How far can a migrant go?
Joe Dolce
Singer-songwriter
Born 1947 in Painesville, Ohio, Joe Dolce is an
Australian-resident singer/songwriter who achieved fame
with the million-selling song Shaddap You Face.
This went to Number 1 on the Australian pop charts in
1980. It reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in
February 1981 and stayed there for three weeks famously
keeping the legendary Ultravox song, Vienna, out of the
UK #1 slot.
Shaddap You Face was Number 1 in 11 countries
with over 35 different foreign language cover versions,
selling over 4 million copies.
It is the only major Australian hit song translated into
an aboriginal language … the Northern Broome dialect of
Indjibundgi, by aboriginal elder, Gnaryarrhe Inmury
Waitarie. It has been the most successful
Australian-produced single in Australian music history
for around 30 years, with sales of over 350,000 copies.
It was Australia's first triple platinum recording by
the old count of 100,000 units = platinum. In 2002, "Shaddap
You Face" also overtook country legend Slim Dusty's
22-year longevity record for A Pub with No Beer,
which went to Number 1 in 1957, and was Australia's
first gold record and only gold 78rpm record.
Joe currently performs solo shows and also frequently
appears with his longtime partner, Lin Van Hek, as part
of their folk music-literary cabaret, Difficult Women
which has been performing internationally since 1993.
Like 852,417 Australians, Joe has Italian ancestry,
which reflects strongly in the lyrics of Shaddap You
Face. In fact, Italian is the fifth most identified
ancestry in Australia behind 'Australian', 'English',
'Irish' and 'Scottish'. Italians have contributed to
Australia in many areas of the arts, business and sport.
Joe received the Advance Australia Award in 1981.
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