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The Songwriter (Continued) |
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In 1947 he met his idol Tex Morton and never washed his hand for a week. The Tex Morton circus performed in his hometown - this inspired him to seek his fortune as a country music star. Many years later he became a friend and partner with Tex. At 15, the lure of the outside world invited and teased his imagination. Ridding himself of a tyrant stepfather he ran away from home to pursue his career and destiny. Many boys dream of running away with a circus, Jamesy actually did for the second time with a rough excuse for a circus - a Wild West rodeo - as "the singing cowboy". This story would take a full length movie to describe - briefly it consisted of two trucks pulling two caravans - no windows or toilet facilities, no beds, just a shell. The trucks were left over from the war broke down every few miles. The performers consisted of a hypnotist who was a medical student turned entertainer during vacation. The boss, Fred, a most likeable conman rogue, a tent hand, a Shetland pony, two bucking broncos, a goat and Jamesy, now 17, newly wed with a wife and baby. One pound a week (2 dollars) and all the sweets he could sell and be the singing cowboy - tent hand - roustabout clown and all-rounder. They took supplies for four days to cross the Nullarbor Plain - the great Australian desert (a dirt track in those days). Two weeks later they still had not reached their destination.
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The goat had been eaten, as was the stolen sheep, a desperate, filthy dirty, unkempt group arrived at a general store on the lonely dusty part of the West Australian South Australian border at a place called Fowlers Bay which was not on the map.
The boss, Fred, conned the lady storekeeper with his persuasive methods. To give feed for the animals and, as they had lived on nestles, condensed milk and rice for 2 weeks, anything else was a luxury. Fred's charm convinced the storekeeper to phone every sheep farm for hundreds of miles to promote the circus, which was to be on the following night. The elephants, trapeze artists, lions and tigers and the rest of the imaginary trucks are still out on the desert and will arrive tomorrow - lied Fred, as he promoted his circus - the world renowned Wild West Show - he would claim.
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Dancing lights like flicking candles penetrated the horizon of the dark night as vehicles came from all directions, some over 50 miles, to be met by a most unbelievable motley group, led by Fred the Ringmaster, explaining that the rest of the circus had not arrived. However, an abridged version of the circus would be presented in the small hall that was adjacent to the general store. He told the crowd, as he beat a big bass drum, that the world's famous hypnotist would hypnotize. He introduced the famous singing cowboy "Rocky Martin" who would sing their favorite songs and yelled that there would be Shetland pony rides for the kid's at intermission, with his constant grinning gold teeth flashing as he described fantastic wonders they would see inside - just step up and buy a ticket. This was also the first time young Stan James heard his new stage name.
Fred collected the admissions like a hungry bookmaker - it's possible that the audience is still waiting for the show to start.
This was the beginning of Rocky Martin, Country Singer - later Martin St James as a professional entertainer - this was his debut.
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The hypnotist could not get anyone to hypnotize. Rocky had sung until his repertoire was completed, that was when he heard the trucks leaving without him as they went past the back door. He had the presence of mind to address the audience and announce that there would be a short intermission. With his guitar slung over his shoulder, screaming obscenities, he was fast enough to jump onto the truck as it chugged through the gate of the hall fence. To this day it's possible that the audience are still waiting for the second half. This was Fred's "modus operandi" in most towns when the hypnotist couldn't get volunteers.
Prior to this adventure, Jamesy had journeyed to the eastern states where at 16 he became a father and married. In 1951 he formed a country and western band - won a gold watch in a Victoria Top Town Entertainment competition - hosted a 30 minute country music radio show (Radio 3SH Swan Hill) every Sunday for several months. |
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In 1953 he appeared on Australian National Amateur Hour where he was successful in being voted second place. Auditions for recordings followed, with only disappointments. This was the era when there was no support for newcomers into the industry, especially bad was the fact that no record company would ever listen to new material. The material had to be songs already popular in U.S.A. before they would even discuss possibilities of recording.
1952-1954 - Having already become established as a competent star and hypnotist, the background music track of a movie - The Blackboard Jungle caught his ear - it was "Rock Around the Clock". Later the sensational long running movie of the same name became the genesis of Rock and Roll and the enlightenment of Jamesy by now who had written many rock type compositions, was encouraged by a local representative of Philips Records. When he auditioned with a tune he wrote combining the style of the new sensation Elvis, Rock 'n' Roll and Harry Belafonte's "Calypso", Rocky called his music "Rockalypso". More disappointments, many promises - no deals.
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| 1956 - Appeared first time on TV before he had ever seen a TV set. Performed on Graham Kennedy's "In Melbourne Tonight" with his demonstration of "Telepathic Jukebox" the audience would concentrate on a song. Jamesy (now known as Rock Martin would sing that song - through E.S.P., he claimed. This was the beginning of a series of major TV shows in U.S.A. and other countries years later. Continue Story... |
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