Smacka Fitzgibbon
Encyclopedia
Graham Francis Fitzgibbon was an Australia
n entertainer.
He was born at Mordialloc on 12 February 1930, the son of Francis (Frank) Fitzgibbon, clerk and Minnie née Mitchell (d 1989) and younger brother to actress-singer Maggie Fitzgibbon
. Educated at St Bede's College (Mentone)
, ‘Smacka’ as he was popularly known began first playing the ukulele
at an early age before switching to the banjo
; his earliest influences were Bing Crosby
and Louis Armstrong
.
In 1951 he began playing with “Frank Johnson’s Fabulous Dixielanders”, and later with the father of Australian jazz, Graeme Bell
, before forming his own band with “The Steamboat Stompers”; his first album was “Frisco Joe’s Good Time Boys” 1953.
In 1967 he opened Melbourne’s first jazz restaurant “La Brochette” (Studley Park Road, Kew, Victoria
) and later in May 1971 “Smacka’s Place” (Chetwynd Street, North Melbourne) which became a Melbourne institution; his recipe for an enjoyable night out was an ample supply of “good food, good liquor, and good entertainment”. Described as “Plump and smiling with a warm and friendly, genial personality ” Smacka was a much loved entertainer, a rare breed who left a smile on everyone’s face was a regular performer on Melbourne television shows, notably “Sunnyside Up”, “In Melbourne Tonight
”and “The Penthouse Club”.
In 1972, the jovial Australian jazzman recorded the title song of the movie The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
which was released as a single that same year, reaching #22 on the Australian Singles Chart (Go-Set) in December 1972. He was a mate of Australian satirist Barry Humphries
.
Having had a malignant tumour removed in 1955, on 1 September 1977 Smacka collapsed during a radio broadcast on 3LO; in July 1979 he was told the end was nigh and died from a cerebral haemorrhage on 15 December aged 49 survived by his wife Faye née Hommelhoff whom he married on 31 October 1959 and four children;
Several thousand attended a rather colourful funeral service - “Mass for Smacka” - with Frank Traynor’s “Jazz Preachers” playing the New Orleans hymn “Oh Didn’t He Ramble” for the funeral march in honour of the man described “as Melbourne as the Yarra
(river)”.
On 8 November 2004, a tribute show “Remembering Smacka” was performed by his daughter Nichaud at The Arts Centre, Melbourne, in honour of the man best remembered “for his popular jazz club, his dapper dress code (spotted bow ties, striped jackets, checked pants and two tone shoes) and his passionate love of vintage cars - he collected Packard
s).
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n entertainer.
He was born at Mordialloc on 12 February 1930, the son of Francis (Frank) Fitzgibbon, clerk and Minnie née Mitchell (d 1989) and younger brother to actress-singer Maggie Fitzgibbon
Maggie Fitzgibbon
Maggie Fitzgibbon, an Australian actress and singer, was born in Melbourne on 30 January 1929. Coming from a show-business family, Maggie is the sister of the late Smacka Fitzgibbon. She began her career as operatic soprano Margaret Fitzgibbon with the Tivoli Circuit in 1946 before graduating to...
. Educated at St Bede's College (Mentone)
St Bede's College (Mentone)
St Bede's College is a Roman Catholic, secondary school for boys, located in Mentone, Victoria, Australia.Founded in 1938, it is administered by the De La Salle Brothers and named after St. Bede the Venerable, a Benedictine monk and priest who spent his life teaching and writing in the...
, ‘Smacka’ as he was popularly known began first playing the ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
at an early age before switching to the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
; his earliest influences were Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
.
In 1951 he began playing with “Frank Johnson’s Fabulous Dixielanders”, and later with the father of Australian jazz, Graeme Bell
Graeme Bell
Graeme Emerson Bell AO MBE is an Australian Dixieland and classical jazz pianist, composer and band leader...
, before forming his own band with “The Steamboat Stompers”; his first album was “Frisco Joe’s Good Time Boys” 1953.
In 1967 he opened Melbourne’s first jazz restaurant “La Brochette” (Studley Park Road, Kew, Victoria
Kew, Victoria
Kew is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Kew had a population of 22,516....
) and later in May 1971 “Smacka’s Place” (Chetwynd Street, North Melbourne) which became a Melbourne institution; his recipe for an enjoyable night out was an ample supply of “good food, good liquor, and good entertainment”. Described as “Plump and smiling with a warm and friendly, genial personality ” Smacka was a much loved entertainer, a rare breed who left a smile on everyone’s face was a regular performer on Melbourne television shows, notably “Sunnyside Up”, “In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight, also known as "IMT", was a highly popular nightly variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970....
”and “The Penthouse Club”.
In 1972, the jovial Australian jazzman recorded the title song of the movie The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie is a 1972 Australian film starring Barry Crocker, telling the story of an Australian 'yobbo' on his travels to the United Kingdom. Barry McKenzie was originally a character created by Barry Humphries for a cartoon strip in Private Eye...
which was released as a single that same year, reaching #22 on the Australian Singles Chart (Go-Set) in December 1972. He was a mate of Australian satirist Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
.
Having had a malignant tumour removed in 1955, on 1 September 1977 Smacka collapsed during a radio broadcast on 3LO; in July 1979 he was told the end was nigh and died from a cerebral haemorrhage on 15 December aged 49 survived by his wife Faye née Hommelhoff whom he married on 31 October 1959 and four children;
- daughter Nichaud went on to become a noted jazz entertainer “thrilling audiences with her distinctive, smouldering style for many years and is regarded as one of Australia’s finest jazz stylists”,
- son Mark is one of Melbourne's top Jazz piano players having worked all over the world with many leading players,
- his other son Andrew is a drummer who loves R & B.
- His granddaughter is a budding entertainer.
Several thousand attended a rather colourful funeral service - “Mass for Smacka” - with Frank Traynor’s “Jazz Preachers” playing the New Orleans hymn “Oh Didn’t He Ramble” for the funeral march in honour of the man described “as Melbourne as the Yarra
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
(river)”.
On 8 November 2004, a tribute show “Remembering Smacka” was performed by his daughter Nichaud at The Arts Centre, Melbourne, in honour of the man best remembered “for his popular jazz club, his dapper dress code (spotted bow ties, striped jackets, checked pants and two tone shoes) and his passionate love of vintage cars - he collected Packard
Packard
Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
s).