Normie Rowe: Difference between revisions

|image = Normie Rowe (5656868848).jpg

|occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|television|actor|theatre performer|soldier}}

| years_active = 1960s–2006

| label = [[Festival Records (Australia)|Festival]], [[Astor Records|Astor]], [[Sunshine Records (Australia)|Sunshine]]

| website =

| module = {{infobox military person|embed=yes

| allegiance = {{flagicon|AUS}} Australia

| branch = Australian Army

| rank= Corporal = Corporal

| battles = [[Vietnam War]]

| serviceyears = FebFebruary 1968 – May 1970

Rowe was born and raised in Northcote in [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria, (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> He was drawn to music early in life., Heand began singing with his local church choir in Melbourne while at primary school. He was hooked on rock and roll music even before his teens, and [[Col Joye]] became one of his early idols and inspirations. He took up guitar and formed his first amateur band, The Valiants, whilst attending [[Northcote High School]]. TheyThe band performed once a month at Alphington Methodist Hall. He concentrated on singing and made his first stage appearance as a lead vocalist in a music school concert, aged 14.

By luck, the show was compered by top Melbourne radio DJ [[Stan Rofe]]. Rofe was impressed by Rowe's talent and arranged for him to work with local dance promoter Kevin McClellan. He began performing regularly at Melbourne dances and discos, backed by instrumental groups like The Thunderbirds, The Impostors and, finally, The Playboys, who became his permanent band until 1967.

After leaving high school at the end of 1962, Rowe had joined the [[Postmaster-General's Department]] (PMG) on 14 January 1963 (later split in 1975 into [[Telecom Australia]] and [[Australia Post]]). He worked as a trainee technician, but, in late 1964, his long hair became an issue with his employers and, in the face of a "cut it or quit" ultimatum, he left the PMG to become a professional entertainer. Working on the Melbourne dance circuit, he became a popular attraction and it was not long before he was picked to become a regular on Melbourne pop TV shows like ''Teen Scene'' and ''[[The Go!! Show]]''. According to music historian [[Ed Nimmervoll]], [[EMI]] apparently had the chance to sign him but turned him down, claiming that he could not sing. He was signed to a recording deal with the independent label, [[Sunshine Records (Australia)|Sunshine]], which included a management deal with the [[Ivan Dayman]] organisation.

Rowe's first single, released in April 1965, was a brooding "beat" arrangement of [[George Gershwin]]'s "[[It Ain't Necessarily So]]" (from ''[[Porgy & Bess]]'') a choice suggested by [[Stan Rofe]]. It was a [[Number 1 hit]] in Melbourne and a Top Ten hit in most other capitals cities (No. 6 in Sydney, No. 5 in Adelaide, No. 3 in Brisbane),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=183 |title=Normie Rowe - It Ain't Necessarily So – NORMIE ROWE (1965) – |website=Pop Archives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s|website=Poparchives.com.au|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> even though Sydney pop station [[2SM]], (then owned by the [[Catholic Church]]), banned it because of its supposedly [[sacrilegious]] lyrics. The inspiration for Rowe's version was apparently a 1963 version by the United Kingdom band [[Ian and the Zodiacs]]. Some references cite the coursesource as a version by [[The Merseybeats]], but that band never recorded "It Ain't Necessarily So". The name of the Ian &and Thethe Zodiacs' album, ''This Is Merseybeat'', has apparently been confused with the name of the band The Merseybeats.

Rowe's first LP was released in July 1965. His second single (also, apparently discovered while trawling through Rofe's vast record collection), released in August, was a cover of [[Ben E. King]]'s "[[I Who Have Nothing|I (Who Have Nothing)]]". It became his second Top 10 hit (No. 10 in Sydney, No. 6 in Adelaide, No. 4 in Melbourne) (and a Number 23 in Brisbane).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=593 |title=Normie Rowe - I (Who Have Nothing) – NORMIE ROWE (1965) – |website=Pop Archives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s|website=Poparchives.com.au|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>

Although Rowe's third single, "I Confess" / "Everything's Alright", was apparently withdrawn before or soon after release, the next single became the biggest hit of his career. The A-side was a cover of "[[Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)|Que Sera Sera]]" (best known from the Doris Day original), which was given a "[[Merseybeat]]" treatment, (in the manner of [[The Beatles]]' "[[Twist & Shout]]"). Paired with a powerful version of the [[Johnny Kidd & The Pirates]]' classic "[[Shakin' All Over]]", the single became a double-sided No. 1 hit in most capitals (#1 Sydney, #1 Melbourne, #1 Brisbane, #1 Adelaide<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=101 |title=Shakin'Normie AllRowe Over& –The NORMIEPlayboys ROWE- &Shakin' THEAll PLAYBOYSOver (1965) – |website=Pop Archives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s|website=Poparchives.com.au|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>) in September, charting for 28 weeks and selling in unprecedented numbers—rock historian Ian McFarlane reports sales of 80,000 copies<ref>Ian McFarlane: ''Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop'' (Allen & Unwin, 1999)</ref> while 1970s encyclopedist Noel McGrath claimed sales of 100,000,<ref>Noel McGrath – ''Australian Encyclopedia of Rock'' (Outback Press, 1978)</ref> and it is reputed to be the biggest-selling Australian single of the 1960s. NormieRowe scored another first in October by having three hit singles in the Melbourne Top 40 simultaneously.

An oft-repeated story that the whistle used in the arrangement was an innovation by the record's producer appears to be unfounded, because very similar arrangements, complete with whistle, had been recorded on earlier versions by [[Earl Royce & The Olympics]] (UK, 1964) and by [[The High Keys]] (USA, 1963).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=200 |title=QueNormie SeraRowe Sera& –The NORMIEPlayboys ROWE- &Que THESera PLAYBOYSSera (1965) – |website=Pop Archives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s|website=Poparchives.com.au|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>

Rowe's success continued through late 1965 and into the first half of 1966, during which time he scored another three consecutive Top Ten singles. "Tell Him I'm Not Home" (Nov. 1965) –, a cover of a song originally recorded by [[Chuck Jackson]] in 1963—was1963, was a Top 5 hit in most mainland capitals, reaching #4 in Sydney, #2 in Melbourne, #2 in Adelaide and #1 in Melbourne<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=198|title=Tell Him I'm Not Home – NORMIE ROWE (1965) – Pop Archives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s|website=Poparchives.com.au|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> It was followed by his version of [[Burt Bacharach]] and [[Hal David]]'s "The Breaking Point" (b/w "Ya Ya", Feb. '661966) which became his second double-sided hit, a number #1 in Brisbane and making the Top Ten in all mainland capitals, peaking at #9 in Adelaide, #8 in Sydney, #2 in Melbourne and Perth, #1 in Brisbane<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=205 |title=The Breaking Point – NORMIE ROWE (1966) – Pop Archives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s |website=Poparchives.com.au |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>

"Pride & Joy" (June 1966) was also Top Ten in most state capitals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=194 |title=Pride And Joy – NORMIE ROWE & THE PLAYBOYS (1966) – Pop Archives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s |website=Poparchives.com.au |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> ThisThat single is also notable for its B-side, a cover of "The Stones That I Throw", written by [[Robbie Robertson]], a song originally recorded in 1965 by [[Levon & the Hawks]], later known as [[The Band]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theband.hiof.no/albums/it_aint_necessarily_so_but_it_is_normie_rowe.html |title=Normie Rowe: It Ain't Necessarily So, But It Is... Normie Rowe |website=Theband.hiof.no |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> He appeared in the 1966 musical comedy film [[Don't Let It Get You]]. MidIn the mid-year, he joined [[The Easybeats]], [[Bobby & Laurie]] and [[MPD Ltd]] on "The Big Four" national tour that played to huge crowds around the country.

Rowe was by this time the most popular solo performer in Australia, so, in August 1966, he left to try his luck in the UK. In preparation, he revamped the line-up of his backing band, "the Playboys". Several members opted to stay in Australia for family reasons, so Rowe replaced them with bassist Brian Peacock and guitarist Rod Stone, both from the ex-New Zealand band [[The Librettos]], which had recently split.

Arriving in London ahead of his band, Rowe engaged one [[Ritchie Yorke]] as his London agent and began to record with producers [[Trevor Kennedy]] and [[John Carter (English musician)|John Carter]], using the cream of London's session musicians, including [[Big Jim Sullivan]], [[Jimmy Page]], [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]], famed drummer [[Clem Cattini]], and vocal group [[The Breakaways]]. The sessions produced several strong new recordings, including "Ooh La La", "It's Not Easy", "Mary Mary", "Turn on the Love Light" and "Can't Do Without Your Love". Despite his absence in London, Rowe's run of chart success in Australia continued—hiscontinued. His next single, "Ooh La La" / "Ain't Nobody Home" (Nov.November 1966) was another double-sided hit in Melbourne and a Top 5 hit in most capitals, reaching #2 in Sydney, and #4 in Brisbane and Adelaide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=1047 |title=Ooh La La – NORMIE ROWE (1966) – Pop Archives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s |website=Poparchives.com.au |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>

Up to thisthat time, there was no national pop chart in Australia, with most pop radio stations and newspapers in state capitals and major cities publishing their own competing charts. However, on 5 October 1966, ''[[Go-Set]]'' magazine, which had been launched in February, began publishing its firsta weekly national Top 40, compiled by [[Ed Nimmervoll]]. "Ooh La La" / "Mary, Mary" debuted at #6 on the new ''Go-Set'' chart on 7 December 1966,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1966/19661207.html |title=Go-Set Australian charts – 7 December 1966 |website=Poparchives.com.au |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> and reached #1 in the 21 December chart,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1966/19661221.html |title=Go-Set Australian charts – 21 December 1966 |website=Poparchives.com.au |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> hence becoming Rowe's first official national #1 hit. It stayed at #1 for two weeks before being briefly supplanted by The Easybeats' "[[Friday on My Mind]]" on 4 January, but returned to the top for the next two weeks.

While "Ooh La La" was at #1 in Australia, Rowe's next single, the ballad "It's Not Easy" was also climbing the chart. It debuted at #17 in the ''Go-Set'' chart in the last week of December 1966,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1966/19661228.html |title=Go-Set Australian charts – 28 December 1966 |website=Poparchives.com.au |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> and reached the Top 10 in the second week of January. Through the end of January and into February, Rowe achieved a 'first' for an Australian popular recording artist by having two of the top three singles simultaneously for three consecutive weeks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1967/1967.html |title=Go-Set Australian charts ~ 1967 |website=Poparchives.com.au |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> Rowe worked in England for ten months and toured with acts including [[Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity]], [[The Spencer Davis Group]], [[Kiki Dee]], [[Gene Pitney]] and [[The Troggs]]. High hopes were held for a British breakthrough, and, in the early months of 1967, the pages of ''[[Go-Set]]'' featured predictions of his imminent UK stardom, though itthat never materialised.

The new Playboys lineup arrived in London in December;, but NormieRowe flew home for Christmas, which coincided with the release of "It's Not Easy" / "Mary Mary",. and heHe returned to England in January. Inand, in March 1967, the group embarked on a tour of the UK, supporting [[The Troggs]], [[Gene Pitney]] and [[Sounds Incorporated]]. TheThat same month, Phil Blackmore left the group for family reasons and returned to Australia;, he wasbeing replaced by English organist [[Trevor Griffin]]. Rod Stone left in mid-1967 (returningand returned to Australia, after which he joined band [[The Groove (band)|The Groove]]). and heHe was replaced by former [[Adam Faith]] sideman Mick Rogers. At the end of 1966, Normie Rowe was voted Australia's best male singer in the inaugural ''Go-Set Pop Poll''.

Meanwhile, The Playboys secured a one-off single deal with [[Andrew Loog Oldham]]'s [[Immediate Records]] label, releasing the single "Sad" / "Black Sheep RIP" in August. Written by Brian Peacock, "Sad" is now considered a 'freakbeat' classic and has been widely anthologised, appearing on the British collection ''Chocolate Soup For Diabetics Vol III'', Raven Records' ''Kicks'' and Rhino's ''Nuggets II''. In June, Normie Rowe &and Thethe Playboys travelled to North America, supporting [[Roy Orbison]] on a US tour, and, alongsidealong with [[The Seekers]], he represented Australia in performance at [[Expo '67]] in Montreal. He returned to Australia in July, where he appeared as a special guest at the national finals of the 1967 [[Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds]].

Rowe had more national chart success in late 1967 with the [[Graham Gouldman]] song "Going Home" (b/w "I Don't Care") –, assumed to be about the Vietnam War, but really about a migrant's return to Australia from Britain,<ref>Douglas, L. and Geeves, R. (1992) 'Music, counter-culture and the Vietnam era' in Hayward P. (ed.) ''From Pop to Punk to Postmodernism'', Sydney: Allen and Unwin, p. 103, cited in Homan, S. (2003) ''The Mayor's a Square: Live Music and Law and Order in Sydney'', Newtown, NSW: Local Consumption Publications, p. 73.</ref>—which which debuted at #22 in the ''Go-Set chart'' in late April and stayed in the national Top Ten until the end of May, peaking at #7 in the second week of May.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1967/19670510.html |title=Go-Set Australian charts – 10 May 1967 |website=Poparchives.com.au |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> "Sunshine Secret" / "But I Know", and another single, "[[Turn-Down Day|Turn Down Day]]" charted in Melbourne. ButHowever, in September 1967, any questions about his career future were dramatically stalled when he received his call-up notice for [[national service]].

Rowe's hadbasic onetraining lastat minor[[Puckapunyal]] hitarmy camp was extensively covered by the Australian media. In Vietnam, Rowe rose to the rank of corporal and was crew commander of an [[armoured personnel carrier]]. He was discharged from the army in MayFebruary 1970. withRowe's thefinal songminor hit was "Hello", written by [[Johnny Young]], released in May 1970, and he subsequently released an album of the same name. (ItRowe was later revealed manyto yearshave laterinspired that Young'sthe song "Smiley", awritten majorby hitJohnny forYoung and recorded by [[Ronnie Burns (singer)|Ronnie Burns]], which was a major hit in 1969,Australia wasin written1969 aboutand Normie)1970. The ''Hello'' album marked the end of hisRowe's Sunshine contract, although the label had been taken over by Festival several years earlier after it gothad run into financial problems. NormieRowe signed to Festival Records in 1971, for whom heand cut three singles. "Que Sera Sera" was re-released in January 1971 and, on 6 March, he married his girlfriend, Sue Powlesland.

Unfortunately,Rowe's hispop nationalmusic servicecareer stint hadwas effectively ended by his poptime career,in and Normie was never able to recover the momentumVietnam and, mass popularity he lost because of being conscripted. Inin his absence, [[Ronnie Burns (singer)|Ronnie Burns]] and [[John Farnham]] (then billed as Johnny Farnham) hadreplaced takenhim over and Farnham was now the newas [[Australian pop music awards#1967–1978: King of Pop Awards|King of Pop]]. The strong anti-war sentiment of the period affected him, and like many Vietnam vets, NormieRowe suffered considerably because of his service. Normie hasHe said that he was treated like a pariah by the very people who had been buying his records and screaming at his concerts only a couple of years before.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} One of the people Normiehe remembers fondly from thisthat period, who stuck by him and gave him encouragement in tough times, was Meteors drummer [[Stewie Speer]]. NormieRowe remembers that StewieSpeer would often wear "King Normie" and "We Love Normie" badges on his jacket.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

Although his pop career was now effectively over, Rowe was able to fall back on the training from his dance hall days, and he began to concentrate on a varied career playing the club and hotel circuit, as well as making TV performances,. where heHe became a popular attractionparticipant on variety programs likesuch as ''[[The Don Lane Show]]'' and ''[[The Mike Walsh Show]]''. He continuedContinuing to record through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s., Hehe switched to the [[Astor Records]] label in 1975, and had considerable success with the single "Elisabeth", which won the "Best Song" category at that year's [[Tokyo Music Festival]].

In the 1980s, Rowe began to expand his career into acting and musical theatre. He studied at the Sydney's famous [[Ensemble Theatre]] and took roles on stage and TV, including an extended role in the TV soapie ''[[Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)|Sons & Daughters]]''. In 1987, he won great acclaim in his central role of Jean Valjean in [[Cameron Mackintosh|Cameron Mackintosh's]] Sydney production of the musical [[Les Miserables (musical)|Les Misérables]].

Among other musical roles in the 1980s and 1990s, Rowe played the lead role onin the recording,world premiere concerts and inon the worldassociated premiererecording, concertsand of a new Australian musical, ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', which he helped develop,. He played Daddy Warbucks in ''[[Annie (musical)|Annie]]'', FreddyFreddie Trumper (the American) in ''[[Chess (musical)|Chess]]'', and Juan Perón in ''[[Evita (musical)|Evita]]''. One of the highlights of his career was his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to Vietnam veterans, the entertainment industry and the community.<ref>{{cite web |title=Norman John Rowe |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/872934 |website=Australian Honours Search Facility, Dept of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=2020-10-12}}</ref> NormieRowe has had a long association with many charity and community groups, with his major concern being the welfare of children. He is a long-serving member of Variety Clubs of Australia, for which he is nowbecame a National Ambassador, and he has won several awards for his work with them, including 1996's '"Heart and Soul of Variety'" award.

In the 1990s, Rowe remained a popular attraction at clubs, corporate functions and on the "rock-&-roll revival" circuit in the 1990s. He also kept up regular appearances on TV variety shows., Thiswhich led to one infamous incident in 1991 that briefly took him back into the headlines. During a forum on [[republicanism]] on the [[Midday (television show)|Midday]] Showshow with [[Ray Martin (television presenter)|Ray Martin]], he was involved in an on-air melée with Sydney journalist and talkback-radio host [[Ron Casey (Sydney broadcaster)|Ron Casey]]. Notorious for his highly controversial comments on [[immigration]] and other issues, Casey enraged NormieRowe with his remarks about his service in Vietnam, andwhich Normieled confrontedto Casey byRowe shoving him. Casey flewjumped out of his chair and punched Rowe hard enough to knock Rowehim backwards. In 1998, Casey and Rowe re-united, filming a TV commercial for [[Bushell'sBushells]] tea wherein which the Midday incident was reflected upon.

Rowe has also had to endure other public hardships, including family problems involving his teenage daughter, which resulted in a great deal of intrusive and unwelcome publicity, and the end of his marriage to his first wife, Sue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/talkingheads/txt/s1565435.htm |title=ABC Radio: "The Talking Heads:with Peter Thompson" 13/2/2006. |website=Abcabc.net.au |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> In October 1979, Normie's son, Adam John Rowe, died after being accidentally knocked down by a motorist while he was riding his bicycle home from his school fete when he was 8eight years old. Unknown to many, Normie alsoRowe has another son, whoborn wasin bornMelbourne in November 1965 in Melbourne, who has remained anonymous to this day.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

In 2002, Rowe received national acclaim for his performance in the ''[[Long Way to the Top]]'' concert tour, Rowe's most recent2007 album, ''Missing in Action'', includesincluded his own version of Ronnie Burns hit "Smiley".

Rowe portrayed former [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]], [[Harold Holt]], in the [[telemovie]] ''[[The Prime Minister is Missing]]'', whichbroadcast wason first[[ABC broadcastTV on(Australian TV channel)|ABC TV]] on 23 October 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Prime Minister is Missing |url=httphttps://www.abc.net.au/tvlocal/videovideos/downloads2008/10/22/2397136.htm#?vid=PRM0065486pmmissing |titlewebsite=Redirect – ABC TelevisionLocal (|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation) – The home of ABC1, ABC2, ABC3, ABC4Kids, ABC News 24 & iview.|website=Abc.net.au|access-date=26 January 20182024-02-13}}</ref>

In 2009, as part of an installation art titled ''Enshrining the Vestiges – Speaking Stones'', Rowe participated in a video interview that is on display in "The Shrine of Memories World War II memorial" in [[ANZAC Square, Brisbane]] as part of an installation art titled ''Enshrining the Vestiges – Speaking Stones''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourbrisbane.com/whats-on/events/2740107.speaking-stones |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919185733/http://www.ourbrisbane.com/whats-on/events/2740107.speaking-stones |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 September 2020 |title=Visit Brisbane &#124; Your guide to things to see and do in Brisbane |publisher=Ourbrisbane.com |access-date=2013-08-07 }}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> by artist [[Natalie Billing]]. In October 2010, Rowe's 1965 album, ''Ain't Necessarily So'', was listed in the book, ''[[100 Best Australian Albums]]''.<ref name="ODonnell">{{Cite book | title = [[100 Best Australian Albums]] | last1 = O'Donnell | first1 = John | author-link1 = John O'Donnell (music journalist) | last2 = Creswell | first2=Toby | author-link2 = Toby Creswell | last3 = Mathieson | first3 = Craig | author-link3 = Craig Mathieson | publisher = Hardie Grant Books | date = October 2010 | location = [[Prahran, Victoria|Prahran, Vic]] | isbn = 978-1-74066-955-9 }}</ref>

Normie Rowe was one of the lead acts in the reunion of the ''Go Show'' reunion concerts held in Melbourne and Adelaide during FebFebruary 2011.

In 2011 (2 April), Rowe was a guest on episode 115 of SBS showprogram [[RocKwiz]], on wherewhich he performed [[Shakin' All Over]], and a duet with [[Georgia Fields]] of [[The Beatles]] song [[All I've Got to Do]].

In January 2012, NormieRowe appeared in a television advertisement for [[Coles Supermarkets]] promoting their products to the reworked tune of "Shakin' All Over".

In 2015, he told Noise11.com aboutthat hishe beingwas drafted as a political rusemove to help the popularity of [[Harold Holt]], the Australian Prime Minister whose death by drowning in December 1967 was never confirmed. Apparently, heRowe was contacted by the son of a military officer who washad been, at thethat time, the military attacheattaché to Primethe Ministerprime [[w:Harold Holt|Harold Holt]]minister. The officer told this story justJust before he died to his son who, inthe turn,officer told Normiehis son that hishe dadhad wasbeen in Harold Holt's office when the PM was struggling with declining popularity and the anti-war movement. So theThe officer saidhad to Haroldadvised Holt: "whatWhat you need is an [[Elvis Presley]], so get Normie Rowe called up"..{{fact|date=July 2024}}

* 2007 – ''Missing in Action''

=== Singles ===

|"[[Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)#Normie Rowe version|Que Sera Sera]]"

The [[ARIA Music Awards]] is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of [[Australian music]]. They commenced in 1987. Rowe was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-award.php?awardID=36 |title=Winners by Award: Hall of Fame |publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association]] |access-date=23 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202052952/http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-award.php?awardID=36 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

| [[ARIA Music Awards of 2005|2005]]

[[Australian pop music awards#1966–1972:Go-Set pop poll results|The Go-Set Pop Poll]] was coordinated by teen-oriented pop music newspaper, ''[[Go-Set]]'' and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities.<ref name="Top40TV">{{Cite web | url = http://users.ncable.net.au/~ronjeff/top40/oz_king.htm | title = Australian Music Awards | publisher = Ron Jeff | access-date = 16 December 2010 | archive-date = 30 June 2012 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120630220831/http://users.ncable.net.au/~ronjeff/top40/oz_king.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref>