Col Joye

Col Joye was Australia's first "pop" star. In 1957 Colin Jacobson joined his brother Kevin's jazz group, the KJ Quintet on rhythm guitar, just as rock and roll music was emerging. The group decided to become one of the first Sydney acts to play the new music, and Colin became its featured vocalist.

They performed wherever they could, more often than not having to organize and run the gigs themselves. They weren't innovators. Their contribution to Australian rock was the way they were able to improvise to get the desired result. Using the rock and roll movies from America as reference, younger brother Keith built the group the electric guitars and amplifiers that weren't available in Australian music stores. Col became famous for his unique 'horned' guitar. They also painted their shoes white before each performance. As well as watching the latest teen movies, on some occasions the band also performed in front of the screen as "support" act to films like 'The Tommy Steele Story'

The KJ Quintet was getting quite a reputation around town, when a local promoter was putting on a major concert and the band won a place on the bill. Thinking this might be a good time to choose a name more in keeping with their new music style, the band came up with Col Joye and The Joy Boys. Just as quickly, they changed their minds, but it was too late. The concert posters had been printed.

The band also caught the eye of Festival Records, and after two EPs and a cover version of Lloyd Price's 'Stagger Lee' Col Joye and the Joy Boys hit the charts in March 1959 with 'Bye Bye Baby' an original song found for them by 2GB disc jockey John Burls. It was a good song, but maybe Col's vocals also accidentally sounded more Australian than any other record the country had heard. The singer had a head cold the day of the recording session, and as a result sounds quite nasally in the chorus. His wheezes and sniffs had been edited out as best as possible.

The Joy Boys' piano player, brother Kevin, was already showing his entrepreneurial flair. It was Kevin who organized for Col to make exclusive performances on Channel Nine's youth oriented hit music family show 'Bandstand'. As well as performing his own records, Col and the band were seen performing popular hits by others. Col Joye might have opted to go in that direction anyway, but 'Bandstand' helped cast Col in the boy next door Mr.Nice Guy role, like a Pat Boone or Ricky Nelson rather than as an Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis. Johnny O'Keefe had claimed that role for himself anyway.

Col Joye and the Joy Boys' third hit, October 1959's 'Oh Yeah Uh Huh' (TV performance on YouTube) holds the distinction of being Australia's first locally recorded national number one pop hit. The only other previous local number one record was country singer Slim Dusty's 'Pub With No Beer'. 'Oh Yeah Uh Huh' is also remembered for its unusual backing, the beat provided by the sound of a typewriter.

Col Joye's popularity reached a point where two full time staff were required to cope with all the fan mail. Until 1964 the hits kept coming. Nothing spectacular, professional workman-like records catering to the market of the day, some cover versions and some new songs, often with Col and the Joy Boys augmented by vocal groups like the Bradley Sisters, the Graduates, the Sapphires and the Delltones. Col Joye also perfomed records on his own, and the Joy Boys scored instrumental hits on their own.

Then the Beatles hit and it was all so different. Col Joye had to wait nine years for another hit, 1973's middle of the road ballad, 'Heaven Is My Woman's Love', another national number one, 14 years after the first.

In the meantime, Col Joye and brother Kevin Jacobson built up a strong business in representation management and publishing. They worked on the careers of artists like Little Pattie and Judy Stone, were instrumental in unearthing the Bee Gees, and encouraging Barry Gibb's songwriting. By the time the youngest Gibb, Andy, was ready to start a music career he was able to record for the Jacobsons' ATA label. While Kevin Jacobson retired from the stage completely, Col Joye continued a steady performing and recording career.