DON SPENCER

Donald Richard Spencer was born on 22 March 1941 the son of John Henry and Lillian May in Tamworth. Spencer attended Tamworth High School, he played hockey as a teenager and competed in the Australian championships. At 17 he left Australia and travelled to Africa where, in his 20s, he trained with the Kenyan hockey team trying out for the Olympics. A chance meeting with locally-born, singer-songwriter, Roger Whittaker, in Nairobi inspired Spencer to buy a guitar and start his musical career.

In the early 1960s Don Spencer moved to London and became a solo singer-guitarist, supporting various acts as The Rolling Stones, the Four Seasons, The Hollies and Marianne Faithfull. His first single, "Fireball", was released on the His Master's Voice label – it was the closing theme song for the television science fiction series, Fireball XL5, written by Barry Gray. In March 1963 it reached #32 on the UK Singles Chart. Other singles included "Busy Doing Nothing", "Worried Mind", "Marriage Is for Old Folks", and a cover of The Beatles' song "In My Life". In 1964 he covered Brent Edwards version of Johnny Madara and David White's track, "Pride Is Such a Little Word".Spencer presented his own teenage pop show, Gangway!, for seven years, then co-hosted Pop-In. He later appeared in TV comedies, Face It with Ronnie Barker. 

Returning to Australia, he appeared on TV's Bandstand, and acted in Sons and Daughters, Return to Eden, and in the 1974 film Barry McKenzie Holds His Own. In 1977 Spencer wrote his next single, "What's a Pommie?", the track was covered by fellow Australians Rolf Harris, and Col Elliott. He had a long-running role on Play School on both the Australian version (1968–1997) and the United Kingdom version (1972–1989).

On Australia Day (January 26) 2007 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) with the citation "for service to children's music and television as a songwriter and performer, and through the establishment of the Australian Children's Music Foundation". Spencer married Julie Horsfall, they have two children: Dean, a musician; and Danielle Spencer, an actress and singer, who married fellow actor, Russell Crowe, in 2003. Despite working on mostly British and Australian television programs, Spencer worked as a writer and storyboard artist on the American children's program, Rocko's Modern Life from 1993 to 1996. In 2008 Spencer was awarded for Excellence in Community Support presented by Support Act Limited.

In December 2010 the ACMF sponsored a supergroup, Peacebeliever, which recorded a cover version of Plastic Ono Band's 1969 single, "Give Peace a Chance", for the charity. Alongside Spencer fellow vocalists were Katie Noonan, Blue King Brown, Tim Freedman, Newton Faulkner and Omara Portuondo. In July 2013 Spencer announced the ACMF's 11th annual National Kids Songwriting Competition, which is open to school aged children from four to eighteen years-old: "We want kids to unleash their creativity and engage with learning in a fun way ... Music can give kids really positive self expression and is a great tool for improving literacy levels".

SINGLES

''Fireball / I'm All Alone Again'' 1963 Festival
''Ode To War / My Silent Friend'' 1970 Clarion
''What's A Pommie / The Last Time'' 1977 Interfusion
'' Bob The Kelpie / If I Could Fly'' 1989 ABC For Kids
''Super Computer'' 1990 ABC For Kids

ALBUMS

'Play School' 1984 J&B
'Feathers, Fur Or Fins' 1985 ABC

'Australian Animal Songs' 1988 ABC
'Let's Have Fun' 1990 ABC For Kids
'Walkabout' 1992 ABC
'Have A Beaut Day' 1994 ABC For Kids
'The Wonderful World Of Pets' 1999 ABC For Kids
'It's A Beautiful Colourful World' 1999 ABC For Kids
'The Lost Cooee' 2002 ABC For Kids
'Don Spencer's Don't Call Me A Koala Bear & Other Aussie Songs' 2011 Five Mile Press

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Spencer