to England and become a star , was also on the program .
“ He was a lovely man and encouraged me to pursue my dreams of making a career in entertainment .”
That desire to make a career in entertainment came early in life for Jonnie . Self-taught in playing the guitar and singing , young Jonnie Russell was drawn to Country and Western , listening to legends such as Reg Lindsay and Smokey Dawson singing on radio stations 2SM and 2KA which heavily promoted the genre .
Jonnie grew up in Penrith and after leaving school in 1957 , landed a job working as a shop assistant for television and radio retailer , H . G . Palmers .
“ I was there for 12 months and then found a job at Granville as an invoice clerk for a cheese wholesaler , PDS , which was my day job for 12 years before I was able to become a full-time entertainer ,” Jonnie said .
During that period , Jonnie found gigs all over Sydney , continually honing his talent and always with that aim in sight of making a living solely out of performing . “ Throughout that period , I kept getting regular boosts to keep me on track to achieving my goal in becoming a professional entertainer ,” Jonnie said .
“ In 1959 , 2UW ’ s Alan Toohey conducted an annual Amateur Hour contest , and I was fortunate to win , singing American star , Don Gibson ’ s hit from the previous year , Oh Lonesome Me .
“ Later that year and still not old enough to legally enter a hotel , I landed a threeyear stint playing Friday and Saturday nights at Liverpool ’ s Collingwood Hotel . “ That in turn earned me weekly performances at the numerous Miller ’ s Hotels scattered around Sydney – their beers weren ’ t anything to write home about , but all we musicians were grateful for their promotion of live performances .”
By 1970 , Jonnie ’ s “ night-time ” career had grown enough for him to hand in his notice at PDS and make a reality , his dream of becoming a full-time professional entertainer .
“ Not only were my skills as an entertainer blossoming , so was my bank account , and with my earnings from singing I was able to buy a unit at Ashfield ,” Jonnie said .
After turning professional , Jonnie toured for many years with his Jonnie Russell All Star Variety Show , featuring the Jonnie Russell Band with the man himself belting out Country and Western favourites for fans all over the country .
In 1991 , Jonnie was invited back io Nashville to sing a song on Nashville ’ s Channel 5 network with the famous Cole Tipton Bluegrass Band .
“ It was an honour to perform with that illustrious group of musicians and I ’ m proud to say that I did a good job singing the great Hank Williams ’ memorable 1948 hit , I Saw the Light ,” Jonnie said .
As a toddler , Jonnie Russell saw the light which led him to become one of Australia ’ s foremost performers and promoters of country and Western music .
John ’ s passion for music is nearly matched by his love of early aviation , particularly his admiration for the
Jonnie was delighted to meet Gabby Kennard in 1989 just after the aviator completed her marathon solo flight around the globe in her little Piper Saratoga aircraft .
legendary Sir Charles Kingsford Smith .
“ Smithy has been a hero to generations of Australians , and I was no exception ,” Jonnie explained .
In 1985 , to commemorate the 30 th anniversary of Smithy ’ s death in 1935 on a flight from Allahabad in India to Singapore , Jonnie wrote and performed his hit song , The Immortal Southern Cross .
Another of his aviator idols is Gabby Kennard , who in 1989 became the first Australian woman to fly solo around the world in her single-engine Piper Saratoga .
“ It was a tremendous and brave achievement by Gabby , flying 54,000 nautical kilometres in 99 days ,” Jonnie said .
“ I had the pleasure of meeting Gabby a few weeks after her memorable flight – her courage and skills emulated that of the great Smithy .”
Jonnie is still deeply involved in the music industry as well as his community at Mount Druitt where he is a volunteer with the Mount Druitt Historical Society and loves staging concerts for residents at aged care facilities .
BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 15 // JUNE 2022 7