Johnny O'Keefe was an Australian Rock 'n Roll star, with hits including 'Shake Baby Shake' in 1957 and 'Shout' and 'She's my Baby' in 1959. He was inducted into the 'ARIA Hall of Fame' in 1988.
Johnny was born in 1935, the second of three children of Raymond Moran O'Keefe and Thelma Edna née Kennedy.
He attended the local Catholic primary school and completed his secondary schooling at Waverley College. He made his stage debut at the age of four when he played the role of 'Dopey' in the Waverley College production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but being unable to read or memorise the script, he improvised his part.
In December 1952 Johnny was called up for 'National Service'. He was stationed at Richmond Airbase and served his six-month period in two blocks, from December 1952 and December 1953.
Johnny's life changed irrevocably after seeing and hearing Bill Haley (1925 - 1981) singing Rock Around the Clock in the film Blackboard Jungle in June 1955. In September 1956 O'Keefe co-founded Australia's first rock'n'roll band, The Dee Jays. O'Keefe and the Dee Jays quickly attracted a strong local following, due in large measure to O'Keefe's magnetic personality and his dynamic stage performances.
O'Keefe's debut single was released in July 1957 but it failed to chart.
In 1958 he married Marianne Renate Willinzik.[1] They had three children together:[2]
In 1959 O'Keefe performed the song Shout on his Australian TV show Six O'Clock Rock. He then released it as a single, which reached number two in Australia.
Johnny and Marianne divorced in 1966[3] due to the pressure of O'Keefe's career.
Johnny next married Maureen Joan Maricic in 1975.[4]
Johnny O'Keefe died as a result of a drug overdose on 6 October 1978 at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital.[5] He is buried at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, North Ryde.[6]
See also:
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O > O'Keefe > John Michael O'Keefe
Categories: Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Macquarie Park, New South Wales | Australia, Postage Stamps | Australia, Featured Connections | Australia, Musicians | Australia, Singers | Featured Connections Archive 2021 | Featured Connections Archive 2022 | Australia, Notables in the Music Industries | Notables
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