Col Joye, Australian Rock & Roll Pioneer, Dies at 89

Col Joye, the pioneering musician and ARIA Hall of Famer renowned for his bringing rock and roll to the top of the local charts for the first time, has passed away at the age of 89.

Born in Sydney in 1936 as Colin Jacobsen, Joye first began his journey into the world of music in 1957, performing as part of his brother Kevin Jacobsen’s group, the KJ Quintet. 

After being invited to perform at the Jazzorama in the Sydney suburb of Manly, the group’s plans to change the name to Col Jay and the Playboys were swiftly nixed in favor of the soon-to-be-famous moniker of Col Joye and the Joy Boys.

Though later regretting this name change, the group forged on, and in 1959 Joye and his bandmates hit No. 1 on the Sydney charts with “Bye Bye Baby.” That same year, they became the first Australian artist to hit No. 1 om the national charts with “Oh Yeah Uh Huh,” which enjoyed four weeks at the top.

Further top ten hits followed, with the group becoming staples of television program Bandstand throughout the ’60s, ahead of Joye’s final chart-topper, 1973’s “Heaven Is My Woman’s Love.”

Alongside his work on the performance side, Joye and brother Kevin were noted entrepreneurs, setting up their Joye Enterprises and Joye Music companies, alongside their label and talent agency ATA.

One of the biggest successes in this field came by way of their signing of the Bee Gees, who came to their attention following a 1961 performance in Queensland. 

The Bee Gees would later become the first Australian act to have a song hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 with the release of “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” in 1971. The group would repeat that feat a further eight times over the following decade, while the members’ younger brother Andy Gibb (himself an ATA signee) would hit number one three times on his own.

In 1988, Joye was one of the inaugural inductees into the ARIA Hall of Fame, sharing the honor with fellow acts such as Joan Sutherland, Johnny O’Keefe, Slim Dusty, AC/DC and songwriting and production duo Vanda & Young. 

“From music to TV, publishing to concert promotion, artist management and live performances, Col Joye made a remarkable contribution to Australian music for more than six decades,” ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said in a statement.

“At a time when the local industry was dominated by US and UK artists, he proved that Australians would embrace local artists and local music. Our deepest condolences go to Col’s family. He will be sadly missed.”