Ol' 55
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ol' 55 was an Australian band specializing in retro, '50s-era music. It was born from a band called Fanis, which played regularly in the Sutherland area of Sydney in the early '70s.
The band was formed in 1975 during which time drummer Geoff Plummer had been working with Glenn A. Baker at the department of media. Geoff invited Glenn, now a rock historian, to hear Fanis, a band to which he had been a member, along with Rockpile Jones, Jimmy Manzie, Pat Drummond, and Paul McCann. Glenn took over the management of the band, renamed it, and introduced front man Frankie J. Holden and saxophonist Wilbur Wilde.
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[edit] Music
Due to the nature of the band's style, many of its hits came from remakes of old '50s tunes. Some of these remakes included Diana, Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight, Why Must I Be a Teenager in Love?, Ruby, Two Faces Have I and Looking for an Echo. Ol' 55 also wrote and performed original music. Some of its original hits included On the Prowl (its first big hit), Skateboard Thrills, and Stay While the Night is Young, all composed by Jimmy Manzie, as well as the Number One single, I Wanna Rockin' Christmas, and C'mon Let's Do It, which were all written jointly by Manzie and Glenn A. Baker.
One of the features of the band was that all six members were talented at singing and at concerts the lead vocals were shared, although Frankie J. and Rockpile sang most of the songs. Rockpile's falsetto and range was amazing and he has been arguably one of the most underrated vocalists in Australian rock music history. With Geoff's bass vocal talents, Ol' 55 produced complex harmonies, sometimes managing four or five piece vocal arrangements.
[edit] Members
Original Ol' 55 (the classic line-up):
- Frankie J. Holden - Vocals (1975-1977)
- Rockpile Jones - Guitar & vocals (1975-1986)
- Jimmy Manzie - Bass & vocals (1975-1979)
- Pat Drummond - Guitar & vocals (1975-1986)
- Wilbur Wilde - Tenor Sax & vocals (1975-1977)
- Geoff Plummer - Drums & vocals (1975-1977, 1979-1980 and 1986)
Other band members included:
- Geoff Peterkin - Drums and vocals (1977-1979)
- Paul Stevens aka Mike Raffone - Vocals (1977)
- Bruce Allen - Sax and vocals (1978-1979)
- Robert Drummond - Guitar (1979-1982)
- Terry Bellew - Bass and vocals (1979-1986)
- Doug Martyn - Drums and vocals (1980-1981)
- Geoff Cripps - Drums and vocals (1981-1985)
[edit] Achievements
Ol' 55 released several albums. The first, Take It Greasy, reached number 2 on the ARIA charts, and number 1 on some independent charts. The album achieved double platinum and toppled ABBA's Greatest Hits from the top of the charts. Their second album, Five's Live Jive, failed to make the charts. Later arrangements of the band recorded further albums such as Crusin' For A Bruisin', The Vault, Let's Have A Party (live), and Open Top Cars and Girls in Tight T Shirts. Rockpile Jones was lead singer on most tracks on all of these albums.
Ol' 55 made regular appearances on Countdown and at music concerts and festivals. They were often billed with groups like Skyhooks, Sherbet and the Ted Mulry Gang. Their first big gig was to support the famous Electric Light Orchestra at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion. In recent years they have reformed at special occasions such as Carols by Candlelight, and for a series of gigs in Sydney and Melbourne.
[edit] After Ol' 55
- Geoff Plummer passed away on February 2, 2006. He left behind a wife and four children.
- Frankie J. Holden lives in Melbourne and is married with 4 daughters.
- Rockpile Jones lives in Sydney and is married with children.
- Pat Drummond lives in Hobart, Tasmania and is married. (He is not to be confused with Pat Drummond, the folk/country singer from New South Wales).
- Jimmy Manzie lives in Hollywood, writes film music and is married with a son.
- Wilbur Wilde lives in Melbourne and is married with 3 children, including twins.
[edit] References
- Nostalgia Central - Ol' 55 [1]
