Ross D. Wyllie - The Star (1969)

(Johnny Young)
 Australia
Original version
#4 Sydney #3 Melbourne #1 Brisbane #3 Adelaide #15 Perth

Single on Festival by Brisbane singer and nationally known TV presenter who later went into production and public relations.

See also Ross D. Wyllie’s hit record Funny Man.

The Star was written by Johnny Young, Australian pop star of the 60s who also wrote Russell Morris’s The Real Thing. See also, for example, his own hit Cara-Lyn.

Ross D. Wyllie has said that his reason for taking up singing was “one word: polio”, after the childhood disease left him unable to take part in sports. He sang with Brisbane band The Kodiaks before going solo and being signed by Sunshine Records. He was backed by The Escorts, on tour and on record, and his first single (1967) was credited to Ross D. Wyllie And The Escorts.

He became a familiar face when he hosted national TV pop shows Uptight (from 1967) and its successor Happening ’70. He had a handful of charting singles 1969-1972, notably his 1969 hits Funny Man (#15 Australia) and The Star (#1 Australia).

Further reading: 1. The Wikipedia article on Ross D. Wyllie is probably the most thorough source online and has been recently updated (2023). 2. Ross D. Wyllie interview by Rev Bill Crews on 4BC, 2023 includes the background to Johnny Young’s composition of The Star.