George Assang

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

George Assang
Also known asVic Sabrino
Born1927 (1927)
Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia
Died1997 (aged 6970)
Nowra, New South Wales, Australia
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actor
Instrument Vocals
Spouse
(m. 1973;div. 1974)

George Assang (1927 1997), also known by his stage name Vic Sabrino, was an Australian jazz and blues singer and actor from Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia. He performed under his own name and the stage name Vic Sabrino. Assang was of Aboriginal, Pacific Islander, and Asian descent. [1]

Contents

Music career

As Vic Sabrino, he may have made the first Australian rock and roll recording, with Rock Around The Clock , but whether he recorded it before or after American Bill Haley, who the song is best known has never been established, A single he recorded with French jazz artist Red Perksey (Born; Siegbert Perlstein, in Berlin, Germany, (1921-1995) known professionally as Robert Bernard "Red" Perksey (Jazz trumpeter, pianist, singer, composer, music director, orchestra leader and A and R) [2] and His orchestra included this recording as a B-side. His version of the song has been described as having a distinct difference from Haley's more rock sounding recording, and said to more resemble a Jazz-Swing style more in the vein of Dean Martin. [3]

This single may have been recorded in 1955, some three years before Johnny O'Keefe's recording of "Wild One" in 1958. [3]

Filmography

Television

Film

Personal life

Assang was briefly married to actress Rowena Wallace from 1973 until their divorce in 1974.

Discography

George Assang

with Trevor Jones' Orchestra

George and Ken Assang

Vic Sabrino

with Red Perksey & His Orchestra and Sheila Sewell
with Red Perksey & His Orchestra
with Dave Owens and his Blue Boys with The Blue Notes
with Gus Merzi's Orchestra and with Harry Willis Orchestra; and The Belltones & Iris Mason Singers
with Graeme Bell and his Skiffle band

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References

  1. Walker, Clinton (2000). "Last of the Red Hot Mammas". Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music . Pluto Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN   1-86403-152-2.
  2. Clyde Frederick Collins. "Red Perksey & His Orchestra - Vocals by Ray Dickson - A Litle Boy Called Smiley (1956)".
  3. 1 2 The Age 4 June 2005 Discovered: rock'n'roll's scratchy start
  4. Great Australian Television: Barrier Reef, http://www.classicaustraliantv.com/BarrierReef1.htm
  5. IMDb: George Assang, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0039768/, accessed 22 August 2012
  6. Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book (19401969). Turramurra, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-44439-5.