Pioneering Australian rock icon who worked with Jimi Hendrix dies at 84

Pioneering Australian 1950s rock icon Judy Cannon has died at the age of 84.

The Melbourne-born singer died on August 29 in Ballarat, Victoria, after a long illness. Herald Sun reported.

Cannon, who associated with world-famous names such as Jimi Hendrix, Johnny O’Keefe and Cliff Richard, is survived by her daughters Cass and Denny.

Her close friend, actress Coral Drouyn, described Judy as Australia’s first female rock star as she paid tribute to the “unique” and genre-bending star.

“She was a unique person and she certainly laid the foundation for many artists who followed,” Drouyn told the Herald Sun.

‘She broke that glass ceiling and she was the first female rocker in Australia. She was special and she lived life to the fullest.

“All the female singers who have done well in the past 50 years should thank the woman who laid the foundation for them more than 60 years ago.”

Born in Melbourne in 1939, Cannon began her career in the early 1950s performing at dances at Coburg Town Hall and Preston Town Hall.

Groundbreaking Australian rock icon Judy Cannon (pictured) has died at the age of 84. The Melbourne-born singer died on August 29 in Ballarat, Victoria, after a long illness.

She was signed to a recording contract, but was forced by her label to release pop songs, including her song The Very First Day I Met You.

She made her breakthrough in the late 1950s with the Melbourne band The Thunderbirds, who released a number of popular pop songs before she found her true calling.

Cannon exceeded expectations and followed her true passion: rock ‘n’ roll, quickly becoming a household name on the Australian scene.

Her musical inspirations included Elvis Presley and Johnny Ray, and she opened for Cliff Richard and the Shadows on their Australian tour in 1961.

She was then encouraged to make the big move to England to seek international success as a female rock star after exceeding expectations Down Under.

There Cannon got a regular role in Terry O’Neill’s TV series One O’Clock and even got the chance to sing for the British royals, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne.

During the 13 years she lived in England, Cannon also worked as a session singer and was a backing vocalist on Jimi Hendrix’s hit Hey Joe.

Cannon was also known for her close friendship with iconic Australian rock star Johnny O’Keefe, with whom she collaborated regularly over the years.

‘[O’Keefe] “I liked myself because I was the only singer who could make the audience scream,” Judy recalled in 1997.

In the 1960s she was a regular guest on the TV show Six O’Clock Rock, hosted by O’Keefe, where she demonstrated her singing talents.

Her lifelong friend Coral Drouyn described Judy as Australia’s first female rocker as she paid tribute to the genre-defying star (Judy is pictured with Jimmy Little, Colin Cooke and Col Joye)

Her friend Drouyn said that at first the broadcasters were unsure whether they could put Judy on television because she was ‘too wild’.

After a successful singing career in the 1950s and 1950s, she turned away from rock ‘n’ roll and ventured into musical theatre in London.

She appeared in a series of West End productions including Gypsy, Guys and Dolls and Bordello.

After a brief return to Australia in the 1960s, Cannon decided to move Down Under permanently in 1977.

She briefly starred in the popular children’s programme Play School before becoming a successful real estate agent in the Gold Coast and Ballarat.