John Charter

Back in April I saw on Lonnie Lee's facebook that Australian musician John Charter who played with Johnny Rebb and the Rebels and before that Alan Dale and the Houserockers had been farewelled which I learned that he had passed away which I was sad to see that and it is sad loss to Australian music and to his family including his wife singer Lynn Fletcher who came from Brisbane. He was born April 4th 1939 in Kingsford Sydney, started playing piano at age 8, playing in Australia's first rock and roll group Alan Dale and the Houserockers as well as playing in his own trio, formed Johnny Rebb and the Rebels in 1958 who would achieved success with hits including Hey Sheriff, Come On Let's Go and Pathway To Paradise that would last until 1960 as well as touring the Lee Gordon shows with Frankie Avalon, The Platters and Tommy Sands(March 1959), The Everly Brothers (May-June 1959), The big Beat with Lloyd Price, Linda Laurie, The Kalin Twins and Conway Twitty(July 1959), Johnny Ray (September 1959) and Fabian (October 1959) as well as doing TV shows including Bandstand and 6 O'Clock Rock, working in the Club amd Hotel scene in Sydney, worked with Slim Dusty, forming the John Charter Group who recorded for HMV as well as backing Christine Roberts on I Can't Release You in 1967, working with Australian singer Digger Revell in Vietnam and America, also worked with Johnny O'Keefe and the Delltones, played in the 50's Showband which won 5 Mo Awards and the Twin Set Duo as well as being an MD, chart writer and producer, took over the Stepping Out Theatre Restaurant in Penrith from 1990-99, One Man orchestra, creating the social club Arrows which was an get together for Australian perfomers from the 50's and 60's and in 2021 released his autobiography Memoirs of A Piano which it's an FANTASTIC, BRILLIANT and SUPERB book with AWESOME, Impressive, very funny and very entertaining stories which I am glad that he put it out. I communicated with John through emails from 2019 until 2024 and on Sunday June 4th 2023 I met John Charter along with his wife Lynn Fletcher at QPAC Concert Hall after the show The Good Old Days of Rock and Roll which it still tours with music legends Little Pattie, Dinah Lee, Digger Revell, Jade Hurley and Lucky Starr which I got an autograph and an photo with them which was an honour and an thrill to have met an Australian music legend from the era. May the great music John made with Johnny Rebb and the Rebels as well as the John Charter Group and other people's work he played on live on forever and his piano playing on the Johnny Rebb and the Rebels hits including Hey Sheriff and Pathway to Paradise was just amazing and brilliant and also sad that both Johnny Rebb and The Rebels and Alan Dale don't get reconigition as they should as they were the pioneers of Australian rock which they should be posthumously considered for an ARIA Hall Of Fame induction for the impact they made on rock and roll in Australia.