Normie Rowe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Normie Rowe | ||
|---|---|---|
| Image:Normie66a.jpg Normie Rowe
|
||
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Normie Rowe | |
| Born | February 1, 1947 | |
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Genre(s) | Rock n Roll | |
| Occupation(s) | Rock singer | |
| Years active | 1960s-2006 | |
| Label(s) | Festival, Astor, Sunshine | |
Normie Rowe was the first and biggest solo star of Australian pop in the Sixties. A strong singer and a natural performer, his bright, edgy tenor voice was showcased in well-chosen material, much of which was produced by the legendary Pat Aulton, house producer for the Spin and Festival labels. Backed by assured performances from his band The Playboys, he cut a string of classic beat singles on the Sunshine label that kept him at the top of charts and made him the most popular solo performer of the "beat" era. Indeed, Normie's version of Que Sera Sera remains one of the most successful Aussie singles of the 1960s.
Between 1965 and 1967 Normie was a huge star whose only serious rivals in the teen-idol stakes were Stevie Wright, Billy Thorpe and Ray Brown. Normie's presence was guaranteed to generate mass-hysteria of Beatle-esque proportions wherever he appeared. For two years he reigned supreme as Australia's first "King of Pop" but his call-up for compulsory military service in late 1967 and his subsequent tour of duty in Vietnam dramatically curtailed his career, and he was never able to recapture the massive success he enjoyed at his peak, although he remains a popular and much-loved entertainer to this day.
Contents |
[edit] The Beginning
Normie (b.1 Feb, 1947) was drawn to music early in life. He began singing with his local church choir in Melbourne while at primary school. Normie was hooked on rock & roll even before his teens, and Col Joye became one of his early idols and inspirations.
Normie took up guitar and formed his first amateur band, The Valiants, while he was in high school. They performed once a month at Alphington Methodist Hall. He concentrated on singing, and made his first stage appearance as a lead vocalist in a music school concert, aged 14.
"When I was just aspiring to be a singer, only nine years of age, Col was my idol. He was the boy next door that I could identify with, not the wild JOK. In fact it was as my first concert, at the Lou Toppano Music School end of the year concert in 1959 or '60, that I sang Col's Rock 'n' Rollin' Clementine. I still have the trophy I received for that show. It reads: 'The Best Performance Of The Night -- Norman Rowe.'
By luck, the show was compered by top Melbourne DJ Stan "The Man" Rofe. Stan was impressed by Normie's talent and arranged for him to work with local dance promoter Kevin McClellan. He began performing regularly at Melbourne dances and discos, backed by instrumental groups like The Thunderdbirds, The Impostors and finally The Playboys, who became his permanent band until 1967.
After leaving high school in 1963, Normie had joined the PMG, the government telecommunications department later split into Telstra and Australia Post. Normie worked as a trainee technician, but in late 1964 his long hair became an issue with his employers, and in the face of a "cut it or quit" ultimatum, he left the PMG to become a professional entertainer. Working on the Melbourne dance circuit, he was soon a popular draw and it wasn't long before he was picked to become a regular on Melbourne pop TV shows like Teen Scene and The Go!! Show. According to historian Ed Nimmervol, EMI apparently had the chance to sign him but turned him down, claiming that he couldn't sing! Brisbane-based independent label Sunshine had no such qualms and signed him to a recording and management deal with the Ivan Dayman organisation.
[edit] The Early Years
Normie's first single, released in April 1965, was a brooding 'beat' arrangement of Gershwin's It Ain't Necessarily So (from Porgy & Bess) a choice suggested by Stan Rofe. Normie & the Playboys' version had been inspired by a version of the song they had heard as an album track by The Merseybeats. It was a Top Ten hit in both Sydney (#8) and Melbourne, (#1), even though Sydney station 2SM (then owned by the Catholic Church) banned it because of its supposedly 'sacrilegious' lyrics.
Normie's first LP was released in July, and his second single, released the next month, was a cover of Ben E. King's I Who Have Nothing) -- another Top 10 hit in both capitals, and also apparently discovered while trawling through Rofe's vast record collection. His third single, I Confess / Everything's Alright, strangely failed to chart and according to Ian McFarlane, it's possible that it was never released.
His next single was solid gold. The A-side was a cover of Que Sera Sera, the old Doris Day chestnut, which underwent a radical update and was given the full 'merseybeat' treatment (a la the Beatles' Twist & Shout). It was backed by his snarling, prowling, downright lascivious version of the Johnny Kidd & The Pirates' classic Shaking All Over, and many consider Normie's rendition to be the best version. It's also one of Normie's strongest vocal performances. Que Sera Sera / Shakin' All Over was a massive double-sided #1 hit in both Sydney and Melbourne in September, charting for 28 weeks and selling in unprecedented numbers -- 80,000 copies according to Ian McFarlane; Noel McGrath reckons 100,000 -- either way, it became the biggest-selling Australian record of its day. Normie scored another first in October by having three hit singles in the Melbourne Top 40 simultaneously.
One of the trademarks of Que Sera Sera is the whistle that sounds at the start of the verse, but according to Warren Barnett, archives manager at Festival records, its presence was largely accidental:
"Confirmed by Normie Rowe,this story about the recording session for Que Sera Sera. You didn't spend hours in the studio like you do now, you had a three hour call. If you didn't have it down in three hours it was bad luck, goodbye, go home. So there was a three-hour session, they'd put down the instrumental backing and Normie was doing his vocals. There were only four tracks and Normie was putting his vocals on the other two. When they went to record that day, with the primitive equipment that they had at the time, the talkback wasn't working between the studio and the control room. Normie needed a cue point to come in, where he came in just before the band. Pat Aulton, who was the producer at the time, said, "I'll just blow a whistle Normie, and you'll know where to come in." But of course the mic picked up the whistle, and although it wasn't meant to be there it sounded so great they left it there, and in fact it has become a hallmark of the song. A bit like the feedback guitar in the Beatles I Feel Fine."
The dream run continued through the first half of 1966. Normie's next three singles, the heart-rending Tell Him I'm Not Home (Nov. '65), The Breaking Point (Feb. '66) and Pride & Joy (June '66) -- were Top 5, Top 10 and Top 20 hits respectively, in both Sydney and Melbourne (bear in mind that there was no national chart at that time). Mid-year he joined the Easybeats, Bobby & Laurie and M.P.D. Ltd on "The Big Four" national tour that played to huge crowds around the country.
[edit] The UK
Normie was by this time the most popular solo performer in Australia, so in August 1966 he left to try his luck in the UK. In preparation he revamped the Playboys lineup. Cartwright, Billings and McArthur wanted to stay in Australia for family reasons, so Normie replaced them with Brian Peacock (bass) and Rod Stone (guitar), both from the rececntly defunct New Zealand band The Librettos. Arriving in London ahead of his band, Normie took on Ritchie York as his London agent, and began to record with producers Trevor Kennedy and John Carter, using the cream of London's session musos, including Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, famed drummer Clem Cattini and vocal group The Breakaways.
The sessions produced four new singles - Ooh La La, It's Not Easy / Mary Mary, Turn On The Love Light and Can't Do Without Your Love. Ooh La La and its follow-up, the superb ballad It's Not Easy were both Top 5 in Sydney and Melbourne, and Ooh La La even made it into the lower end of the British Top 40.
Normie worked in England for ten months and toured with the likes of Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity, The Spencer Davis Group, Kiki Dee, Gene Pitney and The Troggs. High hopes were held for a British breakthrough, and in the early months of 1967 the pages of Go-Set were filled with breathless predictions of imminent UK stardom, but it never materialised. Interestingly, it appears that Normie's UK recordings have developed a strong cult following in Britain; one collector's website we located recently lists several of Normie's UK singles for sale at very impressive prices -- e.g. It's Not Easy / Mary, Mary is valued at UK£55 -- currently (Jan. 2004) about AU$130!
The new Playboys lineup arrived in London in December; Normie flew home for Christmas, which coincided with the release of It's Not Easy / Mary Mary, and he returned to England in January. In March 1967 the group embarked on a tour of the UK supporting The Troggs, Gene Pitney and Sounds Incorporated. The same month Phil Blackmore left the group for family reasons and returned to Australia; he was replaced by English musician Trevor Griffin. Rod Stone left in mid-'67 (returning to Australia, after which he joined The Groove) and he was replaced by former Adam Faith sideman Mick Rogers. At the end of 1966 Normie was voted Australia's best male singer in the first Go-Set Pop Poll.
Meanwhile, The Playboys secured a one-off single deal with Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label, releasing the single Sad / Black Sheep RIP in August. Written by Brian Peacock, Sad is now considered a 'freakbeat' classic and has been widely anthologised, appearing on the British collection Chocolate Soup For Diabetics Vol III, Raven's Kicks and Rhino's recently releasedNuggets II.
In June, Normie and The Playboys travelled to North America, supporting Roy Orbison on a US tour, and along with The Seekers he represented Australia when in performance at Expo '67 in Montreal. He returned to Australia in July, where he appeared as a special guest at the Hoadleys Battle Of The Sounds.
Normie had more chart success in late 1967 with Going Home / I Don't Care and But I Know / Sunshine Secret, and another single, Turn Down Day charted in Melbourne. But in September it all came crashing down when he received his call-up notice for national service. In October he and The Playboys parted ways. Over the next few months the group changed direction and personnel, re-emerging in December as one of Australia's first progressive rock bands, Procession.
[edit] National Service
Normie was inducted into the army in February 1968, although he continued to perform part-time (albeit with a regulation short-back-and-sides army haircut). At least one TV appearance has survived of Normie with the army "do", performing It's Not Easy on Uptight. He also began working with a new backing band, Nature's Own, who also reguarly backed Johnny Farnham and other members of the Sunshine roster. His only charting record during this period was the lush ballad Penelope, written by Brian Peacock.
Every move of Normie's basic training at Puckapunyal took place in the full glare of the media spotlight. He was shipped off to Vietnam in January 1969, and he served his tour of duty there with distinction, rising to the rank of Corporal and was Crew Commander of his own armoured personnel carrier. He was discharged from the army in February 1970.
Normie had one last minor hit in May 1970 with the song Hello, written by Johnny Young, and he released an album of the same name. (It was revealed many years later that young's song Smiley, a major hit for Ronnie Burns, was actually written about Normie). The Hello album marked the end of his Sunshine, contract. He signed to Festival in 1971, for whom he cut three singles. Que Sera Sera was re-released in January 1971 and on March 6 he married his girlfriend Sue Powlesland.
Unfortunately, his national service stint had effectively killed his pop career, and Normie was never able to recover the momentum and mass popularity he lost because of the call-up. In his absence, Ronnie Burns and then Johnny Farnham had stepped into the breach and Farnham was now the new King Of Pop. The strong anti-war sentiment of the period affected him, and like so many Vietnam vets, Normie suffered considerably because of his service, and regrettably, many people took out their anger about that unpopular and unjust war on the hapless veterans, who had simply done their duty. In fact Normie himself has said that he was treated like a pariah by the very people who had been buying his records and screaming at his concerts only a couple of years before. One of the people Normie remembers fondly from this period, who stuck by him and gave him encouragement in tough times, was Meteors drummer Stewie Speer. Normie remembers tha Stewie would often wear "King Normie" and "We Love Normie" badges on his jacket.
The Vietnam War is a complex and difficult issue, and its especially sensitive for those who served there. After the fact, Normie copped a lot of flak for going to Vietnam, but it's easy to forget how much Australia had changed between 1965 and 1970, and how conservative our society still was at the time that Normie was called up. In 1968 Australia's involvement in Vietnam still enjoyed the support of most Australians; the late Harold Holt had won a sweeping victory and gained a record parliamentary majority in the 1966 federal election, centreing his campaign on the Vietnam issue. There's no doubt that Normie, like so many others, did what he thought was right and genuinely felt that it was his duty to go. Another fact that's often overlooked is that there would have been a great social stigma and very serious legal consequences -- including the probability of being jailed -- if he had refused to serve. He was of course in an almost impossible position, since he was one of the most popular and recognisable Australians of his day.
Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that, years later, Normie discovered that his birthday was not among those drawn in the national service birthday lottery. Like Elvis, he had been drafted because of who he was, presumably with the hope that his call-up would boost the public support for Australia's war effort. His experiences left a deep impression on him, and since that time he has worked tirelessly on behalf of other Vietnam veterans.
[edit] The Seventies
Normie went through some tough times in the early 70s, but he is a tough character. Luckily, he was able to fall back on the training from his dance hall days and he began to concentrate on the club and hotel circuit, and on TV performances, where he became a popular attraction on variety programs like The Don Lane Show and The Mike Walsh Show.
Normie's continued to record through the '70s, '80s and 90s. He swtiched to the Astor label in 1975 and had considerable success with the single Elisabeth, which won the Best Song category at that year's Tokyo Song Festival. The B-side was Normie's version of the Axiom classic A Little Ray of Sunshine.
[edit] The Eighties
In the 80s he began to expand his talents into acting and musical theatre. He studied at the Sydney's famous Ensemble Theatre and took roles on stage and TV, including an extended role in the TV soapie Sons & Daughters. In 1987 he won great acclaim in his central role of Jean Valjean in Cameron Macintosh's Sydney production of the musical Les Miserables.
Among other musical roles in the 80s and 90s, he played the lead role on the recording, and in the world premiere concerts of a new Australian musical, Cyrano de Bergerac, which he helped develop, played Daddy Warbucks in Annie, Freddy Trumper (the American) in Chess, and Juan Peron in Evita. One of the highlights of his career was his appointment as a Member of The Order of Australia (AM) for services to Vietnam veterans, the entertainment industry and the community. Normie has had a long association with many charity and community groups, with his major concern being the welfare of children. He is a long-serving member of Variety Clubs Of Australia, for which he is now a National Ambassador, and he has won several awards for his work with Variety, including 1996's Heart and Soul of Variety award.
[edit] The Ninties
Normie remained a popular attraction at clubs, corporate functions and on the "rock-&-roll revival" circuit. He also kept up regular appearances on TV variety shows. This led to one infamous incident in 1991 (which Normie would probalby rather forget!) that briefly took him back into the headlines. During a forum on republicanism on the Midday Show with Ray Martin he was involved in a wild on-air stoush with Sydney talkback-radio windbag Ron Casey. Notorious for his highly controversial comments on immgration and other issues, Casey enraged Normie with his remarks and punches flew on both sides.
[edit] 2000's
Normie has also had to endure other public hardships, including a very unfortunate family situation involving his teenage daughter, which resulted in a great deal of intrusive and unwelcome publicity, and the end of his long marriage to his first wife, Sue.
But in 2002, Normie truly came home to his fans at last. He was selected as one of the cast of the hugely succesful Long Way To The Top tour and he wowed the crowd every night with his fantastic voice as he rocked his way through his greatest hits, he looked and sounded great; most importantly of all, he felt that he had finally been fully accepted by his peers.
Normie recently released a new album, Missing In Action, which includes his own version of Smiley and he is planning a new theatrical production. He is still one of the most exciting performers around and one of our best-loved stars from the Sixties, and the brilliant recordings he made in his heyday are lasting testaments to his talent.
[edit] SINGLES
Apr. 1965 It Ain't Necessarily So / Gonna Leave This Town [Sunshine QK 951]
Jun. 1965 I (Who Have Nothing) / I Just Don't Understand [Sunshine QK 1069]
Sep. 1965 I Confess / Everything's Alright [Sunshine QK 1075] (withdrawn?)
Sep. 1965 Que Sera Sera / Shakin' All Over [Sunshine QK 1103]
Nov. 1965 Tell Him I'm Not Home / Call On Me [Sunshine QK 1158]
Mar. 1966 The Breaking Point / Ya Ya [Sunshine QK 1238]
Jun. 1966 Pride & Joy / The Stones That I Throw [Sunshine QK 1344]
Nov. 1966 Ooh La La / Ain't Nobody Home [Sunshine ]
Dec. 1966 It's Not Easy / Mary Mary [Sunshine QK 1605]
Apr. 1967 Going Home / I Don't Care [Sunshine QK 1731]
? 1967 I Live In The Sunshine / Far Beyond The Call Of Duty [Sunshine QK 1817]
Jun. 1967 But I Know / Sunshine Secret [Sunshine QK 1820]
Oct. 1967 Turn Down Day / Stop To Think It Over [Sunshine QK 2008]
May 1968 Penelope / Lucinda [Sunshine QK 2238]
Aug. 1968 Break Out / Born To Be By Your Side [Sunshine QK 2493]
Oct. 1968 Walking On New Grass / Open Up The Skies [Sunshine QK 2596]
Mar. 1969 Just To Satisfy You / Drinkin Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee [Sunshine QK 2819]
Jun. 1969 You Got Style / Don't Say Nothing Bad (About My Baby) [Sunshine QK 2890]
May 1970 Hello / Home To Stay [Festival FK 3614] #48
1970 (with The Jugband) Rockhampton Happening / Rockhampton Happening [RCA Custom ZHLM 0371]
1971 Border Song / Come Hear My Song [Festival FK 4363]
1972 Glory Road / Over To You Now [Festival FK 4633]
?/73 Rings / Come Hear My Song [Festival FK 5146] #52
1974 Higher And Higher / Willie And Laura Mal Jones < [Festival K 5575] #93
?/75 Harbour For My Song / That's The Way I Am [Astor A 7253]
?/75 Good Morning Good Morning / If You See Her [Astor A 7257]
?/75 Elizabeth / Little Ray Of Sunshine [Astor A 7265]
[edit] EPs
?/65 It Ain't Necessarily ... [Sunshine QX 11056]
?/65 Normie Rowe Sings "Rowe" [Sunshine QX 11068]
?/65 Que Sera Sera [Sunshine QX 11110]
?/65 Shakin' All Over [Sunshine QX 11131]
?/66 Tell Him I'm Not Home [Sunshine QX 11138]
?/66 Call On Me [Sunshine QX 11139]
?/66 Pride & Joy [Sunshine QX 11182]
?/66 The Stones That I Throw [Sunshine QX 11187]
?/67 Ooh La La! It's Not Easy [Sunshine QX 11250]
?/67 Going Home [Sunshine WIX 11277]
?/67 Normie's New Four [Sunshine QX 11295]
?/67 Turn Down Day [Sunshine QX 11406]
?/68 Penelope [Sunshine QX 11488]
[edit] ALBUMS
July 1965 It Ain't Necessarily So, But It Is Normie Rowe [Sunshine QL 31734] reissued on Calendar (R 66-73)
1965 Normie Rowe A Go Go [Sunshine QL 31802]
1965 A Wonderful Feeling [Sunshine QL 31871] re issued on Calendar (R66-335)
1966 Normie's Hit Happenings [Sunshine QL 32198] reissued on Calendar (R66-553)
1966 So Much Love From Normie Rowe [Sunshine QL 32144]
?/68 Everything's Alright [Universal UP 768] (compilation of first two LPs)
?/69 Normie's Top Tunes [Universal]
1970 Hello [Sunshine L 25093]
Normie Rowe's Greatest Hits [Harlequin L 25138]
1974 Come Hear My Song [Summit SRA 250152]
?/75 That's The Way I Am [Summit]
1975 Normie's Hit Tunes [Sunnit SRA 249 9020]
2000 The Early Anthology [Festival D46111] 2CD Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be) Shakin' All Over It Ain't Necessarily So Tell Him I'm Not Home I (Who Have Nothing) Call On Me Pride And Joy The Breaking Point The Stones That I Throw Ooh La La Ya Ya Gonna Leave This Town I Just Don't Understand It's Not Easy Ain't Nobody Home Mary Mary Going Home I Don't Care Sunshine Secret But I Know Turn Down Day Stop To Think It Over Penelope Born To Be By Your Side Breakout Walking On The New Grass Open Up The Skies Just To Satisfy You Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee Everything's Alright Lucinda You Got Style Too Bad You Don't Want Me Let Me Tell You That's Why I Cry Lindy Lou Unchain My Heart Bald Headed Woman I Keep Forgetting Poor Fool I Want You Back Again Jump Back What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am) Ain't That Good News Every Litle Bit Hurts With Me Stormy Weather Sally Go Round The Roses Do Re Mi Keep A Knockin' Nursery Rhymes Could It Be Far Beyond The Call Of Duty You Can't Stop Loving Me Stubborn Kind Of Fellow Baby Call On Me I Confess If I Don't Work It Out Can I Get A Witness Tell Him I'm Not Home (rare EP version) Things Go Better With Normie Rowe
