Doolan did it all on the stage of life
FANS and friends could all consider themselves part of the family as far as consummate entertainer Greg Doolan was concerned.
The entertainment community is in mourning after the beloved founding member of popular cabaret band Wickety Wak passed away in Brisbane’s Wesley Hospital on Thursday afternoon surrounded by family, including wife Laura, after a short battle with cancer.
The Doolans had become popular fixtures on the local club scene in recent years, performing a monthly residency at Southport Yacht Club (SYC).
In fact, entertaining wasn’t what Doolan did. It was who he was.
“He could pretty much sing anything,” yacht club CEO Brett James said.
“Whatever the crowd wanted, he was able to do.
“He was quite an entertainer on the mike too – he didn’t mind a bit of a chat.
“We’ve had a lot of emails from members already. It’s very said. He obviously meant a lot to a lot of people.”
Doolan’s manager, Shane Veen, whose late father Johnny Veen was Doolan’s longtime friend and manager, said the award-winning performer would be remembered as a gifted and generous entertainer and great friend.
“It was the way Greg was offstage that made him so special as well to the public. He called them his fan friends and fan family,” he said.
He said Doolan’s surviving Wickety Wak band mates – Rob Rosenlund, Tony Jeffrey and Peter Mackay – had all visited him over the past few weeks. “They were booked for the Melbourne Crown Casino on Mother’s Day,” he said.
Some of Australia’sli ’ t top p en entertainers, including Normie Rowe, Jackie Love, Ugly Dave Gray, Jacki MacDonald, Col Elliott, Wayne Roberts, Digger Revell, Dennis Knight, Tony Pantano, Dean Vegas, members of The Zips, The Four Kinsmen and Wickety Wak and the Wak’s manager Paul Ewart are among hundreds of fans who have sent their condolences to Laura and family during the past 24 hours.
“He was a big influence on Keith Urban – Keith did a lot of work with Wickety Wak and always thanked Greg for the leg-up,” Mr Veen said.
While the consummate showman was renowned for his comic timing and hilarious impersonations of everyone from Pavarotti to Bob Dylan, he was also a gifted vocalist and musician.
In addition to his illustrious career as a showman, Doolan’s voice was a familiar one in households around the country thanks to catchy TV jingles such as “Call, call Carpet Call – the experts in the trade”.
Recorded in one take 20 years ago, the jingle still features in the company’s TV ads.
“We’ll still be pounded by him 50 times a day,” Mr Veen said, laughing.
“He also wrote and performed the XXXX theme song and the Toohey’s theme song.
“When he did the Toohey’s song he was down there recording that and being such a staunch Queenslander, while he was recording that song he was drinking XXXX in the studio.”
A funny and fun father and grandfather known as Dools or Dooley to his mates, Doolan was a passionate rugby league fan and diehard Queensland State of Origin supporter.
“He was very good mates with Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga, Paul Vautin, Gilly (Trevor Gillmeister) and Dale Shearer,” Mr Veen said.
“Dale Shearer’s dream was to sing a song with Greg one day so last year, during one of our variety shows, Greg said to Dale ‘I’ll do better than that – you can get up and sing a song with me at Twin Towns.
“Greg and my old man used to have bets all the time on State of Origin. “Greg lost a State of Origin bet once and had to paddle across Currumbin Creek in a kayak wearing a tutu during one of their shows at Currumbin RSL.”
Inspired by his hero Hank Marvin from The Shadows, Doolan, who grew up in the Brisbane suburb of Inala, made his first public appearance playing guitar when he was 12.
“One of his great thrills was to meet Hank Marvin in person later in life with Wickety Wak at Twin Towns,” Mr Veen said.
The highest-selling per- former ever to play Twin Towns, Doolan regarded the venue as his second home.
Just a few months ago, Doolan was able to play Apache on one of Hank Marvin’s guitars onstage at Twin Towns after his friend Tommy bought the prized instrument.
Doolan formed Wickety Wak with Rosenlund, Jeffrey, Mackay and the late Pahnie Jantzen in Brisbane in 1975.
“I didn’t want any bigheads. I didn’t want any superstars. I wanted Wickety Wak to be a real earthy sort of band that anyone could approach,” he said.
The band launched its career playing a residency at the Kuraby Hotel in Underwood five nights a week and went on to become one of the state’s best-known acts, enjoying a Top 10 hit in 1982 with the single Moonlight Marvel.
Mainstays of the Gold Coast entertainment scene through the 1980s, the Wak made regular TV appearances, with Doolan co-writing material for 10 comedy TV specials for Channel 7, and earned international recognition in 1988 when they were appointed ambassadors for Expo 88 in Brisbane.
After officially retiring in 1990 after selling out three live performances at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Wickety Wak reformed in 2006 for the Gympie Music Muster and continued to perform in recent years.
Doolan won five Mo Awards and three Entertainer of the Year awards with Wickety Wak.
He also won Mo awards as a solo artist in 2001 (for Best Variety Entertainer), 2002 and 2004 (Most Versatile Variety Performer), three Queensland Entertainer of the Year awards and five Queensland Male Vocalist of the Year awards.
Doolan was inducted into the Queensland Hall of Fame both with Wickety Wak and as a solo performer.
Mr Veen said the family would hold a celebration of Doolan’s life, with the public welcome to attend.
A tireless fundraiser for cancer charities and neonatal clinics, Doolan is survived by his wife, Laura, children Brad, Paul, Shannon, Chantelle and Troy, stepson Jack and grandchildren Heidi, Mason, Felicity and Harley.