Lou Casch, born Lodewyk Nanlohy, was an Ambonese guitarist whose career connects the former Netherlands East Indies with the emergence of Australian rock and roll. Best known for his work with Johnny O’Keefe and the Dee Jays, he brought a background in jazz to one of Australia’s pioneering rock bands.
Born in Ambon in 1924, Casch grew up in Aceh and Jakarta and began playing guitar while young. His early life was spent in the archipelago then governed as the Netherlands East Indies.
In 1952, after Indonesian independence, he came to Australia under the Colombo Plan to study medicine at the University of Sydney. His arrival was therefore part of a different movement from the post-war migration of Dutch and Indo-European families, although his upbringing provides a connection with the history of the former colony.
Through Sydney’s jazz scene, Casch knew bass player Keith Williams, who introduced him to Johnny O’Keefe. He subsequently joined the Dee Jays, bringing his jazz experience to their developing rock and roll sound.
The National Film and Sound Archive’s guide to early Australian recordings identifies Casch as the group’s guitarist and describes the Dee Jays as a jazz-oriented instrumental ensemble as well as O’Keefe’s backing band. They recorded under their own name and appeared on the television programme Six O’Clock Rock.
Casch’s guitar can be heard on O’Keefe’s “Wild One”, one of the best-known recordings associated with the early Australian rock and roll era. His role illustrates how musicians from different backgrounds contributed to a musical movement often remembered primarily through its lead singers.
For the DACC, Casch’s story offers an opportunity to explore an Ambonese contribution to Australian cultural life. His connection is through the Netherlands East Indies; Dutch ancestry should not be assumed. His career also broadens the history of movement between the archipelago and Australia beyond wartime evacuation and migration to include education and musical exchange.
Acknowledgement: Michael Kramer brought this subject to the DACC’s attention.
Musical connections between the Netherlands East Indies and Australia
Casch’s contribution to Australian rock and roll sits alongside other musical stories connected with the Netherlands East Indies. Robert Pikler worked in the colony before becoming an influential classical musician in Australia, while Marty Rhone, born Karel van Rhoon in Surabaya, became a popular singer and entertainer. Together, these stories illustrate the variety of musical talent that reached Australia from the archipelago.
Sources consulted:
- National Film and Sound Archive, The First Wave: Australian Rock & Pop Recordings, 1955–1963: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/asset/82938-nfsa-first-wave
- “Johnny O’Keefe”, Wikipedia, section on the Dee Jays (biographical details about Casch cite Peter Cox’s research): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_O%27Keefe
- “The Wild One by Johnny O’Keefe – Australia’s first rock’n’roll hit”, The Guardian, 30 September 2014: https://www.theguardian.com/music/australia-culture-blog/2014/sep/30/the-wild-one-by-johnny-okeefe-australias-first-rocknroll-hit
Further research:
- Peter Cox, “The Ambonese Connection: Lou Casch, Johnny O’Keefe and the Development of Australian Rock and Roll”, Perfect Beat, 2(4), 1996, pp. 1–17: https://journal.equinoxpub.com/PB/article/view/16774
The full article was not accessible during preparation of this draft.
