Col
Joye
Col Joye — born Colin Frederick Jacobsen in Sydney on 13 April 1936 — was the man who put Australian rock and roll on the map. In 1959, when the local music scene was dominated by overseas artists,...
Col remembered.
Col Joye — born Colin Frederick Jacobsen in Sydney on 13 April 1936 — was the man who put Australian rock and roll on the map. In 1959, when the local music scene was dominated by overseas artists, Joye and his band the Joy Boys released "Oh Yeah Uh Huh" and held it at number one on the national charts for four weeks: the first time any Australian pop performer had ever achieved that feat. In an industry that had always looked abroad for its heroes, Col Joye was Australia's own.
He left school at fourteen to work as a jewellery salesman in Sydney, a job that taught him to read a room and charm a customer — skills that would serve him well on stage. Encouraged by colleague Dave Bridge to pick up the guitar, Joye joined his brothers Kevin and Keith in what began as the KJ Quintet. After a fateful booking at the Jazzorama in Manly they renamed themselves Col Joye and the Joy Boys, and their debut performances at venues like Bankstown Sports Club and Bronte Surf Club drew crowds that would have been unimaginable for a homegrown act just years earlier. Three consecutive appearances on the television program Bandstand transformed them into national stars.
His third single, "Bye Bye Baby" (1959), reached number three on the national charts, and "Oh Yeah Uh Huh" gave Australia its first home-grown rock and roll number one. He and brother Kevin co-founded a management and publishing empire — including ATA Studios and Jacobsen Entertainment — that shaped the Australian music business for decades. Most famously, they discovered a young brothers' act from Brisbane in 1961 and signed them: The Bee Gees. After the upheaval of Beatlemania silenced many domestic acts, Joye staged a remarkable comeback with "Heaven Is My Woman's Love" in 1973, which again topped the charts.
He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1988 — the inaugural class alongside AC/DC, Slim Dusty and Joan Sutherland — and appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1981 for his services to entertainment and philanthropy. His signature hit "Bye Bye Baby" was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia register in 2010. Australia Post celebrated his legacy with a commemorative stamp. He died in Sydney on 5 August 2025, aged 89, after a career spanning almost seven decades.
A life in moments.
Born in Sydney, New South Wales
Colin Frederick Jacobsen is born in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of parents with a deep love of music. He will grow up to become the first Australian pop performer to reach number one on the national charts.
Debut EP and the hit single "Bye Bye Baby"
After renaming his band Col Joye and the Joy Boys at a booking in Manly, Joye releases his debut EP Joyride, followed by the single Bye Bye Baby — which rockets to number three on the Sydney charts and ignites a national following. A new era of Australian popular music has begun.
Australia's first #1 rock and roll act — "Oh Yeah Uh Huh"
"Oh Yeah Uh Huh" reaches number one on the national charts and holds for four weeks — making Col Joye the first Australian rock and roll artist to achieve a nationwide number one. His place in history is secured. He is 23 years old.
Discovers and signs The Bee Gees
Through his management and publishing company, Joye and his brother Kevin sign a young brothers' act from Brisbane — Robin, Barry and Maurice Gibb. The Jacobsens feature their vocals on the track Starlight of Love (1963), launching the career of what will become one of the best-selling acts in music history: The Bee Gees.
Inducted into ARIA Hall of Fame — inaugural class
Joye is inducted into the inaugural class of the ARIA Hall of Fame, alongside AC/DC, Slim Dusty, Joan Sutherland and Johnny O'Keefe. He is the first entertainer to be honoured. The Australian Recording Industry Association credits him with proving that Australians would embrace local artists and local music.
Passes away in Sydney, aged 89
Col Joye dies in Sydney, aged 89, after a career spanning almost seven decades. Fellow artists and industry figures pour out their tributes. Singer Normie Rowe, who grew up watching him, says simply: "Col was in my psyche right throughout my entire life. He was the sort of singer I wanted to be."
The people they loved,
and the people who loved them.
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For the record.
- Born
- April 13, 1936 · Sydney
- Died
- August 5, 2025 · Sydney
- Age at passing
- 89