At 17 Leon Isackson joined the R’Jays. Already famous, the R’Jays were the studio band for Teen Time, Australia’s first live TV rock and roll show in the mid 50’s. In the off-season, the R’Jays went on a tour to Queensland and Leon took his film camera. We re-live the road trip with Leon. “Julia Creek, look there’s nothing there, the hall was outdoors. In some of these towns they’d never seen rock and roll before, only Slim Dusty.”

----------------------------------------------

Article taken from Sydney Morning Herald

Homemade History

By Michael Idato

September 25, 2003  Homemade History

SBS, 8.20pm

A simple, elegant concept executed with near-perfection. Using a massive untapped resource in Australian cultural history the home movie this program examines slices of Australian life which often prove scintillating.

Tonight's home movies of Leon Isackson reveal a 17-year-old who has landed the dream gig of every aspiring rock star: a gig with the studio band on Channel Seven's Teen Time, a Countdown of sorts from the 1950s.

The band, the R'Jays, then heads off on a tour of Queensland, captured with an erratic innocence by Isackson's 8mm camera.