Lonnie Lee and The Leemen | Musician/band
Lonnie Lee and The Leemen
Phone: +61 2 9826 0220
Reviews
to load big map
25.01.2022 Social media is full of sadness and love, for @Doug Parkinson the gentle man with a giant voice who has suddenly passed away. All of us of these early eras, ar...e entering a time when people we know and love, are leaving us. The sadness of those close to Douggie and then Michael and last week Brenno and Eddie before that, can only be comprehended by those with the same experience. So far this has been a month to remind us to let those you love and those who love you, know of your feelings for them. That is the most important legacy to leave. We send our love to his family with a glass full of his many career, personal achievements and gentle character, rather than a glass half empty of the sadness of his passing. RIP, never forgotten. x See more
25.01.2022 Hi, Hope you're all well. Some of the folk in the business end of shows and tours, are a little shy about starting up as they are not sure about a few things. T...hese few things could determine whether they lose a lot of money, break even or maybe make some. In the end of course, if they do something, they will have to take a gamble, however I told them I will ask my friends what they think about some of their concerns. So, here we go.. 1. Would older age audiences be afraid to go out to a show because of Covid or would they prefer to stay at home, pay a smaller ticker price and watch a 'live' show be streamed to their TV sets, phones etc? 2. If they did go out to a show would they be prepared to pay $25 to $55 a ticket so that costs like, travel, accommodation, wages,venues,staff, promotion etc., could be covered ? If not what would they pay for a show? 3. Would they prefer a daytime show or a night time show? 4. How do they normally get to hear about a show coming to town? Facebook, Twitter, Community Radio, Commercial Radio, TV, Newspaper, or something else? 5. How far ahead of time do they like to know about a show to book? Well, I'm sure they will be happy to get answers to their concerns no matter what the the answer is. At least they will be a little better off in making a decision to promote a show or tour. Don't know about you, but Suzanne and the band and I, are itching to get on the road again to visit you. If you'd prefer to keep it private, email us at [email protected]
24.01.2022 One day whilst living in Nashville, I was driving home to Hendersonville, through Madison where Colonel Tom Parker lived near Nashville, when I heard on the car... radio that Elvis had been rushed to hospital. I had heard this before quite a few times over the years, but this was different. This was August 16th 1977. A few minutes after that initial broadcast, the announcer could hardly speak when he announced that, the King, Elvis Presley had died. I pulled over to the side of the road and changed the dial to a few different stations.. all of them reporting that same shattering news. You felt it too didn't you? Wherever you were, whatever you were doing! This couldn't be true! Even the radio announcers couldn't believe it. But it was. It somehow cut a piece out of the memories of our youth. A week or so later, I promoted a show for all the media at our Rhinestone Cowboy Club in Nashville to present a song that expressed the feelings of many millions of fans all around the world. This is that song from our, 'Lonnie sings Elvis album... 'The King is Gone'. See more
20.01.2022 We've had a quite a few who didn't get to see last week's Line Dance show and really want to, so we will keep it up for this week as well. C'mon on the floor...
19.01.2022 This week our video stream features Lonnie at the 2013 Annual CWA Convention in Mudgee where the girls were having so much fun, then back to 1961 with Brian Henderson introducing 3 songs from Lonnie and The Leemen on Bandstand. Choose your platform to view at rocknrolltheatre.com
19.01.2022 This is the new show all this week. A few clips from various moments in Lonnie Lee time. We hope you enjoy the 48 minutes and if so, let us know.
17.01.2022 Starting today a new video stream from the archives. Back to 2004-2005 a live show, a Q&A and a Nashville record session. Enjoy.. See it here at rocknrolltheatre.ocm
17.01.2022 A little 'Thank you' for you.
17.01.2022 Whether you're called.. Father, Dad, Daddy, DaDa, Pa, Papa, Pop, Poppa, Pater, Mate, Sir or any other name... We wish you Happy Father's Day. Today belongs to you. :-)
16.01.2022 Lonnie's show, 'The Roots of Aussie Rock', played many venues in the mid 2000's. It was his way of celebrating his friends and peers who were the Aussie stars o...f the original Rock'n'Roll era of the late 50's, early 60's. This week we feature a special concert at the Rooty Hill RSL Club in 2014 at the beginning of the season. Today, many of those stars unfortunately have either passed, or retired, so enjoy their hits, done Lonnie Lee style. See more
13.01.2022 From tomorrow the new stream will be Lonnie's rehearsal for the 2002 'Long Way to the Top' tour, his first shows in Perth then the 2008 Australia Day show in a Bankstown Park. All at rocknrolltheatre.com. Enjoy...
10.01.2022 From tomorrow (Monday) we are streaming this peek into a rehearsal studio. Choose how you view it here rocknrolltheatre.com
09.01.2022 Another icon of the entertainment industry has passed.. John Brennan. A dear man always with great insight to what the public would like despite much oppositio...n to what he thought. In 1959 he and Tony Withers at 2SM flipped my single to the B side and played, 'Ain't it so', the song J.O'K and I wrote and then Stan Rolfe in Melbourne ran with it to become my first #1. JB, was a staunch believer in Australian talent whether in radio or music. His belief in J.O'K, myself and others, when few wanted to play Aussie artists played a big part in kick starting our industry. John, sort out that big RnR band up there and take them even higher. RIP and thank you for believing in us. x See more
09.01.2022 This week we are streaming two different presentations both from 2004. This was the year that I produced a show as a celebration of the wonderful songs of the g...reat Johnnie Ray. Just prior to premiering the bigger show, we did a smaller 'off Broadway' style show in the cosy Katoomba Nightclub, The Clarendon. This was also the year the 5 metre tall statue of Johnny O'Keefe was unveiled in Tweed Heads/Coolangatta. Relax for 42 minutes to un-Covid your life. See more
09.01.2022 We've been very busy over the last weeks producing our very first Christmas Album titled, 'Christmas at my place'. Although it has an expected release date in t...he last week November, it is being placed on the starliterecords.com.au/open shop where advance orders are being accepted. Advance orders will also receive a $5 discount, a free bonus gift of the book, 'Johnny O'keefe - The Facts' and free postage. if the code, XMAS2020 is entered in the Coupon box in the cart. The album features 10 well known Christmas songs to sing along with, plus 3 songs he wrote for the album plus the Christmas song he wrote for Roy Orbison, 'Holy Christmas.
09.01.2022 Yet another week passes with some of us still in 'solitary confinement'. We really hope that our weekly streams have brought some entertainment to you. As the s...aying sort of goes, "If you can't go to it then it will come to you". This week are two special shows. Both from 16 years ago in 2004. The first at the Tamworth Country Music Festival show in the park with these wonderful Legends, Normie Rowe singing the National Anthem and Johnny Young introducing Lonnie's show. The next show was the reopening of the Rowena Shire Hall after it was in disrepair for many years. This in the mid 50's was where the shy young teenager Lonnie introduced Rockabilly to the area. It was an important night for him, the CWA Ladies and everyone who came and had a ball. We hope you enjoy the 58 minutes. Let us know. See more
07.01.2022 The 3 parts of our video stream this week are from 2005. Firstly a peek into Perth's Curtin FM studio with Lonnie and their Legendary Morning Announcer Peter Wa...ltham as they take some calls from fans. Next is Lonnie's part in Canberra's huge Christmas Carols By Candlelight and finishing up with a clip from his show in Perth's historic Embassy Ballroom. All in all 40 minutes to cure your boredom. Enjoy then let us know.. You can choose how to watch here.. www.rocknrolltheatre.com See more
07.01.2022 On September 18 LONNIE LEE celebrates his 80th birthday. He has been performing rock’n’roll on stage for almost 65 years and has been recording for more than 60.... He really is the Last Man Standing (along with Col Joye and Pee Wee Wilson from the Delltones) from the crop of rock pioneers in this country who blazed the way for the exciting new sound that shook up the world in the 1950s. Almost every entity he trod the boards with (and even wrote songs with and for) are now no longer with us Johnny O’Keefe, Dig Richards, Barry Stanton, two of the Brothers Gibb and, internationally, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Phil Everly, Glen Campbell, Lesley Gore, Bobby Vee and Ricky Nelson. Back To Base X arrived in 2019 and got trampled in the rush and crush of all that has happened since I admit my own culpability here. It is an energetic 15 track album that is notable for featuring songs penned by legendary tunesmiths that Lonnie maintained contact with since his/their heyday. In some cases he had tapes forwarded to him by their family members. Every scholar of rock’n’roll is going to be excited to come across unheard works by Otis Blackwell and John Marascalco. The former, who wrote Great Balls of Fire, Don't Be Cruel, All Shook Up, Return To Sender and many more for Elvis, as well as Defenceless which was a smash here for Lonnie in 1960, has two songs on the album - Loves Hunger Pain and Ready Steady. The latter, who wrote Lonnie’s big hit Starlight Starbright and, at the same time, global hits such as Rip It Up, Ready Teddy and Good Molly Miss Molly, has four original rock era songs here: Hey Little Mama, Going Jukin’, Back Door Sally and Wouldn’t You Know. Lonnie has a great many career distinctions, such as Australia’s first stereo LP, one of the earliest covers of a Barry Gibb song (I’d Like To Leave If I May), stints hosting Six O’Clock Rock, filling in for Johnny O’Keefe (his early manager/ producer and writer of his first record and first smash hit, Ain’t It So), and some time working in the U.S. A particular joy here is the presence of the original Leemen drummer Leon Isackson, who played on literally hundreds of tracks over the years and has been a member of The RJ’s, Rajahs and Mighty Guys. This is not some crass party reworking of old hits, it is something worthy of an 80 year old who still has fire in his belly and continues to personify a life lived for rock’n’roll. I recommend it. Oh and Happy Birthday Lonnie. May you keep on keeping on .. for a very long time. Your spirit does you credit, you long have been, as you put it in one of your own songs, A Real Gone Cat. #lonnielee #backtobasex
03.01.2022 So sad to hear that NZ Superstar Max Merritt has passed away in Los Angeles. He was 79. He has been very sick for a long time but like the soldier he was, he fo...ught on and never let it get in the way of a laugh or a memory from way back. I first met Max in 1962 when I toured NZ. He was still living in Christchurch and he and his band were our support act. The fun he got up to on the 2002 tour of Long Way to The Top was legendary among all the other stars and fortunately, we spent some time with him in LA not long ago. RIP Max, everyone who knew you, loved you. Never forgotten. x See more
