Vicky O’Keefe in tribute
A tribute to Johnny O’Keefe, performed by his daughter and his friend, will be held in West Ryde on the 40th anniversary of his death.
Northern District Times
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October marks the 40th anniversary of “The Wild One”, and a special concert will be held in tribute in West Ryde.
Australian rock ‘n’ roll performer Johnny O’Keefe, famous for chart toppers like She’s My Baby, I’m Counting On You and Shout, died on October 6, 1978.
Forty years later, on the same date, a concert will be held at the Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club featuring his daughter Vicky and his friend Digger Revell.
Vicky, who plans to record her fourth album next year, and Digger have worked together on and off for the past 20 years, often appearing at the same music festivals.
The pair have toured together for the past 12 months, bringing a combination of their own music as well as the classic sounds of JOK.
“It’s really nice to connect with the audience and talk with them and share memories of my father, especially on this big anniversary,” she said.
Vicky, who grew up in Sydney but now lives in the Gold Coast, said it was “really good to get back to Sydney”.
“I always feel like I’m going home,” she said.
Vicky will open the show on October 6 and perform a mix of her own music as well as tributes to her dad, followed by some duets with Digger.
Along with her two brothers, Vicky started playing piano at the age of five and music has always been a major part of her life.
“I started playing guitar and songs when I was about nine and I continued writing songs when I was a young teenager so I’ve been writing all my life,” she said.
“And that’s all I ever wanted to do was write songs, perform them live and play music.”
Vicky, who was 17 when her father died, has fond memories of school holidays spent at JOK’s house in Double Bay.
“We always went to the Easter Show or Luna Park, really nice restaurants — we just had fun,” she said.
Vicky had planned to tour with her dad and work in his entertainment agency.
“When he died obviously I didn’t get that opportunity, but I did go and work in his agency,” she said.
She said music, recording and touring with her band, helped her cope with the “sudden loss” of her dad.
“I basically channelled all my energies into that for a long, long time to cope with dad,” she said.
Vicky said performing on the 40th anniversary of Johnny’s death would be an “emotional time” but an “exciting time as well”.
“I feel my father is around me all the time,” she said.