Pop Archives

Normie Rowe - Everything’s Alright (1965)

(Simon Stavely - Stuart James - Keith Karlson - John Konrad - Nicholas Crouch)
Australia Australia

Track on Normie Rowe's first album, It Aint Necessarily So, But It Is… Normie Rowe (July 1965).

Also a single on Sunshine, QK-1075,  (September 1965) which appears to have been withdrawn at some stage, or even unreleased as Dean Mittelhauser has suggested (cited by Ian McFarlane, for whom the single release is "mysterious").

The other side of the single was I Confess, an original written by Normie Rowe with Nat Kipner that also appeared on It Aint Necessarily So, But It Is… Normie Rowe.

Melbourne singer Normie Rowe became Australia's top teen idol of the late 60s and the star of Ivan Dayman's Sunshine label. He had a string of hits in Australia from 1965, recorded four singles in London, toured Britain and America, and even inspired a tribute song, Norman-Normie. After he was conscripted to serve in Vietnam he never regained his earlier 'King of Pop' status, but he re-established himself as a respected performer, especially on stage, starring in such productions as Les Miserables and Annie.

References: 1. Sunshine label history and discography at Milesago 2. Ian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop (1999), p.536.
Thanks to Terry Stacey for suggestion and for IDing the original.
Further reading: 1. Normie Rowe biography at Milesago. 2. Official site at NormieRowe.com


The Mojos - Everything’s Al’ Right (1964)

(Simon Stavely - Stuart James - Keith Karlson - John Konrad - Nicholas Crouch)
UK UK
Original version
#9 UK

Single on Decca.


The writers are the five members of The Mojos, four of them using pseudonyms or stage names: Terence O'Toole (as Simon Stavely), Stuart Slater (as Stuart James), Keith Alcock (as Keith Karlson), John Conrad (as John Konrad), and Nicholas Crouch.


The Mojos were a popular Liverpool group that also worked in Hamburg. Evolved from The Nomads, the line-up was Stu James, vocals, Nicky Crouch, guitar & vocals, Terry O'Toole, piano, Keith Karlson, bass guitar and John Conrad, drums.

Of seven Mojos singles on Decca 1963-1967, this was the first of three that charted, all in 1964. The others were Why Not Tonight (#25 UK) and Seven Daffodils (#30 UK), also recorded in Australia by Chaos And Co.

The Mojos and Everything's Al' Right feature in the 1965 film Every Day's A Holiday with Freddie & The Dreamers.

References: 1. The Mojos at British Beat Boom [archived page at oocities.org from defunct Geocities site].2. US Copyright Office for listing of the writers' pseudonyms: copyright renewal RE0000578086 / 1992-02-03.


Jennifer Ryall - Everything’s Alright (1972)

(Andrew Lloyd-Webber - Tim Rice)
Australia Australia
Red herring
#24 Sydney

SAME TITLE BUT NOT THE SAME SONG AS
'EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT' BY NORMIE ROWE.

Song from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, original version by Yvonne Elliman in the role of Mary Magdalene (1970).

See under Jennifer RyallEverything's Alright (1972) for more details.


  Some other red herrings:

The NewbeatsEverything's Alright (John D. Loudermilk)
USA 1965 Single on Hickory by Nashville vocal trio featuring the falsetto of Larry Henley (see 'Wind Beneath My Wings').
Billy PrestonEverything's All Right* (Billy Preston)
USA 1964 Track on That's The Way God Planned It, album by R&B singer-keyboardist (1946-2006), associate of The Beatlesplayed on Let It Be, charted solo hits in USA 1972-1974.


*Billy Preston's song title would be all right with the grammarians:
all right or alright? The spelling all right is correct: the spelling alright is wrong.
         – Bloomsbury Good Word Guide (1990), p.11


David Bowie - Everything’s Alright (1973)

(Simon Stavely - Stuart James - Keith Karlson - John Konrad - Nicholas Crouch)
UK UK
Later version

On Pin-ups, David Bowie's tribute album to the 60s. (See also Friday On My Mind.)