(Mike Wilsh - Mike Deighan)
Australia
#28 Melbourne #22 Perth
Graham Francis "Smacka" Fitzgibbon (1930-1979) was a popular Melbourne jazz musician, entertainer and restaurateur.
His big hit in Australia was The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972), from the Australian comedy movie.
Some sources wrongly list this as the original version of Waterloo Road.
Single on the Fable label. (See the story of Fable at Milesago.)
(Mike Wilsh - Mike Deighan)
UK
Original version
Single on Philips label.
Band signed to Philips by A&R man Fritz Fryer, a former member of The Four Pennies. Writers Wilsh and Deighan had also been in The Four Pennies.
Also recorded by another member of The Four Pennies, Lionel Morton (1969).
The Four Pennies had a #1 hit in the UK in 1964 with Juliet, written by Wilsh, Fryer & Morton.
Further reading: Jason Crest page at Marmalade Skies.
Thanks to HoneyDHont for background, via The Originals.
(Mike Wilsh - Mike Deighan - P. Delano?)
France
French hit version of Waterloo Road.
Joe Dassin (1938-1980) was an American born and raised singer with French background who worked mainly in France, where he was a star. He also acted in some films, including La legge (1959) and Topkapi (1964), directed by his father Jules Dassin.
Les Champs-Elysees is heard on the soundtrack of Wes Anderson's 2007 film The Darjeeling Limited.
Other Australian connections: Joe Dassin recorded a French-language version of Turn Down Day: see under Normie Rowe's version, Dassin also recorded Kevin Johnson's Rock And Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life).
Further reading: 1. Unofficial site at JoeDassin.info. 2. Joe Dassin at Wikipedia. 3. Joe Dessin filmography (including soundtrack appearances) at IMDb.
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Website by Lyn Nuttall. © Lyn Nuttall 2004-2023. 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…