Australia may have “turned to America” during WWII, but culturally, it was still doggedly British. This changed in the 1950s. We look at one arbiter of the change – Lee Gordon – an American with a shady backstory who arrived in Sydney in 1953 and within a year had created the Australian concert circuit! And how! But it’s a very strange story too, and poses a lot of questions….
Hear choice samples from some of the acts Gordon brought to Australia; Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, LaVern Baker and more.
Playlist
Lee Gordon: Get The Message
Elmer Bernstein: The Street
Eddie Cochran: Scratchin’
Gene Vincent: Catman
Frank Sinatra: I Got The World On A String
Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Hums The Blues
Johnnie Ray: Lotus Blossom
LaVern Baker: Tiny Tim
Elvis Presley: Reconsider Baby
Alis Lesley: Handsome Man
Johnny O’Keefe: Don’t You Know
Chuck Berry: Downbound Train
Little Richard: Directly From My Heart
The Leemen: Make Love To Me
Lee Gordon: She’s The Ginchiest