Normie Rowe
| Normie Rowe | |
|---|---|
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Rowe in 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Norman John Rowe |
| Born |
1 February 1947 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Rock n Roll |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1960s–2006 |
| Labels | Festival, Astor, Sunshine |
Norman John "Normie" Rowe AM (born 1 February 1947) is an Australian singer of pop music in the 1960s, and an actor of theatre and soap opera for which he remains best known as Doug Morrell in 1980s serial (in Sons and Daughters). As a singer he was credited for his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence. Many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Nat Kipner and later by Pat Aulton, house producers for the Sunshine Records label. Backed by his band, The Playboys, Rowe released a string of Australian pop hits on the Sunshine Records label that kept him at the top of the Australian charts and made him the most popular solo performer of the mid-1960s. Rowe's double-sided hit "Que Sera Sera" / "Shakin' All Over" was one of the most successful Australian singles of the 1960s.
Between 1965 and 1967 Rowe was Australia's most popular male star but his career was cut short when he was drafted for compulsory military service (called National Service in Australia) in late 1967. His subsequent tour of duty in Vietnam effectively ended his pop career and he was never able to recapture the success in music he enjoyed at his peak, and instead carving out a career in theatre.
Rowe was born in Melbourne. He was drawn to music early in life. He began singing with his local church choir in Melbourne while at primary school. He was hooked on rock and roll music even before his teens and Col Joye became one of his early idols and inspirations. He took up guitar and formed his first amateur band, The Valiants, while he was in high school, at Northcote High. They performed once a month at Alphington Methodist Hall. He concentrated on singing and made his first stage appearance as a lead vocalist in a music school concert, aged 14.
By luck, the show was compered by top Melbourne radio DJ Stan Rofe. Rofe was impressed by Rowe's talent and arranged for him to work with local dance promoter Kevin McClellan. He began performing regularly at Melbourne dances and discos, backed by instrumental groups like The Thunderdbirds, The Impostors and finally The Playboys, who became his permanent band until 1967.
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