Lonnie Lee

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Lonnie Lee on the microphone

Lonnie Lee (* 18th September 1940 in Rowena as David Laurence Rix ) is an Australian rockabilly, country and pop singer, who has been in business since the 1956th

Life

Lonnie's parents David and Nancy ran a sheep farm in Rowena. His sister Elizabeth was three years younger. Lonnie attended school in Sydney , which he graduated from high school in 1955. He then learned accounting and worked in various jobs, including as a cowboy, truck driver, as well as an employee at a bank and radio.

Lonnie Lee on stage in 1959

His music career began in 1956 when he appeared on the radio show Alan Toohey's Amateur Hour . This led to some small engagements at parties and in hotels. At the time he was impressed by Bill Haley's arrangements , the sound of the electric guitars used on recordings by Elvis Presley , Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley , and Presley's singing style. In February 1957 he won the MGM -hosted Australia's own Elvis Presley competition and was then able to put together a trio. Together with his colleague Johnny O'Keefe he wrote the song Ain't it So , which he was able to release as his first single in 1959 on Leedon Records . The record was so successful that the first television appearances followed.

His second single Starlight, Starbright , a composition by the American songwriter John Marascalco , was also a hit in 1960. This was followed by Yes Indeed I do , I Found a New Love and Defenseless . Then from 1961 Sit Around and Talk , When the Bells Stop Ringing , Sitting by the River , Don't you Know Pretty Baby and others. Promoter Lee Gordon organized several tours in Australia during this time. Lonnie Lee shared the stage with national greats such as O'Keefe, Col Joye and Johnny Davlin as well as international stars, including the Everly Brothers , Ricky Nelson , Johnny Cash , Roy Orbison , Crash Craddock , Jerry Lee Lewis , Tommy Sands and Fabian . The peak of his career lasted until around 1963, when the Beatlemania, the established rock 'n' roll interpreters, lost demand.

Nevertheless, he continued to tour, now also internationally: After a first tour in New Zealand, he also played in Europe. Between 1971 and 1984 he worked in the United States, where he toured with his own band and where he played songs and music from his home in Nashville. a. wrote for Roy Orbison, Cher , Florence Henderson, and Glen Campbell .

Since the mid-1980s Lonnie Lee moved back to Australia, where he worked as a musician with his band "The Leemen" is on the way ahead and Starlite released on his own label Records recordings, including 2005 Can not You See It in My Eyes Another Marascalco composition. In 2016 he celebrated his 60th stage anniversary, which was followed by an anniversary album with Back to Base X in 2019 .

Discography

Lee Gordon 587
  • 1959 - Ain't It So / Shame on You, Miss Johnson , Leedon LS-573
  • 1960 - Starlight, Starbright / She's Doin 'Me Wrong , Lee Gordon LS-587
  • 1960 - Yes, Indeed I Do / Lover Doll , Lee Gordon LS-596
  • 1960 - Defenceless / I Found A New Love , Lee Gordon LS-601
  • 1961 - Sit Around and Talk to Me / Baby Baby Bye Bye , Leedon LS-6055
  • 1961 - You're Gonna Miss Me / Sitting by the River , Leedon LK-48
  • 1962 - When the Bells Stop Ringing / Sunday , Leedon LK-171
  • 1962 - Don't You Know (Pretty Baby) / Sure-Fire Bet , Leedon LK-203
  • 1962 - Marylin / Too Soon to Know , Leedon LK-270
  • 1963 - Acres of Everything But Love / I'd Like to Leave If I May , Leedon LK-415
  • 1963 - She Is the One Girl for Me (The Great Escape March) / Fun in the Summer Sun , Leedon LK-491
  • 1964 - I Need You Now / Free, Free Man , His Master's Voice EA-4632
  • 1964 - On the Run / My Baby Don't 'Low , His Master's Voice EA-4662
  • 1965 - More Than Yesterday / Love's Gonna Live Here , His Master's Voice EA-4663
  • 1965 - Little White House / The Waltz You Saved for Me , His Master's Voice EA-4722
  • 1971 - Hello, Love / Sad over Someone , Sunshine QK-4066
  • 1971 - Starlight, Starbright / The Traveler , Sunshine QK-4338
  • 1986 - (It's) Johnny Rock 'n Roll / (I'm) Holding On , Starlite ST 801
  • 2005 - Can't You See It in My Eyes , Starlite ST 820

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Biography Overview (accessed February 23, 2018)
  2. ^ Damian Johnstone: The Wild One. The Life and Times of Johnny O'Keefe . Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest 2001, p. 27.
  3. ^ Damian Johnstone: The Wild One. The Life and Times of Johnny O'Keefe . Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest 2001, pp. 90ff.
  4. ^ Damian Johnstone: The Wild One. The Life and Times of Johnny O'Keefe . Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest 2001, p. 198.
personal data
SURNAME Lee, Lonnie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rix, David Laurence (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian singer
DATE OF BIRTH September 18, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Rowena (New South Wales)