KEVIN JOHNSON

Kevin Stephen Johnson was born in 1943 and grew up in Tungamull, which is between the Capricorn Coast and Rockhampton. He is the only son of Richard Johnson (timber contractor) and Elinor Johnson (post office, telephone exchange operator). Elinor was also a violinist and gave Johnson lessons, but he showed little interest. He bought a guitar in his late teens and began his music career by singing in local beer gardens, then joining the Candymen on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. From the early 1960s he worked for the Queensland Department of Roads as a clerk, playing and singing at night and writing songs in his spare time. Some of his songs came to the notice of rock and roll artist, Col Joye, who signed Johnson to his publishing company. In September 1966 Col Joye recorded "Long, Long Time / Mary Anne", which had been written by Johnson.

In 1967 Johnson relocated to Sydney and recorded his first single, "Hayman Island / Heartache Man" on Joye's ATA label in January. He followed with "Woman You Took My Life / You've Lost The Power" in April 1968 but neither single had any chart success. Aside from his music career Johnson also worked for the Registrar-General's Department of New South Wales. "Woman You Took My Life" was later recorded by Tom Jones, and by Vince Hill. In 1969 Johnson signed with independent label, Sweet Peach. His debut album, 'In the Quiet Corners of My Mind', was released in that year. It was recorded at the Adelaide Studios of Gamba with Jimmy Stewart as producer and Lewandowski as engineer. In February 1971 he issued his first hit single, "Bonnie Please Don't Go" aka "She's Leavin'", which peaked at #12 in Melbourne, #2 in Sydney, and #15 on the Go-Set National Top 60. It remained on the Go-Set charts for a total of 25 weeks; it was listed at #22 on their end of year chart; and #7 for Top Australian Singles of the year. In 1971, Johnson won the Male Vocalist Single Award for his self-composed single, "Bonnie Please Don't Go".

Kevin Johnson changed labels to the United States-based Tree International, owners of Dial Records, and for two years he wrote songs for other artists while vainly attempting to record his own material. He later recalled "Because I'd signed with an American company I couldn't record here ... two years writing and bashing my head against a brick wall". In September 1973 he issued "Rock and Roll I Gave You the Best Years of My Life". It peaked at #10 in Melbourne, and at #4 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.

The lyrics describe a musician recalling his childhood dream of being a star and follows his life through his musical work, with some close breaks until he is faced with the ultimate realisation that he is not destined to become a star. It ends on an upbeat note from the would-be celebrity proclaiming "I thank the lord for giving me the little that I knew". Johnson based the early verses on his own life and the later verses "on others I've known. I always draw on things I know, things around me, on everyday life for my songs". He told Australasian Performing Right Association representative, Debbie Kruger, in March 2002, that he had written it in two days: ''It was a quick song for me because I've spent months on one line. It just came to me one day as I was driving home, feeling all this frustration of two years without making a record. So I decided to write a song not about giving someone the best years of my life, but to write about the pursuit of success, which I thought related to a lot of people around the world, not just in music but anything".

He had become dissatisfied with his US record label, Dial Records, in Nashville, Tennessee and told them he was about to leave. However he was informed that other artists had already recorded his song, so he quickly recorded and released his own version on the Australian-based Good Thyme label through Festival. Kruger noted that "the song reflected his frustration with his own stagnation, and the futile attempts of Australian artists trying to break into America or England". In the US Johnson's single was issued on Mainstream Records, it went to #73 on the Billboard singles chart in 1973. It was picked up by producer Jonathan King and released in the United Kingdom on his UK Records label in 1974 when it reached #23 on the UK Singles Chart the following year. The song reached #8 in the Irish charts on its original release in 1974, returning to #18 under the UK Records release in January 1975.

At the 1974 Australian Radio Record Awards, "Rock And Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)," won the Male Vocalist Single award and his self-produced album under the same name was awarded the Male Vocalist Album.According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, it is one of the most covered songs written by an Australian with 27 different artists recording it in 1975 alone. Covers include fellow Australians, Col Joye and Digby Richards, and international artists, Mac Davis, Terry Jacks, Gary Glitter, Joe Dassin (in French), The Cats and Tom Jones. Some cover artists, including Davis, leave out the lyric "... I'd never be a star" for a happier ending. Johnson believes "There were a few people who wouldn't sing that line because in their minds they were big stars". Others, like Glitter, leave out the upbeat ending in the Johnson version for a more sombre ending. Jacks' version went to #97 in the US in 1974 – it reached #22 in Canada – and Davis' rendition became the highest US charting version, reaching #15 in 1975.

In February 1974 Kevin Johnson issued his second solo album, 'Rock and Roll I Gave You the Best Years of My Life', on the Good Thyme label. In the next year he supported an Australian tour by Roberta Flack. He released a succession of singles on the label and followed in August 1976 with a third album, 'Man of the 20th Century'. For that album he used session musicians including Russell Dunlop on drums; Wayne Findlay on keyboards; Jim Kelly, Kirk Lorange, Mark Punch, and Rory O'Donoghue on guitars; and Tim Partridge on bass guitar. Later that year he toured Europe and appeared on a TV special broadcast into France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. His single, "Grab the Money and Run", appeared on the Irish charts.

Johnson toured Europe again in 1977. He also signed with Festival Records' offshoot Infinity to issue further singles and an album, 'Journeys', which was released in 1978. Additional albums followed including 'Best of Kevin Johnson' (a compilation album, 1979), 'Night Rider' (1981), 'Spirit of the Times' (1985), 'Now and Then' (compilation, 1992) and 'The Sun will Shine Again' (September 1996).

In 1996 Johnson re-wrote "Rock 'N' Roll" for the Australian Football League (AFL) as their official Centenary Song, retitled "Aussie Rules I Thank You for the Best Years of Our Lives". It was used as an introductory theme before AFL games during that season. During the late 1990s it was used as the closing theme for Foster's Aussie Rules, a US highlights show. Kevin Johnson formed a trio, JAM (initialism for Johnson Ashdown McClellan) with Doug Ashdown ("Winter in America" aka "Leave Love Enough Alone") and Mike McClellan ("Song and Dance Man"). They toured Australia through the 2000s.

 

SINGLES 
''Hayman Island / Heartache Man'' 1967 ATA
''Woman, You Took My Life / You've Lost The Power'' 1968 ATA
''It Was Good While It Lasted / Sometime Bigtime'' 1969 Sweet Peach 

''In The Quiet Corners Of My Mind / Melody Brown'' 1970 Sweet Peach 
''Bonnie, Please Don't Go (#9) / I Came To Somerset'' 1971 Sweet Peach 
''All Our Favourite Songs (#96) / Younger Days'' 1971 Sweet Peach 
''Sunday Morning Roses / State Of Mind'' 1971 Sweet Peach 
''New York City / Kedron Brook'' 1973 Good Thyme 
''Rock And Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life) (#8) / There's Nothing I Would Rather Do'' 1973 Good Thyme 
''Kedron Brook (#92) / Life Is What You Make It'' 1973 Good Thyme 
''Man Of The 20th Century (#58) / Sunday Morning Roses'' 1975 Good Thyme
''Someday Sam / I Knew You Sunset'' 1975 Good Thyme 
''Grab The Money And Run / Hello Dusty Road'' 1976 Good Thyme 
''Over The Hills And Far Away (#60) / Taking The Long Road Home'' 1976 Good Thyme 
''All I've Ever Needed / State Of Mind'' 1977 Infinity 
''The Next Plane To New Mexico / The Comeback Trail'' 1978 Infinity 
''Paraguayan Sunset / Love Knows Where To Find You'' 1979 Infinity 
''He Was Just A Boy / I Knew You Sunset'' 1980 Infinity 
''Night Rider / Tonight (I'll Be Part Of The Crowd)'' 1981 Infinity 
''Reasons (Edited Version) (#98) / For The Good Of The Nation'' 1981 Infinity 
''A Hard Act To Follow / The Fires Within'' 1984 Infinity 
''The Night Comes / Further Down The Line'' 1985 Infinity 

ALBUMS 
'In the Quiet Corners of My Mind' 1969 Sweet Peach
'Rock and Roll I Gave You the Best Years of My Life' (#21) 1974 Good Thyme
'A Man of the 20th Century' (#35) 1976 Good Thyme 
'Journeys' (#92) 1978 Infinity
'Night Rider' (#72) 1981 Infinity 
'In the Spirit of the Times' 1985 Infinity
'The Sun Will Shine Again' 1996 Festival
'Songs from a Troubled World' 2006 KJE
'The Devil Found Work' 2019 Lassiandra Records

References

Kevin Johnson (singer) - Wikipedia

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/