Col Joye
Encyclopedia
Colin Frederick Jacobsen AM
(born 13 April 1936 in Sydney
, New South Wales
), better known by his stage name Col Joye, is an Australia
n popular entertainer and entrepreneur. Joye was the first Australian rock and roll
singer to have a number one record Australia-wide, and experienced a string of chart successes in the early Australian rock and roll scene.
and Keith, Joye enjoyed a string of hits on the local and national singles charts of Australia beginning in 1959. Joye's first single, "Bye Bye Baby", reached No.3 on the Kent Music Report
charts in 1959, followed by "Clementine" also peaking at No.3. Joye's third single, "Fools Like Me", failed to reach the Australian Top 40, however his fourth single, "Oh Yeah Uh Huh", became his most successful, peaking at No.1. He also had other charting singles, including "Yes Sir That's My Baby" peaking at No.5 nationally.
Joye was an original member of Brian Henderson
's Bandstand
television program, and appeared regularly on this show for fourteen years. Joye also toured Australia with fellow Bandstand acts, including Judy Stone
, Sandy Scott, and Little Pattie
. Joye's popularity leveled off with the changes to the music scene around the time of the rise of The Beatles
, and it was not until 1973 that he had another hit record, with "Heaven Is My Woman's Love" reaching No. 1 on the Go-Set
charts in 1973.
. This business worked with developing and promoting artists including the Bee Gees
, and their brother Andy Gibb
. Their promotions company, Jacobsen Entertainment, continued into the 2000s, with Col and Kevin remaining as principal members.
, and he earned numerous gold and platinum records. On 8 June 1981 he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia
for his entertainment and philanthropic work. Joye also continued to perform publicly, including providing entertainment at the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs post-1985 NSW Rugby League grand final victory celebration. Joye was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame
in 1988, the first year of such inductions.
In 1998 Australia Post
issued a special edition set of twelve stamps celebrating the early years of Australian Rock 'n' Roll, featuring Australian hit songs from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. One of the stamps commemorated Joye, based on the song "Oh Yeah Uh Huh". Australia Post wrote that "Each of them said something about us, and told the rest of the world this is what popular culture sounds like, and it has an Australian accent".
In 2010 "Bye Bye Baby", by Col Joye and the Joy Boys with backing vocals from the Sapphires, was added to the National Film and Sound Archive
's Sounds of Australia
register. The curator's notes stated that:
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 13 April 1936 in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
), better known by his stage name Col Joye, is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n popular entertainer and entrepreneur. Joye was the first Australian rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
singer to have a number one record Australia-wide, and experienced a string of chart successes in the early Australian rock and roll scene.
Musical career
Recording as a solo artist and with his backing band The Joy Boys, which included his brothers KevinKevin Jacobsen
Kevin George Jacobsen OAM is a well-known Australian entertainment entrepreneur.Along with his brothers Colin and Keith, he was a member of prominent Australian 1960s band, The Joy Boys....
and Keith, Joye enjoyed a string of hits on the local and national singles charts of Australia beginning in 1959. Joye's first single, "Bye Bye Baby", reached No.3 on the Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
charts in 1959, followed by "Clementine" also peaking at No.3. Joye's third single, "Fools Like Me", failed to reach the Australian Top 40, however his fourth single, "Oh Yeah Uh Huh", became his most successful, peaking at No.1. He also had other charting singles, including "Yes Sir That's My Baby" peaking at No.5 nationally.
Joye was an original member of Brian Henderson
Brian Henderson
Brian Weir Henderson AM is a New Zealand-born Australian television personality and news-reader.-Career:Henderson hosted the Australian version of Bandstand from 1958 until 1972...
's Bandstand
Bandstand (Australia)
Bandstand was an Australian musical/variety television show which screened from November 1958 to 1972. It was produced at the studios of TCN-9 in Sydney and eventually became a national program as Nine Network expanded into other Australian cities in the early 1960s.Bandstand was created by Nine...
television program, and appeared regularly on this show for fourteen years. Joye also toured Australia with fellow Bandstand acts, including Judy Stone
Judy Stone
Judy Stone is an Australian pop singer from Sydney, who came to national prominence in the early 1960s through her regular TV appearances on the Australian pop music show Brian Henderson's Bandstand and her many hit records...
, Sandy Scott, and Little Pattie
Little Pattie
Little Pattie is the stage name of Australian singer, Patricia Thelma Amphlett OAM later Patricia Thompson, who performed as a 1960s surf pop singer and then in adult contemporary music...
. Joye's popularity leveled off with the changes to the music scene around the time of the rise of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, and it was not until 1973 that he had another hit record, with "Heaven Is My Woman's Love" reaching No. 1 on the Go-Set
Go-Set
Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble...
charts in 1973.
Entrepreneurship
During the period between personal musical successes in the 1960s, Col and Kevin Jacobsen built an influential entertainment management, publishing, and recording business, including ATA Studios in Glebe, NSWGlebe, New South Wales
Glebe is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located 3 km south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region....
. This business worked with developing and promoting artists including the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
, and their brother Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb was an English singer and teen idol, and the youngest brother of the family whose other male siblings formed the Bee Gees: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.-The early years:...
. Their promotions company, Jacobsen Entertainment, continued into the 2000s, with Col and Kevin remaining as principal members.
Awards and recognition
Joye won several music awards, including two ARIA Music AwardsARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
, and he earned numerous gold and platinum records. On 8 June 1981 he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for his entertainment and philanthropic work. Joye also continued to perform publicly, including providing entertainment at the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs post-1985 NSW Rugby League grand final victory celebration. Joye was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
in 1988, the first year of such inductions.
In 1998 Australia Post
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
issued a special edition set of twelve stamps celebrating the early years of Australian Rock 'n' Roll, featuring Australian hit songs from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. One of the stamps commemorated Joye, based on the song "Oh Yeah Uh Huh". Australia Post wrote that "Each of them said something about us, and told the rest of the world this is what popular culture sounds like, and it has an Australian accent".
In 2010 "Bye Bye Baby", by Col Joye and the Joy Boys with backing vocals from the Sapphires, was added to the National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
's Sounds of Australia
Sounds of Australia
The National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia is a public registry of recordings that celebrates the unique and diverse recorded sound culture and history of Australia.The Registry was launched in February 2007 with a foundation list of ten...
register. The curator's notes stated that:
There is not a lot to this pop song, written by American Frank McNulty, other than a catchy title hook. The lyrics are about the singer saying goodbye to his girlfriend and how lonely he will be without her until the next time they meet.The original recording was made using a nylon string guitar, bass (wonderfully out of tune in the beginning) and minimalist drums with Col Joye almost whispering the vocals (as he had a cold at the time). This is the released version, with added celeste and ‘ooh-ahh’ backing vocals from the Sapphires, presumably to give it a little more musical interest.
Personal life
In 1990, while pruning a neighbour's tree with a chainsaw as a favour, Joye slipped and fell six metres onto brick paving below, striking his head and falling into a coma, as well as sustaining serious lower back and shoulder injuries. Initially given a poor prognosis, he eventually recovered to start performing again in 1998, and in 2008 celebrated his 50th Anniversary in show business.External links
- Listen to an excerpt of 'Bye Bye Baby' on australianscreen online