Johnny was born in Brisbane 1939. He started singing and playing in 1955 and was one of the first country artists to appear on television. His first record was "Loving Arms" on W & G label - more records followed and encouraged by their popularity spent many months performing overseas in Great Britain, Europe, North Africa and New Zealand. Johnny’s biggest recording success came signing to RCA records that included "The Goondiwindi Grey", "Tibrogargan"