Johnny Devlin was born John Lockett Devlin on 11 May 1938 in New Zealand.
In 1956, Devlin heard Elvis Presley‘s Heartbreak Hotel, and overnight became obsessed with rock & roll, snatching up Presley singles and performing Elvis songs on the amateur talent quest circuit.
Complete with a ducktail, loud suits, and hepcat lingo, he fully assimilated into the culture portrayed in American teen movies of the era, earning something of a reputation as the town eccentric.
Although Devlin regularly appeared in talent contests, he initially enjoyed little success, but in early 1957, he was spotted by Johnny Cooper, who had cut the first-ever New Zealand rock record, a cover of Bill Haley‘s Rock Around the Clock, two years earlier.
Cooper became Devlin’s mentor, and his career surged; he regularly won talent shows and played to increasingly enthusiastic crowds.
Devlin’s cover of Lloyd Price‘s Lawdy Miss Clawdy (1958) went to #1 in the New Zealand charts with sales of more than 100,000, launching him on a career as “New Zealand’s answer to Elvis”.
Although Devlin regularly appeared in talent contests, he initially enjoyed little success, but in early 1957, he was spotted by Johnny Cooper, who had cut the first-ever New Zealand rock record, a cover of Bill Haley‘s Rock Around the Clock, two years earlier.
