During the early years of Australian Rock & Roll, the scene was almost entirely male-dominated. As the beat softened and the frantic momentum diminished during the early 1960s, the first female solo singers began to emerge.
These included Noeleen Batley (dubbed ‘Australia’s Little Miss Sweetheart’), Judy Stone, Patsy Ann Noble, Betty McQuade, Lana Cantrell, Lee Grant, Candy and Mandy, Laurel Lea, Patti Markham, and Patricia ‘Little Pattie’ Amphlett.
By the age of 13, Patricia Amphlett had won a talent contest singing Surfer Joe and consequently became a regular at Sydney’s southern beaches surf club dances, singing with a band called The Statesmen.
Patti was spotted by EMI’s in-house producer and A&R manager Joe Halford while singing at Bronte Surf Club and issued He’s My Blonde Headed Stompie Wompie Real Gone Surfer Boy (a song co-written by Halford and singer Jay Justin) which became an instant hit, peaking at #2 in Sydney in December 1963.
At 15, Little Pattie left Sydney Girl’s High School to concentrate on her singing career. She scored three more hit singles during 1964 and made regular television appearances on shows like Bandstand, Saturday Date and Sing, Sing, Sing.
She followed up with the singles We’re Gonna Have A Party Tonight (#18 in March 1964), Drag Race Johnny (July 1964) and Surfin’ Time Again (December 1964) and an album, The Many Moods of Little Pattie.
1965 produced Pushin’ A Good Thing Too Far (#28 in March 1965) and Dance Puppet Dance (October 1965). She rounded out 1965 with My Love.
By 1966, Pattie had moved upmarket and left the dances behind to make club and cabaret appearances, while continuing to release singles for EMI up until 1970.
Her single releases during this period were; Game Of Love (1966), Will Ya Or Won’t Ya? (1966), Don’t Walk Away (1966), Let Me Dream (1966), With Love From Jenny (1967), I’ll Eat My Hat (1967), If He Would Care (1967), I Knew Right Away (1967), Sunshine Boy (1968), Love Is A Happy Thing (1968), Someone Out There (1969), Gravitation (1969) and The Penthouse (1970).
In August 1966, Pattie (having dropped the ‘Little’) toured Vietnam to entertain Australian troops with Col Joye. Despite assurances of absolute safety, at the tender age of 17, she found herself being evacuated from the beach at Long Tan, and returned home a changed (more mature) person.
In 1967, Pattie released her last Top 40 single, I’ll Eat My Hat, but continued to d concerts with Col Joye at Australian army training camps for the duration of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam conflict.
Although Patricia Amphlett tried in later years to forge a career as an adult country and jazz singer, she fell foul of a common fate for child stars – the public refused to let her grow up.
In 2000 the Sydney Morning Herald included her on a list of the 'century's most loved faces', and she was included in a 1998 issue of Australian stamps featuring Australian bands.
On 27 August 2009, Little Pattie was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame alongside Kev Carmody, The Dingoes, Mental As Anything and John Paul Young.
She is currently a singing teacher at various high schools in Sydney, including St Joseph's College and Burwood Girls High School.As from October 2023 Little Pattie was performing on the nostalgia circuit as the Good Old Days of Rock'n'roll, with fellow veterans, Digger Revell, Dinah Lee and Lucky Starr.
As Patricia Thompson, she became singing teacher at several Sydney high schools, including Burwood Girls High School, St. Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill, Mercy College, Chatswood and Saint Ignatius’ College.
=======================================
The Many Moods Of Little Pattie (1964)
01. Little Pattie - Get Him
02. Little Pattie - Lonely, Lonely, Lonely Me
03. Little Pattie - My Buddy
*04. Little Pattie - We're Gonna Have A Party Tonight
05. Little Pattie - Miss In Between
06. Little Pattie - He's My Boy
07. Little Pattie - If I Could
08. Little Pattie - Let's Have A Party
*09. Little Pattie - Stompin' At Maroubra
10. Little Pattie - Lonely Boy
11. Little Pattie - Because Of You
*12. Little Pattie - He's My Blonde-headed Stompie Wompie Real Gone Surfer Boy
* Little Pattie & The Statesmen
Pattie (1965)
01. Little Pattie - Be My Baby
02. Little Pattie - Yesterday
03. Little Pattie - Jambalaya
04. Little Pattie - My Love
05. Little Pattie - Tell Him
06. Little Pattie - Over The Rainbow
07. Little Pattie - Ma
08. Little Pattie - Losing You
09. Little Pattie - I'm Down
10. Little Pattie - Dance Puppet Dance
11. Little Pattie - My Colouring Book
12. Little Pattie - It's Love Baby
Little Things Like This (1967)
01. Little Pattie - I Knew Right Away
02. Little Pattie - Single Girl
03. Little Pattie - He's Got The Power
04. Little Pattie - Let Me Down Lightly
05. Little Pattie - Each Day Is A Rainbow
06. Little Pattie - For No One
07. Little Pattie - Chisana Koibito
08. Little Pattie - Little Things Like This
09. Little Pattie - Off And Running
10. Little Pattie - In Time
11. Little Pattie - I'll Eat My Hat
12. Little Pattie - Loves Of July
13. Little Pattie - If He Would Care
14. Little Pattie - Let Me Dream
Beautiful in the Rain (1969)
01. Little Pattie - Beautiful in the Rain
02. Little Pattie - You're Losing
03. Little Pattie - So Nice
04. Little Pattie - Ray Of Sunshine
05. Little Pattie - What The World Needs Now Is Love
06. Little Pattie - Mama's Little Baby
07. Little Pattie - Someone Out There
08. Little Pattie - From Now On
09. Little Pattie - The Look Of Love
10. Little Pattie - In This For-The-Moment World
11. Little Pattie - Baby, Are You Puttin' Me On
12. Little Pattie - Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows
Bonus :
1. Little Pattie & The Statesmen - Surfin' Time Again
2. Little Pattie & The Statesmen - Drag Race Johnny
3. Little Pattie & The Statesmen - Dear Judy
Sources of information:
thank you
ReplyDeleteNICE ONE THANK YOU
ReplyDeleteThanks Dmitrich for the icon of sixties music little Pattie great work
ReplyDeleteThanks Dimitrich. Enjoying this unknown gem.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dmitrich.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dmitrich.
ReplyDeleteThanks
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for this one
ReplyDeleteThanks! and greetings...
ReplyDelete