She's My Baby - JOHNNY O'KEEFE (1959) - Pop Archives - Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s

JOHNNY O'KEEFE
She's My Baby
(Scott Turnbull - Tom Moffat - Earl Finch)
Australia 1959
#1 Sydney #1 Melbourne #2 Adelaide #3 Adelaide

Released in Australia December 1959, charted January 1960. Single on Liberty label in USA, Leedon in Australia.

Recorded in Los Angeles at Gold Star studios, produced by Snuff Garrett, "with the Ernie Freeman Chorus & Orchestra".

Johnny O'Keefe (1935-1978), known in Australia as "The Wild One", "The King of Rock'n'Roll" or just "J. O'K.", was a pioneer Australian rocker, a chart topping artist in his home country. The TV mini-series Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe (1985) was adapted as a stage musical in 2001.

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She's My Baby came to Johnny O'Keefe through co-writer Scott Turner, American guitarist, singer and songwriter, real name Graham Morrison Turnbull, also known as, Scott Turner, Scotty Turnbull or Graham Scotty Turnbull (he also wrote as Allison Dewar).

Turner/Turnbull was on tour with Tommy Sands in Australia when he sang the song to Johnny O'Keefe in March 1959. When Johnny O'Keefe travelled to the States later in the year he met up with Scott Turner again, and recorded She's My Baby for Liberty in Los Angeles, with Turner on guitar. Scott Turner passed away in February 2009: see Damian Johnstone's tribute at Spectropop Group.

Source: Damian Johnstone, The Wild One, 2001, pp. 76-77, 108-110, 310.) This is the definitive biography of Johnny O'Keefe.
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Rereleased in 1969: #13 Sydney #6 Melbourne #3 Brisbane (co-charted in Brisbane with version by Jon Blanchfield)

Scotty Turner/Turnbull also co-wrote Don't You Know (Pretty Baby), Ready For You and Own True Self (the B-side of She's My Baby), all recorded by J. O'K in Los Angeles. See also Merv Benton - The Worryin' Kind.

Further reading: 1. Johnny O'Keefe history at Howlspace. 2. Scott Turner bio at Serge.org's Music Morsels 3. Snuff Garrett page at Tom Simon's website 4. Space Age Pop Music page on Snuff Garrett and his "50 Guitars" recordings 5. Ernie Freeman biography at All Music Guide. 6. Tom Moffatt's column in MidWeek magazine (Hawaii). 7. Scotty Turner's band The Raiders at Rockin' Country Style.

AL LUCAS
She's My Baby
(Scott Turnbull - Tom Moffat - Earl Finch)
USA 1959
Original version

Single on Challenge #59042, March 1959.

Al Lucas was a Hawaiian singer whose single of She's My Baby was on Hollywood-based label Challenge.

The writer credits are to Scott Turner/Scotty Turnbull (1931-2009), American guitarist-singer-songwriter (pictured, right); Honolulu deejay Tom Moffat(t); and Al Lucas's manager Earl Finch.

Tom Moffatt recalls (by email) that the song was written in November 1958 when Scott Turner was in Hawaii to back Tommy Sands in The 10th Show Of Stars. Connie Francis, The Diamonds and Scott Turner's group, The Raiders, were on the bill, along with local artists who included Al Lucas. Tom Moffatt was the emcee. Tom writes: I remember coming up with the first line of the song. It described a Hawaii girl who was my current love at the time... I interviewed Johnny O'Keefe on my radio show after the song was released on Liberty records in the US. (Email to PopArchives, March 2008)

Tom Moffatt, who helped to launch the career of another Hawaiian artist, Robin Luke (Susie Darlin', 1958, #5 USA), now has a column in the Hawaiian magazine Midweek [link].

Scotty Turnbull, co-writer of She's My Baby, on Australian TV, March 1959. From Damian Johnstone - The Wild One (2001), p.77 (thanks to Damian Johnstone).

Scott Turner (aka Scotty Turnbull) 1931-2009: Read Damian Johnstone's tribute at Spectropop: Link.

Al Lucas:
Not to be confused with jazz bassist Al Lucas (1916-1983) or American footballer Al Lucas (1978-2005).
A 1997 Star Bulletin (Honolulu) obituary of Alfred B. Hornas, Jr, 61, "also known as Al Lucas, entertainer" is probably about the same person. [Link]

Thanks to Earl Mitchell for pointing the way to the original version.
Page updated in consultation with Tony Watson.
Thanks to Tom Moffatt for further background.

THE TRAVELING WILBURYS
She's My Baby
USA 1990
Red herring
#34 Melbourne #50 Brisbane #22 Adelaide #46 Perth

Same title but not the same song as "She's My Baby" by Johnny O'Keefe.

Single from the album Traveling Wiburys Volume 3 (the Wilburys' second album). The Traveling Wilburys were Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.

Other red herrings: There are numerous different songs called She's My Baby by artists who include Otis Banks, Dee Clark, Fats Domino, Dave Edmunds, Tennessee Ernie Ford, B. B. King, Carole King, Van Morrison, Sonny Boy Williamson, Wings...

Later versions:

JON BLANCHFIELD
She's My Baby
(Scott Turnbull - Tom Moffat - Earl Finch)
Australia 1969
Later version
#3 Brisbane

Jon Blanchfield: Queensland singer and TV personality who went on to compere Up Tight on national television. Now working in management (and known as John instead of Jon), one of his clients is Normie Rowe.

This version co-charted in Brisbane with a rerelease of the original by Johnny O'Keefe.