The Life and Times of Johnny O'Keefe
An elemental force present at the creation of Australian rock n' roll, Johnny O'Keefe converted incredible drive, a tremendous flair for showmanship and larrikin spirit into status as this country's first rock star and, two decades after his death, a national icon.
Johnny was dead at 43, after 30 hit singles and 28 albums, and a succession of (self-inflicted) disasters - a near fatal car crash, a much publicised series of nervous breakdowns, bouts of alchholism and drug addiction. Few in the world of popular music begrudged him the title of "the King of Australian Rock n' Roll".
To write this book Damian interviewed Johnny's family, fellow musicians, staff, friends and promoters. 'The Wild One' is Johnny's story but it is also the story of the arrival of the cult of the teenager, of pop radio in the age of payola, the birth of TV, of bodgies and widgies, mods and rockers.
