and was performing with the Gus merzi quartet and had gotten into rock n roll when he went to see the movie the Blackboard Jungle @ St James' Theatre in June 1955 which he realised that the kind of music he wanted to perform. He formed the Dee Jays in late 1956 and had played around the dances in sydney.O'keefe began recording for Festival Records in 1957 and had singles You Hit the Wrong Note Billy Goat (which did'nt get airplay in Sydney but did airplay in Melbourne due to Stan Rofe) and Am I blue. Johnny O'Keefe and the Dee Jays were not originally selected to be on the tour but when Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps were offloaded in Honolulu on the way to Australia both Lee Gordon and Alan Heffernan who were aware that Johnny and the Dee Jays had an strong following in Sydney went to Valentine's restaurant which was below O'keefe's father's furniture store where Johnny and the Dee Jays were rehearsing and asked him about getting the group to play Gene Vincent's music as well as backing up Alis Lesley and Eddie Cochran which O'Keefe would only agree if he could perform 3 songs in his own segment so they did. The tour began in Wollongong on October 1st which O'keefe got booed but he won the crowd over and the same thing happend in Sydney but after that never got booed again and the rest of the tour was very successful packing out the venues which in Adelaide there was an problem was when the police appoarched Alan heffernan that if the crowd become too wild the police would close the show down and in Melbourne an near riot occured in the ringside seats when Little Richard threw the clothes he had shedded into the crowd which it took the attendants some time to break the group trying to gain possession of it and the police told him not to do the striptease in the second session. it was in Melbourne where Little Richard saw the appearence of the russian sputnik on it's orbit around the earth which got him into an panic and that was when he thought the world was going to an end as well he decided to become an minster when he got back to the USA which in the second show in his robes reading the bible for 20 minutesand it was in Newcastle where he threw his rings,bracelets and necklaces into the water when the tour was crossing the Hunter River which the tour finished in Sydney on the 12th. Little Richard did go to the ministry as well as recording gospel music but came back in secular music in the early 60's and still performing to this day. Eddie Cochran went on to have successful hits like Come On Everybody, Summertime BLues, Somethin ELse etc until his tragic death in an car crash in England on April 17th 1960, Gene vincent went to record and perform even though he would one more top 40 hit in the USA with Dance To the Bop as well as survivng the car crash that killed Eddie Cochran in 1960 and he passed away on October 12th 1971 from an ulcer. Johnny O'keefe would go on to have great successs with hits like the Wild One, Shout, She's My baby, Come on and take my hand, Right Now, Sing, Move Baby Move, Mockingbird and many others as well as hosting Six O'Clock Rock, The Johnny O'Keefe Show, Sing Sing Sing and Where the Action Is and really opened the doors for Australian rock & he passed away on October 6th 1978 and also his old band the Dee Jays are still around with drummer Catfish Purser as they play around the Gold COast area.

Ray Charles Australian Tour 1964

-this is from the Telegraph September 1st 1964 Dates- Melbourne Festival Hall September 1st 1964 Brisbane Festival Hall September 3rd 1964 Sydney Stadium September 4th and 5th 1964

the Kingston Trio 1961 Australian tour

-this is from February 14th 1961 of the Telegraph Brisbane Brisbane Festival Hall February 16th 1961 Sydney Stadium February 17th and 18th Melbourne Festival Hall February 20th and 21st support acts- Howard Morrison Quartet John Daley Wilma Reading and the Bryce Rhode Quartet

The Everly Brothers/Sal Mineo/Tab Hunter 1959 Australian tour

The Big Show The Everly Brothers(Don and Phil) Sal Mineo Tab Hunter Col Joye and the Joy Boys Johnny Rebb and the Rebels The Delltones Johnny O'Keefe and the Dee Jays Johnny Devlin Princess Rora Promoter-Lee Gordon Melbourne Festival Hall May 28th Sydney Stadium Sydney May 29th and 30th Brisbane Festival Hall June 1st and 2nd This tour was the first for the Everly brothers who had successful hit records at the time like Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Suzie, All I have to is Dream, Bird Dog, Problems and others. Tab Hunter who had an big hit in 1957 with Young Love and had been in successful movies like Damn Yankees, The Sea Chase, the Girl He Left behind, Gunmmn's Walk etc. Sal Mineo had been in successful movies like Rebel Without A Cause, Somebody Up there Likes Me, Giant, Tonka etc and had 2 top 40 hits including Start Movin in 1957 and on this tour played drums. This was the first tour for the Delltones an Sydney group who was formed in 1958 which they had been performing around Sydney and had auditioned for Sydney Radio DJ Bob Rogers @ 2GB studios and phoned alan heffernan who worked with lee Gordon for the group to show their stuff and went to his office to perform their act which they were booked on the tour. This was the second tour for Col joye and the Joy Boys and was in the charts at this time with Bye Bye baby. This was the 4th Big Show tour for Johnny O'Keefe and the Dee Jays and had done an tour of New Zealand that was promoted by Harry M Miler. This was Johnny Devlin's first Australian tour as he was born in New Zealand and had been successful as he recorded on the Prestige label owned by Phil Warren as well as being the King of NZ rock and an NZ tour with his band the Devils caused great excitement among teenagers. Lee gordon invited Devlin to be on the tour as Devlin aimed to be successful in Australia and he became successful in Australia after this tour which he is still based here to this day. This was Johnny Rebb and the Rebel's second tour and princess rora's first tour as Lee Gordon had an soft spot for her as she had an support act in New Zealand for the Tommy Sands,the Platters and Frankie Avalon. The tour was an huge success which when they arrived in Sydney 200 teenage girls mobbed them @ Mascot airport which they were in an airline for more than half an hour which they gave autographs and photographs to the fans and on the afternoon of the first sydney show they appeared at Nicholson's store on George Street for an promotion which the crows went completely out of hans that caused the huge street front windows be smashed and arrived n brisbane May 31st @ Eagle Farm Airport

The Bachelors/Gene Pitney 1965 Australian tour

-this is from the Telegraph October 4th Gene Pitney The Bachelors(Con Cluskey, Dec Cluskey and John Stokes) Twinkle Mike Preston The Big Show Band Promoters-Aztec Services-Stadiums Pty Ltd Sydney October 2nd Sydney Stadium Brisbane October 4th Festival Hall Melbourne October 6th and 7th Festival Hall Adelaide Centennial Hall October 8th Perth Capitol Theatre October 9th This tour was the 2nd tour for Gene Pitney which his first was an year before in April 1964 with Dusty Springfield, Gerry and the Pacemakers and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and it was the first for the Bachelors who had successful hits with Charmaine, Diane, I Believe, I would'nt Trade You For the World, No Arms Could Ever Hold You etc. Twinkle who had the hit single Terry in 1964 and in 1965 with Golden Lights. Mike Preston had 3 Top 40 hits in england including Mr Blue (no 12 UK 1959)and had appeared on the english pop music show Oh Boy and had come to Australia to work as an nightclub singer as well as it was where also he would achieve great success on TV hosting In Melbourne Tonight as an guest in 1968 as well as acting in the legendary Australian police drama HOMICIDE as Sen Dec Bob Delaney from 1972-73 as well as Bellbird, Punishment and movies like MAd Max 2, Metalstorm The Destruction of Jared Syn, steel etc.