Lee Gordon Presents...
How one man changed Australian life forever
Published on 1. July 2025
217 pages
978-1-76068-901-8 (ISBN)
Description
Post-war Australia didn't know what to make of promoter Lee Gordon. To some he was a typical Yank: crass, loud and outspoken, focused on just one thing - making money. But to others, such as rocker Johnny O'Keefe, Lee Gordon was a mentor, a guru and a lifeline to the big time. One thing is undeniable: without Lee Gordon, there would be no billion-dollar entertainment industry in Australia today; and names like Michael Gudinski, Harry M. Miller and Michael Chugg would mean little. Gordon was a true original, who lived fast and hard, spent big - he had a private bank vault - and died far too young, just as he had predicted. 'Lee Gordon was the pioneer,' said Harry M. Miller. 'He created and invented for Australia large-scale entertainment in big arenas. He was very imaginative, way before his time.'
When Lee Gordon arrived in Sydney in September 1953, the only place Australians could see international stars like Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope was on the big screen. But over the next 10 years, Gordon would promote tours for almost 500 international acts, everyone from Sinatra (a close friend) to Sammy Davis Jr, Liberace to Bill Haley, Buddy Holly to shock comic Lenny Bruce. Thanks to Gordon, Aussies grew accustomed to seeing showbiz legends up close, in person, rather than simply staring at them on a cinema screen. Gordon also opened Australia's first drive-in restaurant, introduced local audiences to the Roller Derby and ran discotheques and strip clubs.
By the time Gordon died in mysterious circumstances, alone in London, in 1963 - aged just 40 - he'd not only established the entertainment industry in Australia, but also changed the country's culture forever.
When Lee Gordon arrived in Sydney in September 1953, the only place Australians could see international stars like Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope was on the big screen. But over the next 10 years, Gordon would promote tours for almost 500 international acts, everyone from Sinatra (a close friend) to Sammy Davis Jr, Liberace to Bill Haley, Buddy Holly to shock comic Lenny Bruce. Thanks to Gordon, Aussies grew accustomed to seeing showbiz legends up close, in person, rather than simply staring at them on a cinema screen. Gordon also opened Australia's first drive-in restaurant, introduced local audiences to the Roller Derby and ran discotheques and strip clubs.
By the time Gordon died in mysterious circumstances, alone in London, in 1963 - aged just 40 - he'd not only established the entertainment industry in Australia, but also changed the country's culture forever.
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Person
Inspired by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman's biography of The Doors, No One Here Gets Out Alive, and a life spent soaking up great music, Jeff Apter has written more than 30 biographies, many of them bestsellers, and his work has been published all around the world. His subjects include Keith Urban, Jeff Buckley, AC/DC's Bon Scott and the Young brothers, the Bee Gees, Jon English and Johnny O'Keefe. He was on staff at Australian Rolling Stone for several years and has worked as a ghostwriter with ARIA Hall of Famers Kasey Chambers and Richard Clapton. Jeff lives on the NSW south coast with his wife and their two teenagers, and enough pets to fill a small zoo. (RIP Poe.)
