Johnny Devlin was born John Lockett Devlin on 11 May 1938 in New Zealand.
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 Presley“.
He spent much of his time in Australia from 1959 touring in support of The Everly Brothers and making appearances on Australian television shows such as Bandstand, Six O’Clock Rock and The Go!! Show.
In 1964 he toured Australia and New Zealand as a support act for The Beatles.
77-year-old Devlin suffered a heart attack in June 2015 while onboard a P&O cruise ship. He was transferred to St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney in critical condition and received a triple bypass which saved his life.
