Barry Crocker

Last updated

Barry Crocker

AM
Born (1935-11-04) 4 November 1935 (age 88)
Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Occupations
  • Singer
  • television personality
  • actor (theatre, television and film)
  • variety entertainer
Years active1955−present
Known for The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
Notable workHost of The Sound of Music
Singer of original version theme song to soap opera Neighbours
Partner Katy Manning (1990–present)
Children5
Website barrycrocker.net

Barry Hugh Crocker AM (born 4 November 1935 [1] ) is an Australian Gold Logie-winning character actor, television personality, singer, and variety entertainer with a crooning vocal style.

Contents

Crocker is known for his iconic Australian films during the 1970s, including The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972) and its sequel, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974). Crocker was also the presenter and leading performer on the TV series The Sound of Music, [2] taking over from entertainer Bobby Limb.

His singing talents eventually earned him over 30 Gold records. In 1971, Sound of Music was the 11th-most-popular show in the country. [3] Crocker sang the theme tune to the Australian soap opera Neighbours between 1985 and 1992. Crocker published an autobiography called Bazza – The Adventures of Barry Crocker in 2003. In 2023, he published Last of the Entertainers: A Star-Studded Story Across Sixty-Five Years of Television, Stage, Screen and in Recording. [4]

Early life

Crocker was born in Geelong, Victoria. [1] After doing National Service with the RAAF in 1955, he toured with a theatre group and performed on the club circuit in Melbourne, followed by a partnership with David Clark (aka Dave Nelson), and performed in the UK and the United States.

Career

Crocker returned to Australia to star in a TV musical comedy show called 66 And All That in 1966, hence the title, which became The Barry Crocker Show (1966–67) [5] on Channel 10 Sydney (now Network Ten). That was followed by the musical variety show Say It with Music (1967–1969), also broadcast on Ten.

Acting

Crocker made his acting debut on a 1969 episode of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo . He has also had a successful career as a stage, television and motion picture actor, most notably starring alongside Barry Humphries in the title role of Bruce Beresford's 1972 movie, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie and its 1974 sequel, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own . The "bogan" character of Barry McKenzie gave rise to Crocker recording such ribald songs as "My One Eyed Trouser Snake" and other "off-colour" songs.

Crocker was Beresford's first choice as lead actor when it came to the filming of David Williamson's popular play Don's Party , but serious back problems curtailed Crocker's screen career at that point, opening the way for John Hargreaves to achieve film success in the coveted title role. [6]

Nevertheless, in 1976 Crocker was crowned King of Moomba , the annual entertainment festival in Melbourne. [7]

He had the lead role as Governor Alan Smith in the short-lived prison drama Punishment (1981), and guest-starred in two episodes of the Australian satirical black comedy series Review with Myles Barlow . Later TV roles included parts in Pizza , Swift and Shift Couriers , and Housos for SBS, and The Strange Calls , an ABC2 comedy series.

In 1994, Crocker appeared as himself in the worldwide record-breaking film Muriel's Wedding . he proved his acting and comedy credentials once again as the retro-disco host Donny Destry in the 2007 movie Razzle Dazzle .

Crocker appeared as Charles "Hoot" Russell, Greg Russell's father in the Hey Dad..! episode "Hoot's Boots". It was the second-to-last episode of the show, which spanned 14 seasons. A DVD box set of Hey Dad..! has had to be abandoned, following the conviction of the original "Dad" – Robert Hughes – on several sex offences.

In 2005, Crocker was featured on the Nine Network program This Is Your Life . It was a rare accolade, because Crocker had already been the subject of this prestigious TV program thirty years earlier, in 1975, when the show was hosted by Roger Climpson. Crocker was caught by surprise when host Mike Munro and the TV production team arrived, after a lot of careful planning by his long-term partner, Katy Manning, the English actress.

Crocker was chosen by Chaim Topol to co-star as his nemesis Lazer Wolfe in a long-running Australian season of the musical Fiddler on the Roof. He also featured in the role of The Lecturer in the 2008 Australian premiere of the stage musical Reefer Madness .

Crocker presented the Australian version of Behind Mansion Walls on the Crime and Investigation Network on Foxtel in Australia.

Music career

In 1959, after successfully touring and a number of television appearances, he convinced Cyril Stevens, of Spotlight Records in Thornbury, [8] to audition him and his musical partner. Stevens, who was a photographer by trade, had set up a recording studio in the early 1950s. He recorded mainly jazz and musical events around Victoria. Stevens wasn't impressed, and Crocker and Dave Clark were about to leave when Stevens' son entered the room, recognised the pair from television and concerts, and convinced his father to record the team. Two EPs were recorded, totalling eight tracks. The records were Spotlights' highest sellers. [9]

In May 1973, Crocker released the album Music Makes My Day, on Festival Records, featuring an updated version of American rockabilly singer Robin Luke's "Susie Darlin' ". The recording featured Olivia Newton-John and Pat Carroll on backup vocals, and enjoyed chart success, peaking at number 7. [10] [11] [12] [13]

He sang the original recording of the theme song for the 1977 Reg Grundy soap opera, The Restless Years (later a hit for Renée Geyer), and also the original theme to the long-running soap opera Neighbours , another Reg Grundy production. His version was used from 1985 to 1992, and it was also played during the series' final episode, which aired in July 2022.

Crocker wrote and recorded an unofficial theme song for the Australian rules football team, Geelong, entitled Come on the Cats. [1]

Personal life

Crocker married Doreen (Dene), with whom he had five children. In the 1970s, he was in a relationship with Christine Platel, which lasted five years, and resulted in his divorce from his wife. [14] Since 1990, he has been in a relationship with English actress Katy Manning, whom he met in Australia, although she moved back to the UK in 2010 and they maintain a long-distance relationship. [15] [16]

Discography

Charting albums

List of albums which had a chart position within a national top 100
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart
positions
AUS
[17]
Barry Crocker Sings "The Hits"
(with The Tony Hatch Orchestra)
  • Released: 1975
  • Label: Astor
73
Sings the Hits Volume 2
  • Released: 1975
  • Label: Astor
82
You're My World
  • Released: 1981
  • Label: J & B Records
81

Charting singles

List of singles which had a chart position within a national top 100
TitleYearChart peak positionsAlbum
AUS
[17]
UK
[18]
"Please Don't Go"196939I've Gotta Be Me
"The Pensioner"197093
"Love Is a Beautiful Song"197131Barry Crocker in London
"Susie Darlin'"19737Golden Hits
"Love, Where Are You Now?"197545
"Neighbours"198883

Awards

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Barry Crocker won two awards in that time and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. [19]

YearNominee / workAwardResult (wins only)
1976Barry CrockerEntertainer of the YearWon
1981Barry CrockerEntertainer of the YearWon
2013Barry CrockerHall of Fameinductee

During the 1980s, the rhyming slang expression "Barry Crocker", or simply "Barry" or "Baz", emerged in Australian English to mean a "shocker", as in "very poor". [20]

The most recent notable public use of the expression was on the front page of the Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph on 17 April 2014 when Barry O'Farrell the Premier of New South Wales, was forced to resign, allegedly for accepting a gift of an expensive bottle of wine without declaring it, and then later denying in court that he had even received the gift.[ citation needed ] The headline, consisting of almost half the front page, read "A Barry Crocker".

In February 2022, news of the cancellation of Neighbours in the British press prompted fans of the TV show to download the theme song. It reached No. 1 on UK iTunes and at No. 11 on the UK Singles Sales Chart sales and downloads chart ending 17 February 2022. [21]

Filmography

Film

TitleYearRole
Squeeze a Flower 1970Waiter
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie 1972Barry McKenzie
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own 1974Barry McKenzie – Rev Kevin McKenzie
Shotgun Wedding 1993Voice
Muriel's Wedding 1994Himself
Twitch (short)2000Quiz Show Host
Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance 2007Donnie Dusty
The Strange Calls (short)2011Gregor
The Advisor (short)2012Gerhard
Houses vs. Authority 2012Federal Judge

Television

TitleYearRole
66 and All That1966Presenter
The Barry Crocker Show1966–67Presenter
Say It with Music 1966–67Presenter
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo 1969Alfred Aloysius Mortimer
This Is Your Life 1975Guest
The Sound of MusicPresenter & Leading Performer
Punishment 1981Governor Alan Smith
Heartbreak High 1994Compere
Hey Dad..! (episode: "Hoots Boots")1994Charles 'Hoot' Russell
Twisted1997Sir Barry Doyle
Variety Show at the End of the World2000Death
Pizza 2000Clarence Bumpkin
This Is Your Life 2005Guest
Magical Tales2010Whirly Wizard
Legend of Enyo2010Shamani (voice)
Rake 2010Errol Greene
Behind Mansion Walls 2011Joe Pikul
Swift and Shift Couriers 2011Reg Jones CEO
Housos 2011Premier
The Strange Calls (miniseries)2012Gregor

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Ceberano</span> Australian singer

Catherine Yvette Ceberano is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar. Her single "Bedroom Eyes" received a platinum sales certification in 1989. In 2019, she was one of the contestants in season one of The Masked Singer Australia as ‘The Lion’, where she was unmasked in episode seven, placing sixth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Humphries</span> Australian comedian (1934–2023)

John Barry Humphries was an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He was best known for writing and playing his stage and television characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. Humphries' characters brought him international renown. He appeared in numerous stage productions, films and television shows. Originally conceived as a dowdy Moonee Ponds housewife who caricatured Australian suburban complacency and insularity, the Dame Edna Everage character developed into a satire of stardom – a gaudily dressed, acid-tongued, egomaniacal, internationally fêted "housewife gigastar".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Mills</span> Australian singer (born 1982)

Robert Mills is an Australian actor, television host and singer-songwriter. He was one of the finalists from the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. He co-hosted the late-night quiz show The Mint with his childhood idol, J-Dawg, the two would go on to star in the hit show Young Talent Time, and was a regular singer on the game show The Singing Bee both on the Nine Network. Mills took part in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars, and appeared on Celebrity Apprentice. In 2008, Mills won the lead male role of Fiyero in a production of Wicked, and continued the role when it moved around Australia. He has since starred in a number of popular large scale musical theatre productions. In 2012, Mills was announced as the host of Network Ten's revamped Young Talent Time. He played teacher Finn Kelly on Neighbours from 2017 until 2022.

Julie Covington is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album Evita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Newton</span> Australian media personality (1938–2021)

Albert Watson Newton was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie award-winning entertainer, and radio, theatre, and television personality and compere.

Barry McKenzie is a fictional character created in 1964 by the Australian comedian Barry Humphries, suggested by Peter Cook, for a comic strip, written by Humphries and drawn by New Zealand artist Nicholas Garland in the British satirical magazine Private Eye. He was subsequently featured in theatre and in two films in the 1970s, and portrayed by Australian singer Barry Crocker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denise Drysdale</span> Australian television personality, actress and comedian

Denise Anne Christina Drysdale is an Australian television presenter, variety entertainer, actress, singer, dancer and comedian. She is often affectionately known as 'Ding Dong', a nickname invented by fellow performer Ernie Sigley. She was formally a co-host of the morning show Studio 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zig and Zag (Australian performers)</span> Australian clown duo, primarily in TV programs for children

Jack Perry and Douglas McKenzie — were an entertainer duo from Melbourne who were known and billed professionally as the clown act, Zig and Zag. They appeared on Australian television from its inception in 1956 to 1999 beginning with Peters Fun Fair (1956–69). They featured on the annual Moomba parade, and were regulars at annual charity events including the Good Friday Appeal for the Royal Children's Hospital. Perry was also an actor on television serials and presenter whilst McKenzie, was also a radio and television presenter and producer and former soldier. In March 1999 the duo permanently parted company after it was revealed that Jack Perry had been convicted in 1994 of indecent assault on his granddaughter.

<i>The Adventures of Barry McKenzie</i> 1972 film

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Barry Crocker, telling the story of an Australian 'yobbo' on his travels to the United Kingdom. Barry McKenzie was originally a character created by Barry Humphries for a cartoon strip in Private Eye. It was the first Australian film to surpass one million dollars in Australian box office receipts. A sequel, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, was produced in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Limb</span>

Robert Limb AO, OBE was an Australian-born entertainment pioneer, comedian, band leader and musician and legend of radio, television and theatre of the 1960s and 1970s, he also founded the film and TV production company NLT Productions, with Jack Neary and Les Tinker. One of its main products was adventure serial The Rovers, which was aimed at breaking the international market.

Reginald Dawson Livermore is an Australian actor, singer, theatrical performer, designer, director, lyricist and writer and former television presenter.

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were last awarded in 2016.

Ronald Leslie BurnsAM is an Australian retired rock singer-songwriter and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky May</span> Musical artist

Richard Ernest May was a New Zealand-born jazz singer and musician, best known for singing cover versions of numerous pop songs or jazz standards. He moved to Australia in 1962 where he worked mainly in theatre and cabaret and had TV appearances on The Don Lane Show, The Midday Show and Hey Hey It's Saturday, as well as taking over hosting from Mike Walsh on pop music show Ten on the Town

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Allen (musician)</span> Australian singer and songwriter (1944–1992)

Peter Allen was an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer, known for his flamboyant stage persona, energetic performances, and lavish costumes. Allen's songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, including Newton-John's first chart-topping hit "I Honestly Love You", and the chart-topping and Academy Award-winning "Arthur's Theme " by Christopher Cross. In addition to recording many albums, Allen enjoyed a cabaret and concert career, including appearances at the Radio City Music Hall riding a camel. His patriotic song "I Still Call Australia Home", has been used extensively in advertising campaigns, and was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry in 2013.

Graham Francis "Smacka" Fitzgibbon was an Australian banjoist and vocalist in the trad jazz idiom. He was a publican in country Victoria and restaurateur in Melbourne.

Peter Best is an Australian composer who has created or contributed to many film scores.

<i>Neighbours</i> theme song 1987 single by Barry Crocker

The Neighbours theme song is the theme tune to the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Composed by Tony Hatch with the lyrics written by his then wife, Jackie Trent, it was once voted the world's most recognised television theme song. Neighbours was originally recorded by Barry Crocker, who also recorded the updated version. Subsequent versions have been recorded by a variety of artists.

Francis Edward Ifield OAM is an Australian country music singer and guitarist who often incorporated yodelling into his music. After living in Australia, Ifield returned to the United Kingdom in November 1959 where he had four number-one hits on the UK Singles Chart in the early 1960s with his cover versions of "I Remember You", "Lovesick Blues", "The Wayward Wind" and "Confessin' That I Love You".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Harvey</span> Australian musician, composer and conductor (1935–2019)

Geoffrey John Harvey was an English-Australian musician, pianist, conductor, musical director and television personality who worked at the Australian Nine Network for 38 years. Known primarily for his appearances on The Mike Walsh Show and Midday, Harvey also composed a number of the theme songs for the network's programs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 About Archived 3 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine Official Barry Crocker website
  2. 'The Sound of Music' – Entertainment Legend, Barry Crocker Pt2 , retrieved 25 June 2022
  3. "Television Ratings". The Canberra Times . Vol. 45, no. 12, 803. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 6 May 1971. p. 8. Retrieved 9 November 2023 via Trove.
  4. Crocker, Barry (2023). Last of the Entertainers: A Star-Studded Story Across Sixty-Five Years of Television, Stage, Screen and in Recording. New Holland. ISBN   9781760795542.
  5. "The Barry Crocker Show". IMDb.
  6. Vagg, Stephen (14 July 2019). "Australian Singers Turned Actors". Filmink.
  7. Craig Bellamy, Gordon Chisholm, Hilary Eriksen (17 February 2006) Moomba: A festival for the people Archived 29 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine PDF pp 17–22
  8. "Spotlight". Majestic Compilations. Andrew Renaut. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  9. Barry Crocker: Bazza – The Adventures of Barry Crocker, pp. 167–168
  10. "Susie Darlin' – Barry Crocker 1973 Pop Archives
  11. Albums by Barry Crocker Rate Your Music
  12. Music Makes My Day by Barry Crocker: Reviews and Rating Rate Your Music
  13. Barry Crocker Discography BarryCrocker.net
  14. Woolford, Lisa (8 September 2023). "'I wasn't the first man, and I won't be the last to think he could have it all': Barry Crocker tells all on his five-year-long affair". The Advertiser . Adelaide. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  15. Padman, Tony (9 September 2017). "Where is he now? Doctor Who's Katy Manning". Daily Express . London. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  16. "'I've been a naughty girl' – Doctor Who companion Katy Manning interviewed". Radio Times . Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  17. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 77. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  18. "Barry Crocker Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  19. "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  20. "OzWords: When People Become Words" (PDF). Australian National Dictionary Centre, Australian National University. October 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  21. "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Singles Charts. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.