a 19/20 year old Eddie Cochran? He died shortly after in April 1960 in London in a car crash. Legend has it that the young PC who attended the accident was later to be known as Dave Dee.

Is Eddie Howell. But he wouldn't have been a "visiting" performer if the photo was taken in NZ.

Thanks Calif - the timing is right, but photos of Eddie Cochrane show him always in a quiff, and his nose was a little different. His sly smile never allows us to compare his teeth.
And Fraser... Eddie Howell was one of several Maori Elvises (Elvii?), so that probably counts him out. The pic may have been taken when Phil Warren was in the States trying to secure touring acts. That admiring look in his eye has an antipodean awe to it..
Besides, at this stage, like the English, New Zealanders didn't have natural teeth this straight...

but he is the split of my son's uncle. uncanny.

That's a really bad haircut even for NZ in 1959.

Could be a sportsman, perhaps?

on The Zodiac label.
Eddie Howell And The Buccaneers - Lonely Blue Boy.
Also on Zodiac, I have
Johnny Granger With The Rock A Billys - I'm Stickin' With You.
I bought the Eddie Howell in Auckland in about 1983 and the Johnny Granger on eBay because i'm a sucker for any group called "the Rock A Billys".
Try this guy,he seems to be an expert on NZ rock n roll.
http://www.simongrigg.info/index.htm

but Phil seems to be rather smitten with him.

Heinz.
I think.

but dinnae think so, not "just like" him enough

...fascinating.

It's not the following 1950s musical-entertainer Eddies:

Eddie Bond
Eddie Calvert
Eddie Fisher
Eddy Arnold
Eddie Jackson
Eddie Cochrane

I wonder are we looking in the right direction? Might he be an Australian or NZ local TV talent show guy perhaps? (Who had his 15 mins and left no internet footprint.) But he DOES look Italian-American, a la Tony Bennett (it's the nose). Could he be a US comedian or TV star of his day rather than a singer?

I feel we'll get there in the end... but it might take a while...

like a young Paul Newman - is it 'Fast' Eddie Felson of "The Hustler"

reckons it's Eddy Arnold.

...on google images - but, as far as I can see, it's not him.

However...after half an hour of internet trawling I can say that (a) there was a 1959-60 New Zealand rock'n'roll singer called Eddie Howell who made records for NZ label Zodiac... but (b) I can't find a single pic of him anywhere on the net. (I'm assuming he's not the same Eddie Howell who made the 'Man From Manhatten' LP with people from Queen in the 70s).

Perhaps we could ask our fellow bloggers from Oz & NZ to to scour some books on local rock history for us, in search of an elusive image of Eddie H? (There are indeed such books...)

If you enlarge the photo, the name seems to end in an looped 'l'

Thanks for your help, all good suggestions - thanks especially Colin. The possibility that he might be Australian is worth pursuing. I'm very sure that he's not a New Zealander - enough old music hands here have seen the pic and haven't had an answer. I still think an American is the best bet. By the way, here is a pic of Eddie Howell... very accomplished Elvis imitator who could sing "all kinds of music" ..

...I'd seen the Morrison Quartet pics and knew there was a one-time membership, but it wasn't clear if Howell was actually in those group pics. Anyway, I bow to your combined downunda rock knowledge! And we'll keep searching...

helena may well be right: the 'Eddie' thing could turn out to be the red herring...

...could that signature say 'Eldred'? I only ask because the founder of NZ's Zodiac Records was Eldred Stebbing (a frankly sinister sounding name, isn't it?) - this guy pictured certainly isn't him, but could he be a Zodiac Records artist a pic of whom (with Phil) Eldred has forwarded to Phil for some promotional favour done?

Another clue might be Phil's late 50s involvement with US label Prestige. I can't find a Prestige-label Eddie that fits the bill (several black jazz guys, only - Eddie Bert, Eddie Diehl...) - perhaps some of the Massive will have better luck?

Eldred Stebbing was older than Phil, and lived longer - until he was 90. Phil lived hard and fast, handled the Rolling Stones during their 1973 visit to NZ ("Mick Jagger was a great businessmen") and let the Faces push his family grand piano off stage. Eldred's career went from Artie Shaw's visit during World War 2, which he recorded, to releasing albums by NZ's 1970s version of the Rolling Stones (Hello Sailor).
But I think Helena could be right - Earl, Errol... these are just as likely. Even Edsel...
Meanwhile, here's Hello Sailor's big hit from 1977, filmed live on our equivalent of Top of the Pops. It's about heroin..

I have no specific interest in this, but this thread has me fascinated. I am searching for clues, and following everyone's postings with great fascination. We all like to be Columbo sometimes!

I think Heinz is the best theory so far. But instinct tells me this is a sportsman, not a musician.

...after all, it just doesn't feel right for a pop musician to have a monogrammed handkerchief in his breast pocket. It's more like an Ivy League sports thing from a certain era - either that or this guy is a second division 'rat pack' type act, perhaps...

...c 1960, and apparently got his protege Johnny Devlin on the bill (this isn't him though). Could this be another minor act on that bill? Anybody know who was on those package tours in NZ in that era?

His answer.....?
"No idea but he looks the spitting image of Michael Schumacher"
You know what... he's right.

Time to update all those who are on tenterhooks for a result... I sent a copy of the pic to a New Zealand saxophonist who played in the first regularly gigging rock'n'roll band in Auckland. He was one of those jazzers who found themselves only 20 but their love of jazz and their musical craft were sidelined when only 3 chords were needed. (Still plenty of work there for saxophonists, though, for a while, as long as you could sky lark on stage).
He sent the pic to someone who went through Phil's archives with him before he died, who then replied that it might indeed be an Australian - and a promoter/agent type rather than a musician, as some of you above have suggested. (I know, it's the handkerchief: maybe he was Johnnie Ray's valet.). He wrote:

>What I can tell you is that I am 99% sure that it was taken in mid 1959 in Australia.
I did see other photos taken at the same time, all of which were from the tours Lee Gordon did in Australia.
Phil tour managed/partnered a couple over here (Gene Vincent, Johnny Cash, Tommy Sands etc), but I think he was also attached to the Australian shows as well in some capacity (have seen a picture of him and The Everly Brothers in Australia). At that time he was very closely involved with Lee as he was also releasing Leedon records through Prestige.
He became less involved with the Gordon shows when Top Rank started in NZ late 1959 and “The Big Shows” as they were known weren’t brought to New Zealand after that. Lee Gordon shortly after went into a downward spiral owing lots of money and as Phil told me got into the underworld of drugs which is what I believe contributed to his early death.
So to answer your question I am not really sure, but think it is someone connected to one of those shows (not a headliner). He could be an Australian or one of the members of the backing groups. Definitely not Eddie Cochran or Eddie Bond and a few years too early for Heinz.
Phil got on really well with Hal Blaine who at that time was the drummer for Tommy Sands’ touring band (The Sharks) and I did see a framed photo of the band autographed to Phil which was in his office on the wall when he passed away.
All these photos (which had the same frames) along with a picture of himself, Lee Gordon, Johnny O’Keefe and three attractive young ladies taken in a nightclub seemed to be all taken at roughly the same time and were hanging on the wall.
Also not all of the autographed pictures Phil had were from entertainers. He had signed photos from agents, industry reps/executives and colleagues. The chap may have even been a promoter or manager (Phil had a lot of signed pictures from promoters/entrepreneurs).

Can any Australian members of the Massive shed any light on this? thanks..