Ol' 55

Ol' 55 was an Australian band specialising in retro, 1950s-era Rock 'n' Roll. They formed as Fanis in 1972 in Sutherland, Sydney, New South Wales (NSW). Drummer Geoff Plummer was working with Glenn A. Baker at the NSW Department of Media and invited Baker to hear his part-time band, including Pat Drummond, Rockpile Jones and Jimmy Manzie. In 1975, Baker took on their management, renamed them as Ol' 55 for the Tom Waits song (as covered by The Eagles), and recruited front man Frankie J. Holden and, later in the year, saxophonist Wilbur Wilde. The band enjoyed popularity with a style that bordered on parody but managed to combine novelty retro kitsch and clever theatrics with a keen sense of pop dynamics and an acute understanding of rock 'n' roll. Their top 20 hits on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart were, "On the Prowl" (No. 14, May 1976), "Looking for an Echo" (No. 9, August), "(I Want A) Rockin' Christmas" (No. 7, November), "Stay (While the Night is Still Young)" (No. 16, November 1977), and "Two Faces Have I" (No. 15, July 1980). Their debut album, Take It Greasy peaked at No. 2 in the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in 1976. After line-up changes, Ol' 55 disbanded in 1981 while both Holden and Wilde had already furthered their musical careers and also taken roles in television entertainment. Various revivals titled Ol' 55, The Fives, Frankie J. Holden & The Fives, or Ol' Skydaddys contained members of the 1976 line-up of the band. Manzie moved to Hollywood, where he wrote film music—mainly for horror movies—and produced recordings for bands.