Citation

Yours, Jerry Lee Lewis: Rockin’ at the Hobart City Hall 1959-1960, Peter Macfie, 2018. https://petermacfiehistorian.net.au

Outline

Peter MacFie’s memories of attending three Big Shows at the City Hall, Hobart, Tasmania in 1959 and 1960 as a young teenager.

Download as pdf

Yours Jerry Lee Lewis.pdf

Excerpt

The lights go down again, the audience quietens.
Waiting near me in the wings is a shy, Mexican-looking young bloke with a bad case of acne verging on boils on his neck. Chan Romero clutches his new electric guitar. The lights go down, the audience hushes. The curtains open again. Chan walks past me quickly onto centre stage. He’s only got one hit- but what a beauty- Hippy Hippy Shake– drives along, the girls are screaming a bit, the Joyboys -the backing band – rocking along.
For goodness sake, I got the…’
His song became No 1 in Tasmania, the only place in the world. (I’ve still got the 45.)
Chan Romero was followed by Freddie Cannon,
One day I took a walk in the park, down at a place called Palisade Park, (whatever that is?) to have some fun (now we understand that!)
Then a handsome, dark, older bloke with a deep voice. Jack Scott was a Canadian born country singer really, with weepy, interesting ballads.
My True Love and What in the World’s Come Over You – bah- wa-ooh.
I loved the backing singers on the American recordings. (Scott also sang Burning Bridges, serious love songs, adult love songs, about things we only became aware of later in life.)
Then Johnny Preston, best known for his hit, Running Bear, later the bane of every pub band, but in 1960, a brand new hit.
On the banks of the river, sat Running Bear, young Injun brave. On the other side of the river, sat his lovely Indian maid, Little White Dove… (Oogah, Oogah)
The audience sings along to the chorus
Running Bear, loved Little White Dove, such a lovely sight to see….
Ah, if only race relations were as easy as the way we absorbed those simple lyrics.
After Johnny Preston comes off, there’s a pause. The curtain’s drawn again for the star act. Jerry Lee Lewis’ pushing the piano into the middle of the stage, his backing band consisting only of a drummer and electric guitarist. He brushes his crinkly, blonde hair off his face, takes off his coat, throws it to the manager, adjusts the collar and shirt sleeves of his striped shirt, a final tune of the guitar, Jerry Lee ripples a few trial runs on the keyboard. He sits at a bentwood chair, stands over the piano.
Kevin Jacobsen is looking over my shoulder.
‘Watch the way he hits the chair when he gets going.’
Jerry Lee positions the chair behind his legs.

End of Excerpt

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Index

Andre Segovia, 9

Armstrong, Louis, 9

Avalon, Frankie, 1, 2, 3

Berry, Chuck, 1

Big Bev, 9

Bill Haley, 1

Bing Crosby, 1

Bobby Day, 4, 5

Bogey, Johnny, 6

Bridge, Dave, 6, 9

Cannon, Freddie, 7

Cash, Johnny, 5

Chan Romero, 6, 7, 9

Chuck Berry, 1

City Hall, Hobart, 1, 4, 5, 6, 9

Clooney, Rosemary, 1

Cochran, Eddie, 1

Col Joy, 4, 6, 9

Col Joy and the Joy Boys, 4

Cole, Nat King, 1

Como, Perry, 1

Crosby, Bing, 1

Dave Bridge, 6, 9

Dawson, Smoky, 1

Day, Bobby, 4, 5

Day, Doris, 1

DeeJays, 2

Doris Day, 1

Downie, Angus, 6

Eddie Cochran, 1

Eddie Edwards and the Sharks, 2

Edwards, Eddie, 2

Elvis Presley, 1, 5

Frankie Avalon, 1, 2, 3

Freddie Cannon, 7

Gale Storm, 6

Gene Vincent, 5

Gordon, Lee, 2

Haley, Bill, 1

Hank Williams, 6

Hirst, Nola, 6

Irwin, Laurie, 6

Jack Scott, 7, 9

Jacobsen, Kevin, 6, 8

Jerry Lee Lewis, 1, 6, 8, 9

Jerry Lee Lewis Big Show, 9

Johnny Bogey, 6

Johnny Cash, 4, 5

Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, 5

Johnny O’Keefe, 1, 2, 4

Johnny Preston, 7, 8, 9

Joy Boys, 4, 6, 7, 9

Joy, Col, 4, 6

Laurie Irwin, 6

Lee Gordon Big Show, 1, 6

Lee, Lonnie, 6, 7

LeGarde Twins, 1

Lewis, Jerry Lee, 6, 8, 9

Little Richard, 1

Lola Sheppard, 3, 4

Lola Taylor, 3

Lonnie Lee, 6, 7

Louis Armstrong and the All Stars, 9

Luke, Robin, 4

Luther, Perkins, 5

Max & Stella Reddy, 1

Morris, Gladys, 9

My True Love, 7

Nat King Cole, 1

Nola Hirst, 6

O’Keefe, Johnny, 1

O’Keefe, Johnny, 2, 4

Orbison, Roy, 9

Paul Shirley, 4, 5

Perry Como, 1

Playmates, 4

Presley, Elvis, 1, 5

Preston, Johnny, 7, 8, 9

Reddy, Max, 1

Reddy, Stella, 1

Reece, Eric, 1

Robertson, Geoffrey, 1

Robin Luke, 4

Romero, Chan, 6, 7, 9

Rosemary Clooney, 1

Roy Orbison, 9

Sands, Tommy, 2, 4

Scott, Jack, 7, 9

Segovia, Andre, 9

Sheppard, Lola, 3, 4

Shirley, Paul, 4, 5

Sinatra, Nancy, 2

Smoky Dawson, 1

songs

Ballad of a Teenage Queen, 5

          Beep Beep, 4

          Bigger than Texas, 2

          Blue Suede Shoes, 2, 5

          Burning Bridges, 7

          Dark Moon, 6

          Five Foot High and Rising, 5

          Freight Train, 5

          Great balls of Fire, 8

          Hey Venus, 2

          Hippy Hippy Shake, 7

          Luther Played the Boogie, 5

          Palisade Park, 7

          Rocking Robin, 4

          Running Bear, 7

          Suzie Darlin’, 4

          What in the World’s Come Over You, 7

          When the saints, Go Marching In, 3

          Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, 6, 8

          You leave me… Breathless, 8

          You make me Wanna SHOUT, 2

          You Win Again, 8

Storm, Gale, 6

Taylor, Lola, 3

Tennessee Two, 5

Tex Morton, 6

The Beach Boys, 9

The Platters, 1, 2, 3, 4

The Sharks, 2

Tommy Sands, 2, 4

Tony Williams, 3

Vincent, Gene, 5

Williams, Hank, 6

Williams, Tony, 3

Wilson, Dave, 1, 2, 4