Draft:Johnny Mac
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Johnny Mac | |
|---|---|
 Mac in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Lewis John Mackereth 1932 (age 93–94) Parkside, South Australia, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Label | W&G |
| Formerly of | Downunders Band |
Lewis John Mackereth (born 1932) is an Australian singer, musician and television presenter.
Born in Parkside, South Australia. He played Australian Rules Football for Sturt prior to pursuing his career in music in Canada with the Downunders as their lead singer. He moved back to Adelaide where he started performing on both radio and television in the early 1960s and started working with songwriter Peter Hiscock from 1962. He released his records with W&G Records such as "Pink Champagne and a Room of Roses" and hosted a television show called Country Style. Mac also entertained Australian soldiers in South Vietnam in 1969 and 1971.
Early life and education
[edit]Lewis John Mackereth[1] was born in 1932 in Parkside, South Australia, as one of eight children. In his youth, he earned money selling newspapers at the tram stations in Unley Road in order to buy his first guitar. Lewis was a student at Parkside Primary School, captain of the football and cricket team.[2]
Mac progressed through Sturt Football Club's Colts and Reserves teams and won a best and fairest award while playing for Cowandilla.[2] In 1953, he played for Kenilworth in the South Australian Amateur Football League's A2 competition. Kenilworth finished second at the end of the minor round with 12 wins and six losses.[3] Mac also played for Sturt's senior team, making a further 12 league appearances in the season following his debut.[2]
In 1955, Mac left for London where he was a truck driver and mechanic.[2]
Music career
[edit]Mac started his career in music in Canada as a front man in the Downunders Band, which he created along with Johnny Burrill, John Williams and Eddie Rowe. He did performances on CKCY Radio and hosted a show on CJIC Radio. The Downunders Band also played in Michigan and backed up acts like Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison.[2]
Upon his return to Adelaide in the early 1960s, Mac played at rock clubs as well as being featured on television shows such as Stairway to the Stars, Teen Time, Adelaide Tonight, and Six O'Clock Rock.[4] His appearance on Bob Fricker's radio show, Mountain Music, contributed to his TV appearances.[2]
Collaboration between Mac and the songwriter Peter Hiscock started in 1962. "Pink Champagne and a Room of Roses" was one of the songs performed by Mac with the Starrliners in 1964 for W&G Records. Some other songs released in 1964 include "Sad Remembering," "You Turned Your Back," and "Don't Waste Time with Teardrops." These are from the album Pink Champagne and Other Favorites.[5]
Mac went on to record more songs for W&G during the mid-1960s with songs like "I Found a Flower" and "I'll Tell the Robin," which were released in 1965, followed by "That'll Be the Day" and "I Can't Turn Away," which were released in 1966.[5] Mac was also contracted by Channel Seven, Adelaide for six years to work on the show Wonderland and then Country Style.[4]
In 1967, Mac recorded the album "Railroad Tracks" and hosted the TV show, Johnny Mac's Country Style.[2][4] Mac recorded his song "Mister Sticker Licker," with Hiscock's "Just Step Back" backing him up in 1968.[5] The National Film and Sound Archive houses a TV show episode from 1969 titled "Country Style with Johnny Mac" produced and aired by ADS-7, which had Mac as the host and performer, among others like Carole Sturtzel and Denis Gibbons.[6]
In September 1969, Mac traveled to South Vietnam as part of a concert group funded by the Australian Forces Overseas Fund. This tour consisted of Lorrae Desmond, and the Wills sisters, Anne and Susan. Mac toured to all Australian forces throughout Vietnam. At Luscombe Bowl, Nui Dat, Mac performed for more than 1,200 Australian forces despite the heavy rain caused by the monsoons.[7] In 1971, Mac toured Vietnam again to perform for the troops, which he considered some of the greatest experiences in his career.[8]
Mac bought a vehicle that once belonged to Elvis Presley in 1983 and toured Australia in the following two years with this vehicle and other relics of Elvis. He performed in Millicent and Mount Gambier in 2008 with a group comprising Sturtzel with Johnny Mac's Country Style.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Mac met Barbara in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in 1956, and married her within twelve weeks. They have three daughters born in Canada and three sons in South Australia.[2]
Discography
[edit]Albums and EPs
[edit]| Year | Title[5] | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Pink Champagne and Other Favorites | Album |
| Johnny Mac's Greatest Hits | EP | |
| 1967 | Railroad Tracks | Album |
Singles
[edit]| Year | Title[5] | Artist credit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-side | B-side | ||
| 1964? | "So Sorry" | "Johnnie's Not Around" | Johnny Mac |
| 1964 | "Sad Remembering" | "You Turned Your Back" | Johnny Mac and the Starrliners |
| "Pink Champagne and a Room Full of Roses" | "It Takes More Than a Big Sombrero" | ||
| "Don't Waste Time with Teardrops" | "Down in the Well" | ||
| 1965 | "I Found a Flower" | "Wings of a Dove" | |
| "You Never Can Tell" | "A Rainbow with No One to Share" | ||
| "I'll Tell the Robin" | "Jingle Bell Rock" | ||
| 1966 | "That'll Be the Day" | "You Give Me Heartaches" | |
| "I Can't Turn Away" | "Yellow Bird" | ||
| 1967 | "Half-way Up a Hill" | "Railroad Tracks" | |
| 1968 | "Mister Sticker Licker" | "Just Step Back" | Johnny Mac and the Zodiacs |
Other listed recordings
[edit]| Year | Recording[5] | Artist credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Jamaica Farewell" | Johnny Mac and the Starrliners |
| "Sea of Heartbreak" | ||
| "A Dare to Care" | ||
| "Johnny Will" | ||
| "Devil Woman" | ||
| 1965 | "I Wonder What Became of the Daisies" | |
| 1967 | "Wooden Heart" | |
| "A Flower Every Hour" | ||
| "What's Another Heartache?" | ||
| "Red, Red Roses" | ||
| "Can't Help Those Heartaches" |
Awards and nominations
[edit]In 1978, Mac was inducted into the Australasian Country Music Hands of Fame.[9] In 1986, he was inducted into the South Australian Country Music Festival Awards Hall of Fame.[8]
In June 2012, Mac was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the performing arts as a country music singer and entertainer.[1]
In July 2014, Mac was inducted into the South Australian Music Hall of Fame at an Adelaide Music Collective event at the Goodwood Institute, alongside Elaine Moore, John Swan and the original members of the Masters Apprentices.[10]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "The Queen's Birthday 2012 Honours" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. No. S 68. 11 June 2012. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "From a Sturt footballer in Adelaide to sharing stage with USA's most famous: incredible first Johnny Mac life phase". Adelaide AZ. Archived from the original on 28 September 2026. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ Bloch, Fred (1995). A History of the South Australian Amateur Football League 1911–1994 (PDF). South Australian Amateur Football League. p. 120. ISBN 9780646249711. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2026. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Johnny Mac OAM". Ian Fisk's Country Site. Archived from the original on 28 September 2026. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Laird, Ross (2000). The Sixties: Australian Rock and Pop Recordings, 1964–1969 (PDF). National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. pp. 184–185. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ "Country Style with Johnny Mac. Ep. 21 – Title Version". National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Catalogue ID 63028.
- ↑ "Lorrae Desmond concert party DPR/TV/1174". Australian War Memorial. F04383.
- 1 2 "Mary and Johnny awarded OAMs". Country Music Bulletin. ICMB Publishing. 11 June 2012. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
- ↑ "Country Music Hands of Fame". History of Country Music in Australia. Archived from the original on 30 September 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
- ↑ "Music Collective show a tribute to Keays". InDaily. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
External links
[edit]
Category:1932 births Category:Australian country singers Category:Australian rock singers Category:20th-century Australian male singers Category:Musicians from Adelaide Category:Australian television presenters Category:Sturt Football Club players Category:W&G Records artists Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia