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July 08 2016
JOHNNY HEAP CD: RETROSPECTFULLY YOURS
Johnny Heap -
“Heapy” to his friends - enjoyed a long career on
the Australian country scene. Starting out in radio
in the mid-1950s as a country vocalist, he also
worked with rock’n’roll bands, a minstrel show, did
a stint as a country radio DJ and remained actively
involved in country music until he retired in 2006.
Johnny’s first love was always country music and the
vast majority of his recordings are in his
characteristic mellow, laid back style which
reflects his quiet, friendly personality.
Johnny’s
earliest showbusiness experiences were in the 1950s
on 3DB’s “The Hill Billies” and Neville Pellitt’s
“Harmony Trail Network”, a show that broadcast
specially recorded tapes from Shepparton, Victoria.
The radio work gave Johnny a grounding in performing
and he became respected for his professional
approach. So much so that in 1962 he was invited to
join the Rick & Thel Carey touring show, one of the
most prestigious in the business. Rick Carey had
heard one of Johnny’s tapes that Pellitt had
broadcast and decided he wanted Johnny on the Rick &
Thel Touring Show. Johnny stayed with Rick & Thel
until 1968. In the meantime he cut his first records
for Hadley* in 1966, moving on to Clarion in 1968
and CM in 1969.
* Two of those early Hadley tracks, “Another Stretch
Of Track” and “Lonely Street” from Johnny’s first
recording session in 1966, are included at the end
of this collection, courtesy of Bellbird Records,
who now own the Hadley catalogue.
After a stint as a solo artiste, Johnny joined
Nev Nicholls & The Country Playboys – another of the
biggest acts in the business - in 1970, remaining a
part of their show until 1977. Johnny was featured
on their recordings during this period – including
an album in tribute to Tom T Hall that was
mysteriously released as being by the Jimmy Weston
Band! - and regularly performed at the famous Texas
Tavern in Sydney’s Kings Cross. During this period,
Johnny also recorded his album “Sunday Afternoon And
Country Music” for W & G and this album established
him as a country crooner, with the laid-back style
that was to win him many fans over the coming years.
Johnny continued to focus on performing and
from 1974 to 1979 did not record at all. Then in
1979 he was approached by Eric Watson **, esteemed
country music discographer, songwriter and historian
and owner of Selection Records, to contribute to a
project he was putting together. The project was an
album to honour the artistes on the prestigious Roll
Of Renown in Country Music Capital, Tamworth, New
South Wales. Johnny contributed a set of Smoky
Dawson songs – he had always loved Smoky’s beautiful
songs and grew up listening to Smoky performing his
theme songs “Ridin’ With A Smile And A Song” and “Jindawarrabel”.
Smoky actually knew Jim Kelly, brother of the
infamous highwayman Ned Kelly. Jim was “The Last Of
The Kellys”. “My Heart Is Where The Roper Flows
Tonight” is a stunning example of the beauty of
Smoky’s writing.
The quality of these performances led to a
conversation between Eric and Johnny to get Johnny
back in the studio to record an album. We are
delighted to feature those Smoky Dawson tracks here,
courtesy of the family of Eric Watson.
** Eric Watson dedicated the latter years of his
life to the preservation of traditional Australian
country music. He wrote and published two volumes,
“Country Music In Australia”, Volumes One and Two,
which have become the “go-to” reference point for
collectors and scholars of the genre. He also set up
and ran Selection Records for many years and on that
label recorded many of the greatest names in
Australian country music. We are indebted to his
family for allowing these three Smoky Dawson tracks
recorded for Eric Watson by Johnny Heap to be used
on this album.
Consequently,
Johnny was back in the studio the following year to
record his now famous album “The Hordern Tree”.
Johnny wrote the title track, which gave him a lot
of exposure and became something of a country music
standard. The album cemented a firm friendship
between Johnny and Eric and once the recordings had
paid their way for Eric, he and Johnny agreed a deal
to allow Johnny to take them back as his own.
Further recordings followed – including some
reissues of the earlier material - and in accordance
with the custom in the Australian scene, these were
released across several labels including EMI, Bunyip,
R&H, Music World and Johnny’s own Smoky label.
When the Annual Country Music Festival was
established in Tamworth, Johnny became a regular
feature and his shows always drew a crowd. The shows
provided Johnny with a further opportunity to meet
new fans and sell his albums. These festival
appearances, along with his numerous road tours,
ensured there was never any shortage of work. In
1980 he was honoured by the industry when he was
inducted into the Hands Of Fame at Tamworth.
In this way, Johnny Heap remained a stalwart of
the Australian country scene until he hung up his
guitar in 2006. That is, until I played a Johnny
Heap track on my radio show, “Paul Hazell’s World Of
Country” in the UK in 2012. The track was “There’ll
Be No Teardrops Tonight” and it triggered an
immediate reaction from listeners around the world.
Johnny’s rich, gentle vocals coupled with his
simple, acoustic backing awoke a new generation of
Johnny Heap fans. So much so, that in 2014 he
returned to the studio one last time to record four
Jimmie Rodgers songs especially for the show. These
four tracks are included on this CD having never
previously been released at all.
As you listen to these songs, rejoice in the
fact that Johnny Heap never sought the pop backings
that have diluted so many country performances. What
you will hear is good country songs, sung in
Johnny’s relaxed, unique vocal style with simple
backings that compliment Johnny’s voice and the
songs, played by professional musicians who cared
about what they played. The material ranges from
classic traditional country standards like “Wedding
Bells” and “I Don’t Hurt Anymore” to Australian
country classics like Tex Morton’s “Travel By
Train”, Eddie Tapp’s “Star Of Love” and Smoky
Dawson’s “My Heart Is Where The Roper Flows
Tonight”. There are a few songs perhaps less
associated with traditional country music but still
performed in that “Heapy” country style – “Ain’t
Misbehavin’” and “For The Good Times” are excellent
examples.
The CD itself has become reality because listeners
could not believe that there was nothing available
by Johnny at the time. So, thanks to the British
Archive Of Country Music, who have organized song
clearances and production of the CD, country fans
can once again hear the music of Australia’s country
crooner, Johnny Heap.
©2015 Paul
Hazell
Freelance Country Music Writer and Broadcaster
Presenter: “Paul Hazell’s World Of Country” on
www.uckfieldfm.co.uk
Acknowledgements: Kevin Emmerson, Meroli Wicks, Alan
Seedsman (song selection), Eddie
Tapp (Cover design), Con Anag, Leo Dalton, John
Tippett (Jimmie Rodgers session),
Ron Adsett (Bellbird Records), Bill Gunther (for the
Eric Watson family)
_____________________________________________________________
Contact details:
Paul Hazell, Email: paul@pithon.co.uk
Or Email Johnny Heap
johnandshirley1@optusnet.com.au
Tel: +44 7775 545 902
Royal Mail Building (Box 3),
Brambleside,
Bellbrook Industrial Estate,
Uckfield, East Sussex,
United Kingdom
TN22 1Xx
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