Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s plus some Aussie originals and some New Zealanders
Originals / Covers / Remakes / Songwriters / Chart Positions
Bobbie & Dude – Ambush (1967)
Ronnie Forte – Nervous Breakdown (1966)
The Shadows – Don’t Throw It All Away (1975)
Tommy Steele And The Steelmen – Rebel Rock (1956)
Pop-Tops – Oh Lord, Why Lord (1968)
Lazy Life, released by Sydney band Heart And Soul in 1969, had already been a #1 hit in South Africa for Quentin E. Klopjaeger in 1968.
This sounds like an obscure artist, but Klopjaeger was in fact popular singer-guitarist Billy Forrest who was far from obscure in South Africa.
Although the Klopjaeger version is much better known, the original Lazy Life was by William E, released in the UK in 1967.
William E was British singer-guitarist William E. Kimber. His band Bill Kimber And The Couriers had worked with some success in South Africa in 1963-64 when British music was taking off worldwide.
A distractor arises in the history of Lazy Life because for some reason Billy Forrest also recorded as William E, in 1971-2. This easily leads to confusion with the William E (Bill Kimber) who released Lazy Life in 1967.
So Billy Forrest recorded as Quentin E. Klopjaeger (1968) and William E (1971-2), but even "Billy Forrest" is William Charles Boardman, clearly a fan of the pseudonym.
Pop Archives
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Website by Lyn Nuttall. © Lyn Nuttall 2004-2024. Chart positions courtesy of Gavin Ryan’s Australian Chart Books and Dean Scapolo’s Complete NZ Music Charts. Special thanks to Terry Stacey for information, corrections and suggestions. Thanks also to Tony Watson, Philippe Edouard, Dave Overett.., More…