Leo De Kroo (originally from Dordrecht in the Netherlands) and Perth boy Doug Brewer met up in Western Australia and – discovering a musical kinship – Brewer adopted the surname De Kroo so the pair could perform with the “De Kroo Brothers” stage name.
The duo – who were basing their act on the Everly Brothers – moved to Sydney in 1960 and Columbia released their debut single (On The Job Too Long) in March 1960, followed by the follow-up single Loveland six days later. Receiving minimal airplay, both records flopped.
In March 1961, Columbia issued their third and final single, Cave In, which again failed to make an impression on the charts. In the meantime, Leo and Doug were appearing regularly on Australian television shows including Bandstand, Australia’s Amateur Hour, The Graham Kennedy Show, The Bobby Limb Show, Six O’Clock Rock, Teen Time and The Youth Show.
They also fell in with the Lee Gordon stadium clique and proved to be a perfect addition to many of his ‘Big Shows’.
Leo and Doug then moved to Festival Records, and in September 1963, they finally scored their first Top 10 hit with their fourth Festival single (And Her Name Was) Scarlet. Festival released three more singles over the next year or so, but without further success.
By 1965, Leo and Doug were so popular that the Australian Women’s Weekly even included a “how-to” article on knitting a mohair Beatles-style jacket just like those worn by the De Kroo “top pop boys”.
Leo added to their allure by marrying singer Judy Stone in 1966.
The De Kroo Bros continued to appear on Aussie TV and play the club circuit until an amicable split in 1972.
Leo and his second wife, Marianne, moved from Sydney to Dubbo in country NSW, where Leo continued to pursue his luthier work and worked as a weekday morning radio announcer from 1999 to 2008 at 2DU.
Doug opened up a music teaching business in Sydney and continued playing with various local rockabilly groups. He died in July 2025 at Bellingen Hospital in country NSW from complications of pneumonia. He was 84.
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By 1965, Leo and Doug were so popular that the Australian Women’s Weekly even included a “how-to” article on knitting a mohair Beatles-style jacket just like those worn by the De Kroo “top pop boys”.
