John J. Francis

Australian singer, songwriter, musician, recording engineer, producer, and radio presenter.
Born 1945 in Murwillumbah and raised on the outskirts of Newcastle.
John J passed away in 2022.
Francis rose to prominence, in the early 1970s, with the hit single "Play Mumma, Sing Me A Song;" and the song "Simple Ben," which featured on the Morning Of The Earth (Original Film Soundtrack).
His music career started in the early 1960s with Newcastle R&B band "The Sorrows."
In 1970, he took up an invitation by David Gibson to move to Sydney and try out as a sound engineer at Copperfield Sound Studios. This lead to managing the studio.
Over four years, in addition to engineering, mixing and producing for other artists and groups, Francis released five singles and four albums.
In 1976, Francis joined the Sydney "youth counterculture" radio station 2JJ. For about ten years, he hosted the Friday and Saturday midnight-to-dawn shifts.