The online South African Rock Encyclopedia covers the history of South African rock music from the 1950s up to the early 2000s. All this information is made freely available to the public.
Home > Rock Legends > 1960s > June Dyer
19 June 1942 to 14 January 2011
June Dyer
June Dyer
South Africa's first female rock vocalist. She was born in Durban. By age 10 she was almost totally deaf. She regained her hearing after three operations in 1960. Shortly afterward she joined The Silhouettes, a rock band, as a vocalist. In 1961 her recording of "Whirlpool of Love" was a #1 hit in South Africa.
Second Hand Songs
June Dyer, Renown, NLP 197, 1961
June Dyer | Discogs
Tracks: Sea of love/ The Hucklebuck/ My heart and I/ Blueberry hill/ Hound dog/ Let's have a party/ Oobie doobie/ Rebel/ Loch Lomond rock/ Lawdie miss Claudie/ Whirlpool of love/ Short fat fanny
Comments: Instrumental backing on nine of the tracks were provided by the Rousers - whose line up included Jose Summares [lead guitar]/ Tony Spectre [rhythm guitar]/ Leon Booysen [bass guitar]/ Johnny Kruger [drums]. They enlisted the services of saxophonist, George Hayden who will also be remembered for his successful "MacMillan Plays" series on the Rave label.
Al Bently went very sour when we went to Boksburg to interview a semi-deaf girl that had a very good voice. After the first practice session with June Dyer, we knew we had a hit! Recording with June proved it and we went to the top of the then hit parade with "Whirlpool of love" and "Rebel".
Leon Booysen, October 2000
Cookie Look Time At Claridges, Harold Roy and his Rascals featuring June Dyer, Renown, NLP 209, 1961
Cookie Look Time At Claridges
Tracks: Pepito [June Dyer]/ Happy Jose/ Like I do [June Dyer]/ Multiplication/ One night of sin [June Dyer]/ With all my heart [June Dyer]/ Buono Sierra/ You need love [June Dyer]/
Let's twist again [June Dyer]/ Tu vuo-fa l'americano/ I want you with me [June Dyer]/ Allright, ok you win
Tell It To The Birds, Renown, NLP 223, 1962
Tell It To The Birds
Tracks: Tell it to the birds/ Mr Twister/ Teach me how to twist/ Telephone lover/ Fire/ Lovers lane/ There it goes/ Moon river/ Only you/ Devil woman/ Fools rush in/ Tammy cha cha
June Dyer Sings Again, SABC Transcription Recording, LT 12, 254, No Date [With the Eldon Hawkes Trio]
June Dyer Sings Again
Tracks: Happy heart/ The French song/ Retreat song/ Summertime/ What now my love/ Till/ This girl's in love with you/ Climb every mountain/ Georgia on my mind/ Don't sleep in the subway/ The impossible dream
The Big Five, Renown, NLP 222, 1962
The Big Five
Tracks: Teach me how to twist/ There it goes
The Best Of SA Pop Vol. 3, 1960 - 1990, 2 CD Set, Gallo, CDREDD 610, 1997
The Best Of SA Pop Vol. 3 | Discogs
Tracks: Whirlpool Of Love/ Rebel
Whirlpool Of Love - Judy Dyer With The Silhouettes/ Comanche (instrumental) - The Silhouettes, Renown, N 1191, [78rpm], 1961
Whirlpool Of Love
Rebel - Judy Dyer With The Silhouettes/ Dig It (instrumental) - The Silhouettes, Renown, N 1215, [78rpm], 1961
Rebel | Discogs
Rebel Sheet Music
Al-Di-La/ My Heart And I, Renown, N 1234, [78rpm], 1961
Al-Di-La Sheet Music
June Dyer
Oobie Doobie/ Blueberry Hill, Renown, 45-N 1264, 1962
Party/ Loch Lomond Rock, Renown, 45-N 1266, 1962
Let's Twist Again [with Harold Roy and his Rascals]/ Cave Man Twist [Pelvis Press-ups and the "can you take it" Shudders], Renown, 45-N 1296, 1962
Let's Twist Again [with Harold Roy and his Rascals]/ Cave Man Twist [Pelvis Press-ups and the "can you take it" Shudders], Renown, 45-N 1296, no date [red label re-issue]
Let's Twist Again
"Pelvis Press-ups & The Shudders ..." A few years ago I thought of a crazy idea for the 'Can you take it' section of the radio programme 'Pick A Box'. The idea was basically this - we on the show were out to prove that you could take any young member of the audience, someone who had never sung before, and within a week train him and get a record put out for sale on the market. The town we chose for the experiment was Durban. The first thing we had to do was to get a band, preferably one that wasn't very well known, ...Bob Courtney and I ... went through all the groups performing in the town, and eventually discovered a young group that played very well indeed. They were all young, and on lead guitar was a kid (Gene Rockwell) with the most wonderful personality. ... The City Hall was packed that night ... A lot of people were keen to come up on to the stage. After elimination we were left with a young, teenager... . When we told him what we were going to do with him he nearly collapsed. But he couldn't back down in front of all those people so he agreed to try. ... Bob wrote 'Caveman Twist' and ... eventually we were ready to cut a disc. ... Bob and I were quite pleased, but the young lead guitar player insisted that we do it again. It was only after 15 takes that the young musician was satisfied. I asked him why he was so adamant about the record. 'after all,' I said, 'We are giving the singer a fictitious name - Pelvis Press-ups - and your band will be known as The Shudders - it's only a gag really."
Peter Lotis, Debonaire 12 Feb 1965, thanks to Marq Vas's Southern African Music Collectibles, 7 May 2012
Tell It To The Birds/ Telephone Lover, Renown, 45-N 1318, 1963
The Silhouettes, Filmworlds, Page 26, January 1961
The Silhouettes
One of the most popular groups in South Africa today - The Silhouettes - were introduced to the South African public through the Radio Record Club. Their long playing record "The Silhouettes at the Bop Inn" has met with more success than any other locally produced teen appeal recording produced in this country. They follow their success on this lp with a single (78 speed recording). Their instrumental side is Comanche and on the flip side....June Dyer, talented and good looking Johannesburg Teenager sings WHIRLPOOL OF LOVE. Another outstanding recording by THE SILHOUETTES - COMANCHE/WHIRLPOOL OF LOVE - RAVE R151
"Johannesburg's Own Singing Sensasion", Filmworlds, Page 25, 1961
News
Tall, slim and very attractive June Dyer has been singing at sessions in and around Johannesburg for two years. She came to the notice of a Trutone Record Company talent scout whilst she was playing piano and singing "Tallahassie Lassie". Her natural musicianship and "feel" for the song made an immediate impression. Soon after June was signed
to a recording contract - became an established singer with the "Silhouettes" and cut her first recording "Whirlpool". (To be released shortly on the Rave label.)
That's the story of June Dyer in brief. If you like to hear June on record - Listen to the Radio Record Club. If you would like to listen to her superb recording of "WHIRLPOOL OF LOVE" - again and again....as you will certainly want to
once you have heard it - then go down to your local disc den and get a copy of your very own. Man - you'll never regret owning this truly fab recording. WHIRLPOOL OF LOVE - that's the title - but, you will be hearing it everywhere this month - from Juke Boxes - from the
RRC - from LM Radio - and at private parties. We're proud of June at RRC and we're certain you'll be too!
News
"Stone Deaf Six Months Ago. Now June's A Hit Singing Star", Sunday Times, 1961
News
Six months ago 18-year-old June Dyer, who works in a Johannesburg bank, was deaf. Now she has a rock 'n roll record "Whirlpool of Love" soaring on the South African charts in competition with top-selling artists like Cliff Richard, Elvis Presley and Jo Jones. Dark haired June was shy and bewildered by her success when she told me this week that she had been singing and playing the piano to herself for years. She said: "I could feel vibrations but I had no idea of the tone or sound of my voice". Between August and September last year, she had three operations. "While I was recovering I sat and played the piano and sang to myself. All of a sudden I could hear". For the next six months, overcome by the novelty of hearing her own voice - June practiced daily. Then she sang with a young rock-'n-roll group called the Silhouettes at a house party. "They liked my voice so much that they invited me to sing at 'gigs' with them". ... An executive offered her a contract and within a week she had cut her first disc - "Whirlpool of Love". June's record has risen rapidly into the top twenty. It is rated both on the Lorenco Marques and the South African hit parades. And it is still climbing. Alan Marshall publicity manager at Trutone Records, says June has that "vitality that which somehow only teenagers manage to put into their singing. She enjoys her singing so much that she radiates an enthusiam which is passed on to her audience". He predicts a great future for her. Several more records have been lined up for release.
June Dyer was born in Durban on 19 June 1942. She was not deterred by the fact that she was almost totally deaf from the age of 10, and mastered lip reading and getting the music beat by holding the piano or bass. June won several talent competitions and eventually caught the eye of talent scout, Alan Marshall.
The Vikings
June sang at the Club Pepsi in Rissik street with bands such as the Vikings. She joined the Silhouettes and toured the Republic with them. June and ex-Silhouettes member, Leon Booysen, formed the Rousers and undertook a tour to Rhodesia. Later she joined Harold Roy's band at the Claridges Hotel in Durban. June's early recordings did exceptionally well on the charts. Whirlpool of love reached #3 on LM's top twenty hit parade in March 1961. Rebel also peaked at #3 on the same charts.
Malcolm Lombard
Duncan Hammond
Judy Dyer's renditions of the songs "Oobie Doobie" and "Whirlpool Of Love" inspired Duncan Hammond almost 40 years later to compose and record the songs "Boobie Boobies" and "Quicksand" for his album "The Blue Moon Hotel".
Tertius Louw, June 2004
....Melbourne based DJ, David Arys, included June's version of 'Oobie Doobie' in the playlist for his regular Sunday morning programme 'Rockabilly Hop'.
Tertius Louw, June 2004
Tertius Louw
