Great Balls Of Fire/Rip It Up/Sheila/Hippy Hippy Shake/You're So Square/Blue, Blue Day/Donna/Teen Angel/Sea Of Heartbreak/Hold Me/Battle Of New Orleans/Slow Down/Say Mama/He's Got The Whole World (In His Hands)/The Birds And The Bees/Splish Splash/Let The Little Girl Dance/ Let's Think About Livin'/Travel On/Shape I'm In/Memphis/Think It Over/Abilene/Why Me, Lord
Jade Hurley has been part of Australia's rock history for 5 decades. He began playing the piano by ear before joining his first rock 'n' band at 14, the Rockin Rebels in Sydney. Taken under the wing of Johnny O'Keefe, Hurley pursued a solo career, playing the piano and singing, usually with a backing band. Later he became part of the troupe that recycled early fifties' rock playing in tours up and down the country and doing the RSL and club circuit in NSW. His music became more country orientated in the later years and his regular appearances on the Mike Walsh show, saw him identified with MOR performers rather than as a rocker.
Singer-songwriter-pianist Jade Hurley's big break came with his appearance on Johnny O'Keefe's Six O'Clock Rock in August 1959. That was when he changed his name from John on JO'K's advice.From the 70s, Jade Hurley (b.1943) became famous for his country-rock performances of rock'n'roll standards on The Mike Walsh Show, and he has successfully continued in that vein ever since.It is possible to overlook, though, that his earlier singles were usually of his own original material, notably How I Lied (1965, #32 Sydney, #11 Melbourne, #25 Brisbane, #5 Perth), where his confident country-pop vocals nicely combined with the melodic and rhythmic feel of the current beat era. With the exception of Gold And Silver, Jade Hurley's other charting songs were all his own compositions: My Baby Judy (1965, #11 Perth), I'm Ashamed Of You (1966, #28 Perth) and Down In The Riverina (1974, #34 Sydney).
In 1998 Jade Hurley was awarded an Order of Australia for services in entertainment and community work. He continues to tour Australia in his distinctive motorhome: in 2008 he broke attendance records at the Tamworth Country Music Festival when 1550 people turned up to his show.(Partly poached from Lynn at PopArchives)
