Australian singles chart:
I Wanna Love You entered the Kent charts on 25 July 1959 and peaked at #15. It was #94 on the Top 11 of 1959.
Album:
The song is on Digby’s 1959 self-titled album, Dig Richards.
Songwriter:
Doug Richards
Record label of Australian release:
Festival
Wikipedia:
The R’Jays auditioned with Festival Records in 1959 and were the third rock and roll act to be signed to a recording contract; the previous two were Johnny O’Keefe, and Col Joye and the Joy Boys.
Now known as Dig Richards and the R’Jays, they released their first single, I Wanna Love You, which was written by Richards’ 15-year-old brother, Douglas. By that time the line-up was Dig Richards, Jon Hayton on lead guitar, Barry Lewis on drums, Jay Boogie on piano and Peter Baker on electric bass.
Richards was the first Australian rock and roll artist to record a 12″ LP record in Australia, with the self-titled album Dig Richards, released in November 1959.
The R’Jays became the first band in Australia to play live on a TV pop music show, Bandstand, and became one of the regular performers. They were also regulars on rival TV show, Six O’Clock Rock. From August 1959 they were the house band on Teen Time, which on Sydney’s ATN-7. In mid-October 1959 they were due to support United States singer Fabian on his tour of Australia. However, Richards was hospitalised after a car accident and was unable to tour for months.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dig_Richards
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