Leo de Kroo

Last updated

Leo de Kroo
Born (1941-07-08) 8 July 1941 (age 81)
Dordrecht, Netherlands
OriginAustralia
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, luthier, announcer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1954–present
Labels Festival

Leo de Kroo (born 8 July 1941) is an Australian pop and country music singer, and an accomplished luthier. [1] For much of the 1960s he was a regular performer on Bandstand , a pop music TV show, hosted by Brian Henderson. De Kroo was one half of The De Kroo Bros [2] [3] (with his friend Doug Brewer who later changed his surname to de Kroo so they could take the stage name, as well as travel overseas, under the name of "The De Kroo Bros"). As The De Kroo Bros, they also appeared on other pop music shows. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life

De Kroo moved from Dordrecht, Netherlands [4] to Western Australia after a few years living in Indonesia. As a young child, de Kroo gained a fascination of the guitar as an instrument after he heard the local news theme being played on the instrument. Making his own instrument with cardboard and rubber bands was the start of a lifelong interest in both playing and making these and other instruments. [1]

De Kroo initially began his music as a solo artist in Perth, Western Australia before he met up with his "brother" Doug, a Perth born singer, who had formed the band the 'Bob Kats' and then later changed that name to 'The Red Rockets', a Skiffle group, and then after the skiffle boom ended, changed their name again to 'The Roulettes'. Leo de Kroo joined the group as the lead singer after their meeting each other. [5] As the Red Rockets and later The Roulettes, de Kroo and the band would occasionally play at Scarborough's 'Ye Olde 'Kool-Korner' Kafe', a milk-bar that had an outside jukebox, a venue that later became known as 'The Snake-Pit'. The Snake-Pit allowed for a place where teenagers could get hamburgers and milk-shakes, and then dance to the music outside on the footpath. [6]

The Roulettes played regularly on local radio station 6PR's 'Hillbilly Hour'. Becoming even more involved in the local scene they started the first rock and roll dance sessions at the Maylands Town Hall, however after working on establishing their band on the local scene, Doug and Leo became ambitious enough to attempt their luck in the east of Australia. Putting their car 'George', a Ford Anglia, on a ship they departed on a four-day voyage to Adelaide, and after sight seeing that city over 3 days, they drove the rest of the way to Melbourne.

Over a three-month period in the southern capital they gained work on the local dance hall circuit and also gained some notoriety by appearing on a number of local radio and television shows. At one stage they gained a musical coup of sorts by being asked to back Johnny Rebb on one of his Melbourne shows. Johnny Rebb was one of the top acts at the time. [7]

De Kroo had also been entertaining crowds singing live during the intermission between back to back movies starring the new sensation Elvis Presley, by impersonating his sound and moves. At about the same time they met Bob Rogers and John Laws, [8] and de Kroo was informed he sounded like Elvis but John Laws on hearing this said that they should follow The Everly Brothers lead and so they became The De Kroo Bros. Arriving in Sydney the brothers not only changed their stage name but in appearance and style fashioned themselves after the American Everly Brothers duo. [5] Their repertoire now included a mixture of rockabilly, country and western and pop harmonies.

Career

After reaching Sydney, The De Kroo Bros also entered the world of all the major television shows at the time simply by telling the producers they were good enough. Accepted at the time by the television studios, The De Kroo Bros soon became known for their playing of live gigs on Bandstand, Australia's Amateur Hour, The Graham Kennedy Show, The Bobby Limb Show, Six O'Clock Rock, Teen Time and the Youth Show. [9] Brian Henderson and Bandstand travelled with The De Kroo Bros in 1965 to Canberra for early versions of today's ubiquitous talent shows, and even to Papua New Guinea for filming and such. [10] [1] De Kroo's association with other well known singers and shows at the time included one with Johnny O'Keefe who as a part of that relationship had The De Kroo Bros provide live performances on the Sing, Sing, Sing (TV series) which ran from 1962 to 1965. [11] Col Joye was their manager at the time. [12]

There signing with Columbia Records resulted in the release of their debut single "On The Job Too Long" and then 6 days later another single, "Loveland". Both of these tracks suffered from lack of playing and did not do well. Columbia also released other singles, and whilst two of these did reach the Australian Top 100, Columbia did not take up the option of renewing their 1-year contract. [13]

The brothers then signed with Festival Records. In October 1961 The De Kroo Bros played as the support bill for the Cliff Richard and the Shadows Show tour of Australia and New Zealand, [13] and with their new record company successfully reached a top 10 single on the national charts with "(And Her Name Is) Scarlet" (released 1963) which reached hit single status in Australia in 1963, especially in the cities of Sydney (#4), Brisbane (#1), and Perth (#5). [14] "(And Her Name Is) Scarlet", had been written by Herb Newman, [15] [16] although the writer credit on record labels has been to a pseudonym, either Barry Stuart or Steven Howard, and had been released in America by Bob Wilson.

In addition they had 4 other singles that all made it to the Australian Top 100. [13] By 1965 Leo and Doug were so popular that the Australian Women's Weekly even included a "how-to" article on knitting a mohair Beatles style jacket just like those worn by the De Kroo "top pop boys". [17]

In 1987 Canetoad Records released a compilation album. In 1988 Festival Records also released a compilation album. The compilation albums have tracks included that were not part of The De Kroo Bros singles releases.

Other than television and live performances, The De Kroo Bros continued to play the club circuit until an amicable split in 1972. Leo and his wife Marianne then moved from Pymble in Sydney and bought a property at Eumungerie near Dubbo. De Kroo continued to pursue his luthier work but also worked as a weekday morning radio announcer from 1999 to 2008 [18] at 2DU.

Discography

Singles

YearSingleChart PositionsLabelCat
AUS
1964"Foggy Mountain Top"68FestivalFK507
"Movin' Out"-FestivalFK507
"Oh! Susie Darlin" [19] -FestivalFK847
"Run In Circles" [20] -FestivalFK847
"Buena Suerte"-FestivalFK597
"Love Is A Meaningless Word"-FestivalFK597
1963"It Never Came True"50FestivalFK312
"Tears Of Pity"-FestivalFK312
"(And Her Name Is) Scarlet"9FestivalFK438
"All Right Be That Way"-FestivalFK438
1962"The Road to Gundagai" [21] -FestivalFK201
"Peggy Sue"-FestivalFK201
1961"Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes"-FestivalFK108
"All For The Love Of You"-FestivalFK108
"Love's a Funny Little Game" [22] 90ColumbiaDO4175
"Cave In"-ColumbiaDO4175
1960"On The Job Too Long" [23] -ColumbiaDO4126
"Head Over Heels" [24] -ColumbiaDO4126
"Cause I Like It" [25] 99ColumbiaDO4127
"Loveland"-ColumbiaDO4127

LP's

YearAlbumLabelCat
1988"Scarlet - The Festival File, Volume Five" [26] FestivalL 19005
1987"The De Kroo Brothers - collector's album" [27] Canetoad RecordsCTLP 002

Television Appearances

Bandstand

YearAir DateSong/s
1960unknown"Be Bop A Lula" [28]
1960unknown"Loveland" [29]
1960unknown"In The Summertime" [30]
1961Best of Bandstand"Some Sweet Day" [31]
1961Best of Bandstand"Love My Life Away" [32]
19637 September"Her Name is Scarlet" [33]
19637 September"All Right, Be That Way" [34]
196314 December"Poppa Joe's" [35]
196314 December"The Girl Who Sang The Blues"
196314 December"Meet Me At Midnight Mary" [36]
1963Country & Western Special"It Never Came True" [37]
1963Moomba Festival Special"Silver Threads And Golden Needles" [38]
1963Moomba Festival Special"Language Of Love"
1963Myer Music Bowl"Lucille" [39]
196524 July"Michael Row The Boat Ashore" [22]
19677 October"Ballad Of Jed Clampett" [40]
19677 October"Blue Moon Of Kentucky" [41]
19677 October"Medley" [42]
196814 December"Milk Train" [43]
196814 December"1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero"

Sing, Sing, Sing

YearAir DateSong/s
1962October"Keep A Walking" [44]
1963October"Please Help Me I'm Fallin" [11]

Personal life

On 25 February 1966, de Kroo married fellow musician Judy Stone and honeymooned at Hayman Island. [45] The marriage ended amicably in divorce five years later. [2] Leo remarried in 1978 and currently lives with his wife Marianne. They have 2 children, Nina & Karl, and 6 grandchildren. He continues to work as a luthier.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rock n roll to rural bliss". www.abc.net.au. 31 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Manning, Fiona (17 September 1980). "Judy Stone's new single: 'The year's best kept secret'". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 48, no. 16. p. 32 (Free: Your TV Magazine). Retrieved 26 July 2016– via National Library of Australia.
  3. 1 2 Ward, Kirsten (20 September 1961). "Three boys take to the sawdust trail". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 29, no. 16. p. 11 (Teenagers' Weekly). Retrieved 26 July 2016– via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ "MUSIC New release a festival of Australian memories". Canberra Times. 29 May 1988.
  5. 1 2 "Cohuna Rock n Roll Hall of Fame". www.facebook.com.
  6. ↑ "History of Rock'n'Roll in Western Australia". optusnet.com.au. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "The De Kroo Brothers". 30 October 2013. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013.
  8. ↑ "Succes voorspeld voor "De Kroo Brothers"". Dutch Australian Weekly. 6 September 1963.
  9. ↑ "TV success for brothers". 2 November 1960. p. 11 – via Trove.
  10. ↑ "Talent quest finals at Canberra Theatre". 9 September 1965. p. 23 – via Trove.
  11. 1 2 5GTRFMDJ (18 January 2011). "De Kroo Brothers - Please Help Me I'm Fallin' 1963.wmv" – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ "Medicine and melody make good combo". Australian Women's Weekly. 20 June 1962.
  13. 1 2 3 Kimbo (7 September 2013). "HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN MUSIC FROM 1960 UNTIL 2010: THE DE KROO BROTHERS".
  14. ↑ Gavin Ryan, Sydney Pop Music Charts 1953-2003, Brisbane Chart Book 1956-2002, and Perth Music Charts 1958-2006, Moonlight Publishing, 2003, 2004, and 2007, No ISBNs
  15. ↑ Repertoire search at American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP): Work ID 310045439
  16. ↑ US Copyright Office, Registration EU0000696657, 1961-11-24 ("Scarlet" is spelt here with one "t")
  17. ↑ "Knit a de Kroo Brothers Jacket". Australian Women's Weekly. 28 July 1965.
  18. ↑ "2DU - Past Announcers". www.2du.com.au.
  19. ↑ Stomp The Tumbarumba! (16 January 2012). "The De Kroo Brothers - Oh! Susie Darlin' - 1964 - Festival FK-847" – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "MILESAGO - Industry - Record Labels - Festival Records". milesago.com.
  21. ↑ Stomp The Tumbarumba! (12 December 2011). "The De Kroo Brothers - The Road To Gundagai - 1962 - Festival FK-201" – via YouTube.
  22. 1 2 sallie6 (22 October 2016). "♫ De Kroo Brothers ♥ Michael Row The Boat Ashore ♫" – via YouTube.
  23. ↑ mainspring100 (6 November 2011). "De Kroo Brothers - On the job too long" – via YouTube.
  24. ↑ Stomp The Tumbarumba! (16 January 2012). "The De Kroo Brothers - Head Over Heels - 1960 - Columbia DO-4126" – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ Stomp The Tumbarumba! (12 December 2011). "The De Kroo Brothers - 'Cause I Like It - 1960 - Columbia DO-4127" – via YouTube.
  26. ↑ "The DeKroo Brothers - Scarlet - The Festival File Volume Five". Discogs.
  27. ↑ "The DeKroo Brothers - Collectors Album". Discogs.
  28. ↑ sallie6 (13 March 2015). "De Kroo Brothers Be Bop A Lula" – via YouTube.
  29. ↑ sallie6 (1 April 2015). "♫ De Kroo Brothers ♥ Loveland ♫" – via YouTube.
  30. ↑ sallie6 (13 May 2015). "♫ De Kroo Brothers ♥ In The Summertime ♫" – via YouTube.
  31. ↑ sallie6 (11 November 2016). "♫ De Kroo Brothers ♥ Some Sweet Day ♫" – via YouTube.
  32. ↑ sallie6 (8 March 2015). "♫ De Kroo Brothers ♥ Love My Life Away ♫" – via YouTube.
  33. ↑ sallie6 (3 March 2015). "♫ De Kroo Bothers ♥ Her Name Is Scarlet ♫" – via YouTube.
  34. ↑ sallie6 (25 March 2015). "♫ De Kroo Brothers ♥ All Right, Be That Way ♫" – via YouTube.
  35. ↑ sallie6 (3 April 2015). "♫ Poppa Joes ♥ De Kroo Bros Col Joye Joye Boys Judy Stone Laurel Lea ♫" – via YouTube.
  36. ↑ Some Year In Time (18 September 2018). "Midnight Mary by The De Kroo Brothers (1963)" – via YouTube.
  37. ↑ mainspring100 (6 November 2011). "De Kroo Brothers - It never came true 1962" – via YouTube.
  38. ↑ theflipsidedkid (1 November 2012). "The DeKroo Brothers & Silver Threads and Golden Needles" – via YouTube.
  39. ↑ sallie6 (27 July 2011). "♫ De Kroo Brothers ♥ Lucille - Myer Music Bowl ♫" – via YouTube.
  40. ↑ sallie6 (17 November 2016). "♫ De Kroo Brothers ♥ Ballad of Jed Clampett ♫" – via YouTube.
  41. ↑ sallie6 (22 October 2016). "♫ De Kroo Brothers & Judy Stone ♥ Blue Moon Of Kentucky ♫" – via YouTube.
  42. ↑ sallie6 (17 November 2016). "♫ De Kroo Brothers ♥ You're The Reason, Please Help Me I'm Falling, Blue Blue Day, Oh Lonesome Me ♫" – via YouTube.
  43. ↑ sallie6 (30 November 2017). "♫ The De Kroo Brothers ♥ Milk Train ♫" – via YouTube.
  44. ↑ 5GTRFMDJ (30 December 2010). "De Kroo Brothers - Keep A Walking 1961.wmv" – via YouTube.
  45. ↑ "Pop Stars Wed". The Canberra Times . Vol. 40, no. 11, 402. 26 February 1966. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2016– via National Library of Australia.
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