THERE are two things that have really excited PATTIE AMPHLETT in her 36 odd years in show business, in recent years anyway.
The first must have been performing her soon-to-be hit song to millions of television viewers on BANDSTAND in 1963, which was also her first television appearance.
But for LITTLE PATTIE, as she became affectionately known during her 10-year run on the pioneering music television program, her most recent thrill was being featured on a stamp.
'All the good things and the bad things that happen to you as a performer, you learn to deal with it all and not become flustered or too excited about anything,' she said.
'But I've got to be really honest with you, I was really excited about this stamp.'
Little Pattie, performing on Friday night at the Newcastle Workers Club with fellow BANDSTAND 'family' members COL JOYE, SANDY SCOTT and JUDY STONE, said she was 'really knocked out' by last year's commemorative stamp issue featuring a series on the history of Australian rock and roll.
And an avid republican - she says 'a resident for president!' - Pattie chuckles at the thought of being a prominent Australian, and having her head on the next best thing to money.
'The only other thing that excited me as much was a beautiful little yellow dahlia called Little Pattie,' she said. 'A woman came up to me at a show with a packet of seeds, and it had a photo on the front, with these beautiful little flowers called Little Pattie.
'I was really quite excited about that. I've got the packet of seeds stuck to my fridge!'
Pattie is tickled to be remembered for her contribution to Australian rock music - a song which was written for her after she was 'discovered' in a singing competition.
The song, HE'S MY BLONDE HEADED STOMPIE WOMPIE REAL GONE SURFER BOY, was built to capitalise on the wave of surf music that had Australia awash.
Rock and roll is in Pattie's name. Her cousin CHRISSIE AMPHLETT was the lead singer of Australian band THE DIVINYLS, which had a number one US hit with a song I TOUCH MYSELF. Her drummer nephew DAVID AMPHLETT is about to launch his career in a heavy rock band called CHEESECAKE. TE
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