Normie Rowe
Norman John Rowe is an Australian singer, songwriter and actor. He rose to national prominence in the mid-1960s as a pop star and teen idol, backed by The Playboys. His 1965 double A-side "Que Sera Sera"/"Shakin' All Over" was one of the most successful Australian singles of the decade.
Born in Melbourne, Rowe was inspired by rock and roll as a teenager and began performing while still in high school, leaving his job to become a professional entertainer. He was signed by local label Sunshine, where he released his biggest hits; he was credited with his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence. Rowe was named "King Of Pop" by Go-Set in 1967 and 1968. Many of his most successful recordings were produced by Nat Kipner and later by Pat Aulton, house producers for the Sunshine label. His string of consecutive top ten singles in the mid-1960s made him the most popular solo performer of the era, although attempts to break into the United Kingdom were unsuccessful.
Rowe was drafted for National Service in late 1967. His subsequent tour of duty in Vietnam, which lasted from 1968 to 1970, effectively ended his pop career, and his reputation was affected by the anti-war movement and stigma around returning soldiers. Unable to recapture the musical success he enjoyed at his peak in the 1960s, he pursued a career in theatre and television, including a role on Seven Network soap opera Sons and Daughters. In 1991, he was involved in a physical fight on live television with broadcaster Ron Casey after the latter made derogatory remarks regarding Rowe's service in Vietnam.
In October 1979 Rowe's first child, Adam, died in an accident, and later his daughter, Erin, died just before Christmas in December 2022.
Biography
Early life: 1947–1964
Rowe was born and raised in Northcote in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was drawn to music early in life, and began singing with his local church choir in Melbourne while at primary school. He was hooked on rock and roll music even before his teens, and Col Joye became one of his early idols and inspirations. He took up guitar and formed his first amateur band, The Valiants, whilst attending Northcote High School. The band performed once a month at Alphington Methodist Hall. He concentrated on singing and made his first stage appearance as a lead vocalist in a school concert, aged 14.By luck, the show was compered by top Melbourne radio DJ Stan Rofe. Rofe was impressed by Rowe'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 Thunderbirds, The Impostors and, finally, The Playboys, who became his permanent band until 1967.
After leaving high school at the end of 1962, Rowe joined the Postmaster-General's Department on 14 January 1963. He 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 became a popular attraction and it was not long before he was picked to become a regular on Melbourne pop TV shows like Teen Scene and The Go!! Show. According to music historian Ed Nimmervoll, EMI had the chance to sign him but turned him down, claiming that he could not sing. He was signed to a recording deal with the independent label, Sunshine, which included a management deal with the Ivan Dayman organisation.
Music career
Sixties stardom
Rowe's first single, released in April 1965, was a brooding "beat" arrangement of George Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" a choice suggested by Stan Rofe. It was a Number 1 hit in Melbourne and a Top Ten hit in most other capitals cities, even though Sydney pop station 2SM, then owned by the Catholic Church, banned it because of its supposedly sacrilegious lyrics. The inspiration for Rowe's version was apparently a 1963 version by the United Kingdom band Ian and the Zodiacs. Some references cite the source as a version by The Merseybeats, but that band never recorded "It Ain't Necessarily So". The name of the Ian and the Zodiacs' album, This Is Merseybeat, has apparently been confused with the name of the band The Merseybeats.Rowe's first LP was released in July 1965. His second single, apparently discovered while trawling through Rofe's vast record collection, released in August, was a cover of Ben E. King's "I ". It became his second Top 10 hit .
Although Rowe's third single, "I Confess" / "Everything's Alright", was apparently withdrawn before or soon after release, the next single became the biggest hit of his career. The A-side was a cover of "Que Sera Sera", which was given a "Merseybeat" treatment, in the manner of The Beatles' "Twist & Shout". Paired with a powerful version of the Johnny Kidd & The Pirates classic "Shakin' All Over", the single became a double-sided No. 1 hit in most capitals in September, charting for 28 weeks and selling in unprecedented numbers—rock historian Ian McFarlane reports sales of 80,000 copies while 1970s encyclopedist Noel McGrath claimed sales of 100,000, and it is reputed to be the biggest-selling Australian single of the 1960s. Rowe scored another first in October by having three hit singles in the Melbourne Top 40 simultaneously.
An oft-repeated story that the whistle used in the arrangement was an innovation by the record's producer appears to be unfounded, because very similar arrangements, complete with whistle, had been recorded on earlier versions by Earl Royce & The Olympics and by The High Keys.
Rowe's success continued through late 1965 and into the first half of 1966, during which time he scored another three consecutive Top Ten singles. "Tell Him I'm Not Home", a cover of a song originally recorded by Chuck Jackson in 1963, was a Top 5 hit in most mainland capitals, reaching #4 in Sydney, #2 in Melbourne, #2 in Adelaide and #1 in Melbourne It was followed by his version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "The Breaking Point" which became his second double-sided hit, a number #1 in Brisbane and making the Top Ten in all mainland capitals, peaking at #9 in Adelaide, #8 in Sydney, #2 in Melbourne and Perth, #1 in Brisbane.
"Pride & Joy" was also Top Ten in most state capitals. That single is also notable for its B-side, a cover of "The Stones That I Throw", written by Robbie Robertson, originally recorded in 1965 by Levon & the Hawks, later known as The Band. He appeared in the 1966 musical comedy film Don't Let It Get You. In the mid-year, he joined The Easybeats, Bobby & Laurie and MPD Ltd on "The Big Four" national tour that played to huge crowds around the country.
United Kingdom: 1966–1968
Rowe 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 line-up of his backing band, the Playboys. Several members opted to stay in Australia for family reasons, so Rowe replaced them with bassist Brian Peacock and guitarist Rod Stone, both from the ex-New Zealand band The Librettos, which had recently split.Arriving in London ahead of his band, Rowe engaged Ritchie Yorke as his London agent and began to record with producers Trevor Kennedy and John Carter, using the cream of London's session musicians, including Big Jim Sullivan, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, famed drummer Clem Cattini, and vocal group The Breakaways. The sessions produced several strong new recordings, including "Ooh La La", "It's Not Easy", "Mary Mary", "Turn on the Love Light" and "Can't Do Without Your Love". Despite his absence in London, Rowe's run of chart success in Australia continued. His next single, "Ooh La La" / "Ain't Nobody Home" was another double-sided hit in Melbourne and a Top 5 hit in most capitals, reaching #2 in Sydney, and #4 in Brisbane and Adelaide.
Up to that time, there was no national pop chart in Australia, with most pop radio stations and newspapers in state capitals and major cities publishing their own competing charts. However, on 5 October 1966, Go-Set magazine, which had been launched in February, began publishing a weekly national Top 40, compiled by Ed Nimmervoll. "Ooh La La" / "Mary, Mary" debuted at #6 on the new Go-Set chart on 7 December 1966, and reached #1 in the 21 December chart, hence becoming Rowe's first official national #1 hit. It stayed at #1 for two weeks before being briefly supplanted by The Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind" on 4 January, but returned to the top for the next two weeks.
While "Ooh La La" was at #1 in Australia, Rowe's next single, the ballad "It's Not Easy" was also climbing the chart. It debuted at #17 in the Go-Set chart in the last week of December 1966, and reached the Top 10 in the second week of January. Through the end of January and into February, Rowe achieved a first for an Australian popular recording artist by having two of the top three singles simultaneously for three consecutive weeks. Rowe worked in England for ten months and toured with acts including 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 featured predictions of his imminent UK stardom, though that never materialised.
The new Playboys lineup arrived in London in December, but Rowe flew home for Christmas, which coincided with the release of "It's Not Easy" / "Mary Mary". He returned to England in January and, in March 1967, the group embarked on a tour of the UK, supporting The Troggs, Gene Pitney and Sounds Incorporated. That same month, Phil Blackmore left the group for family reasons and returned to Australia, being replaced by English organist Trevor Griffin. Rod Stone left in mid-1967 and returned to Australia, after which he joined band The Groove. He was replaced by former Adam Faith sideman Mick Rogers. At the end of 1966, Rowe was voted Australia's best male singer in the inaugural Go-Set Pop Poll.
Meanwhile, The Playboys secured a one-off single deal with Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records 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 Records' Kicks and Rhino's Nuggets II. In June, Normie Rowe and the Playboys travelled to North America, supporting Roy Orbison on a US tour and, along with The Seekers, he represented Australia in performance at Expo '67 in Montreal. He returned to Australia in July, where he appeared as a special guest at the national finals of the 1967 Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds.
Rowe had more national chart success in late 1967 with the Graham Gouldman song "Going Home", assumed to be about the Vietnam War, but really about a migrant's return to Australia from Britain, which debuted at #22 in the Go-Set chart in late April and stayed in the national Top Ten until the end of May, peaking at #7 in the second week of May. "Sunshine Secret" / "But I Know", and another single, "Turn Down Day" charted in Melbourne. However, in September 1967, any questions about his career future were dramatically stalled when he received his call-up notice for national service.