John Lockett Devlin MNZM (born 11 May 1938), generally known
as Johnny Devlin, is an influential New Zealand singer, songwriter and rock
musician, known as "New Zealand's answer to Elvis Presley".
Born in the small town of Raetihi, Devlin was raised in
nearby Wanganui, where in 1951 he made his solo performing debut yodelling at
the local opera house. After graduating high school, he spent two years as a
bank clerk, occasionally playing country & western music with his brothers
in a band called the River City Ramblers. Then, in mid-1956, Devlin heard
Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel"; overnight he became obsessed with rock
& roll, snatching up Presley singles and performing Elvis songs on the
amateur talent quest circuit.
Complete with ducktail, loud suits, and hepcat lingo, he assimilated himself completely in the culture portrayed in American teen movies of the era, earning something of a reputation as the town eccentric.
Complete with ducktail, loud suits, and hepcat lingo, he assimilated himself completely in the culture portrayed in American teen movies of the era, earning something of a reputation as the town eccentric.
Although Devlin regularly appeared in talent contests, he at
first enjoyed little success, but in early 1957, he was spotted by Johnny
Cooper, who had cut the first-ever New Zealand rock record, a cover of Bill
Haley's "Rock Around the Clock," two years prior. Cooper became
Devlin's mentor, and his career surged, he regularly won top honours at talent
shows and played to increasingly enthusiastic crowds.
After settling into a regular gig at Auckland's Jive Centre,
Devlin's fame grew, and his nightly sets of dead-on Presley imitations were the
stuff of massive teen hysteria; finally, in mid-1958, he recorded his debut
single, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." It was a massive hit, selling over 2000
copies in Auckland alone during its first month of release on its way to
passing the unprecedented five-figure mark; trumpeted in the press as "New
Zealand's Elvis Presley," Devlin was a true phenomenon, mobbed by fans
wherever he went.
Between November 1958 and May 1959, Devlin's label Prestige
released some eight singles, three EPs, and an LP, amounting to total sales of
over 200,000 copies; with his backing band the Devils in tow, he toured the
country, playing everywhere to capacity crowds.
More conservative quarters were outraged over the hysteria and destruction left in Devlin's wake, and as more and more theatre managers became wary of booking the band, his career began to slip.
More conservative quarters were outraged over the hysteria and destruction left in Devlin's wake, and as more and more theatre managers became wary of booking the band, his career began to slip.
For his part, Devlin was becoming increasingly
disillusioned, with backstage bickering and record-label trickery leaving him
more and more disgusted by fame; in May 1959, he and the Devils toured
Australia as part of a package tour including the Everly Brothers and Tab
Hunter, and by the time they returned home, the ballyhoo had died down. Still,
Devlin remains the benchmark by which all New
Zealand phenoms are judged; no
one was ever bigger among Kiwi teens except the Beatles, whose opening act
during their 1964 NZ tour was none other than Johnny Devlin himself.
Johnny Devlin & The Devils c.1962 |
Devlin the performer went into ascent again, adopting a mod
image and knocking out yet more singles, but there was very little left for
Devlin to do in Australia. He’d already conquered the live scene, television
and the charts in a country that was one of the strongest rock and roll and
surf music outposts in the world.
Johnny left for England in September 1965 where he struggled
to find the success he’d left behind. Live work was fitful, but included gigs
at the Empire Ballroom in London, and a singles deal with Columbia Records that
produced some promising orchestrated big ballads, including 1966’s ‘Hung On You.
‘He was back in Australia by June 1967, working TV and the lucrative club
scene, and producing groups. Between 1972 and 1974 Johnny retired from showbiz,
working in Australia as a manager for Grace Brothers department store.
Devlin then continued to ride the rock and roll currents on
records and package tours whenever that perennial sound came back into favour,
such as Johnny O’Keefe-inspired The Good Old Days of Rock and Roll in 1974 and
2006’s New Zealand The Best of The Best. Country music also had a revisit in
the early 1980s. Between 1959 and 1981,
while using at least 14 different record labels, he released a further 40
singles, ten EPs and three albums.
In 2007 he was inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame. In
the 2008 New Year Honours, Devlin was appointed a Member of the New Zealand
Order of Merit for services to entertainment. In June 2015 aged 77 Devlin
suffered a heart attack while on board a P&O cruise ship. He was
transferred to St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney in a critical condition and
received a triple bypass which saved his life
In October 2015 he was presented the Benny Award from the
Variety Artists Club of New Zealand, the highest honour available for a New
Zealand variety entertainer. He still continues to perform on the club level in
Australia. He now lives at Corrimal on the South Coast with his long-time
friend Marcia Neilson.
(Edited from AllMusic, Wikipedia & AudioCulture NZ)
1 comment:
For “Johnny Devlin – Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On” go here:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/3v6ha0lozut4wst/Devlin.rar/file
1 Lawdy Miss Clawdy
2 Straight Skirt
3 Rocket In My Pocket
4 Susie Darlin'
5 The Watch
6 20 Flight Rock
7 Wild One
8 Doreen (With Intro By Johnny O'Keefe)
9 I Gotta Be True
10 Tiger
11 Lonely Boy
12 Turn The Lights Out Johnny
13 Koala Bear
14 Gigolo
15 Got A Zack In The Back Of My Pocket
16 Chi Chico Teek
17 Five Minutes More
18 Stayin' Up Late
19 Do It Right
20 I'm Gonna Love You
21 Please Teacher (Let Me Have My Apple Back)
22 Wicked Wicked Woman
23 Hey Little Angel
24 Stomp The Tumbarumba
25 I Beg Of You
26 Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
27 Blue Suede Shoes
28 Be Bop A Lula
29 That's Alright Mama
30 Heartbreak Hotel
31 Rock And Roll (I Gave You All The Best Years Of My Life)
A big thanks to D&J @ Old Melodies blog for active link.
The biggest '50s rock & roll star to come out of New Zealand, Johnny Devlin was a major player in the early Australian rock & roll scene. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On is a 31-track Australian retrospective of his career, which largely consists of faithful covers of American hits like Jimmie Lloyd's "I Got a Rocket in My Pocket" and Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock." Some of the most fascinating tracks marry rock & roll with a regional sensibility, resulting in the excellent "Koala Bear" and the impenetrably slangy "Got a Zack in the Back of My Pocket." There is plenty of exciting vintage rock & roll here alongside teen-oriented novelties and pop/rockers. The collection concludes with "Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)," a late, nostalgic recording on which Devlin recalls his rockin' glory days. (AllMusic Review by Greg Adams.)
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