Australian singer songwriter Jeff St John has died at the age of 71.
Jeff St John rose to fame in Australia with his fan The Id and the hit song ‘Big Time Operator’ in 1967. The song reached no 7 on the Australian singles chart.
In 1970 Jeff reached no 3 with his next band Copperwine and the song ‘Teach Me How To Fly’.
1977 also gave Jeff another hit when ‘Fool In Love’ reached no 16. The album was released on US label Asylum, the home of Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne. Jeff St John was the first Australian signed to the label.
Jeff toured a lot in the 70s, opening for acts as diverse as Chuck Berry through to Gary Glitter.
In 1983, at the age of 37, Jeff surprised the industry when he announced his retirement. He moved to Perth in the late 90s. It was there, 15 years after retirement that a friend invited him onstage in Fremantle. That inspired Jeff to make one more album, the 30s and 40s standards record ‘Will The Real Jeff St John Please Stand Up?’ in 2001.
In 1985 he also played himself in two episodes of A Country Pratice.
In 2016 he released his autobiography ‘INSIDER-OUTSIDER: The Jeff St John Story’.
Jeff St John was born with spina bifida and performed in a wheel-chair. He became an active educator for people with disabilities and in 2000 sang the Australian Nation Anthem at the Summer Paralympics in Sydney.
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