Kevin Johnson (singer)

Kevin Johnson (b. c. 1943, Kevin Stephen Johnsoncite web | title= Australasian Performing Right Association | publisher= APRA | url= http://www.apra.com.au/site/public/searchworksresult.stm |accessdate=2007-09-22 ] Rockhampton, cite web | title= Kevin Johnson Biography | publisher= Kevin Johnson |url=http://www.rocknrolligaveyou.com/bio.html | accessdate=2007-09-22 ] Queensland) is an Australian singer and songwriter, most active in the 1970s. He is best known for the song "Rock and Roll I Gave You the Best Years of My Life" (1973).

Early years

Johnson is the only son of Richard Johnson (timber contractor) and Elinor Johnson (post office / telephone exchange operator) and began his singing career in Rockhampton with the Candymen. In the early 1960s he worked for the Queensland Department of Roads as a clerk; playing and singing at night and writing songs in any spare time. Some of his songs came to the notice of rock and roll star Col Joye who signed him to his publishing company. Johnson recorded his first single, "Woman You Took My Life" (1968) in Sydney but it had little chart success. His first hit single "Bonnie Please Don't Go" aka "She's Leavin'"(1971) reached #12 in Melbourne Australia.cite book |last= Guest |first= Thomas J.|title= Thirty Years Of Hits (1960-1990)|publisher= M. J. Moloney| date= 1991 | location= Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia|isbn= 0-646-04633-0]

Rock And Roll

Johnson's best known song, which charted in several countries, was "Rock and Roll I Gave You the Best Years of My Life" in 1973. It reached #10 in Melbourne and remained in the charts through early 1974.

According to a 2002 interview with music journalist, Debbie Kruger, the song...:"... reflected his frustration with his own stagnation, and the futile attempts of Australian artists trying to break into America or England..."cite web |title= The long run |date= 14 February 2002|author= Debbie Kruger |publisher= "The Sydney Morning Herald" | url= http://www.debbiekruger.com/writer/freelance/jam.html |accessdate= 2007-09-22 ]

The song is a story of a singer recalling his childhood dream of being a star and follows his life through his musical work, with some close breaks but he is faced with the ultimate outcome that he is not destined to become a star. The song, however, ends on an upbeat note from the would-be celebrity proclaiming "I thank the lord for giving me the little that I knew". The song has been covered by several artists including fellow Australians Col Joye and Digby Richards and international artists such as Mac Davis, Gary Glitter and Tom Jones. Some cover artists leave out the lyric "... I'd never be a star".

He later re-wrote this song to be "Aussie Rules I Thank You for the Best Years of Our Lives", for the official AFL Centenary Song (1996) where it was used as an anthem before AFL games.

JAM

Johnson formed JAM (Johnson Ashdown McClellan) with Doug Ashdown ("Winter In America" aka "Leave Love Enough Alone") and Mike McClellan ("Song and Dance Man"). They have toured around Australia through the 2000s. [ cite web | title= Doug Ashdown article on HowlSpace | author= Chris Spencer | publisher= HowlSpace | url= http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/comeback/index0705.htm | accessdate= 2007-09-22 ]

elected Discography

Albums

* "In The Quiet Corners Of My Mind" (1969)
* "Rock And Roll I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life" (1974)
* "Man of the 20th Century" (1976)cite web | title= Australian Rock Database | publisher= Magnus Holmgren | url= http://hem.passagen.se/honga/aussie.html | accessdate= 2007-09-22 ]
* "Journeys" (1978)
* "The Best of Kevin Johnson" (1979 compilation)
* "Night Rider" (1980)
* "In the Spirit of the Times" (1985)
* "The Sun Will Shine Again" (1996)
* "Songs from a Troubled World" 2006)

ingles

* "Woman You Took My Life" (1968)
* "Bonnie Please Don't Go" (aka "She's Leaving") (1971)
* "Rock And Roll I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life" (1973)

References

External links

* [http://www.rocknrolligaveyou.com Official Site]