REX AND NOELENE FRANKLIN

The calendar is empty.

Rex and Noelene met when both were entered in a talent quest in Palmerston North New Zealand in May 1954.

They sang together in public for the first time at a Womens' Institute meeting in November 1955, at a place called Ormondville.

They began singing "live to air" on radio stations in Napier, Palmerston North,and Wanganui, besides other stations.

In 1956, they signed-up with the TANZA label, and recorded 4 songs, using just Rex's guitar as backing, and in October of that year, their first 78 rpm record was released,  "Would you mind?"/"I wonder where you are tonight", and those songs became very popular right around New Zealand on request sessions and "Cowboy Corners" (as they were called in those days)

Their second release was in 1958, on another 78rpm, with the coupling of two of Rex's own songs, "Oh why can't you say?" /  "Rocky Mountain Lullaby, and by then, the format was changing to 45rpms, and Long-play records.

In 1959, they signed-up with VIKING RECORDS, and in 1960, their first EPs, and LP were released, and these contained many of Rex's own compositions.

They went on to record a further 5 extended-play 45s, one single 45, and 6 long-play records, for Viking, before releasing 2 Long-play and 2 45 singles, for the PHILLIPS label, besides several composite recordings for both labels, and after a lapse of several years, because of a drastic rise in sales tax on records, Rex and Noelene recorded their first self-produced cassette called "'OUT BEHIND THE BARN", followed by " TRIP TO PARADISE", and these they later transferred to CDs, and they put all the Phillips material onto CD in 2002, which they titled REBACK ON THE TOILET SEAT", named after one of their hits, and in 2005, they produced "SILVER BELL", following their successful format of guitar instrumentals, vocal solos and duets, but this time, they included a few more of the popular well-known numbers that were well-received on their personal appearances.

In 1998, the world-famous BEAR FAMILY RECORDS contacted Rex and Noelene, and this resulted in the release in February 1999 of a 2 CD set called "A REAL NEW ZEALAND COWBOY SONG", and "UPON THE OUTLAW TRAIL".  These comprise 63 tracks of the material they released on the VIKING and TANZA labels, and this was a real thrill for them.

Over the years, they have done concerts, dances, talent quests, festivals, television shows, (Rex sang on TEX MORTON'S "COUNTRY TOUCH", he sang his own song on "STUDIO ONE", and they both featured on SOUTHLAND TELEVISION's "Y'ALL COME", and 7 TARANAKI's many screenings in 2004, of many of their popular songs.

They've toured all over New Zealand, Tasmania, and Vanuatu, (the last-named, with guitar great PETER POSA), and Rex has toured with EDDIE LOWE, and LOU AND SIMON, they did their own WESTERN VARIETY SHOWS in the late 50s, rex had his own disc-jockey radio programme from 1969 to 1976, where he interviewed  HANK SNOW,  SUSAN RAYE,  BUCK OWENS,  MOTHER MAYBELLE CARTER , ANITA CARTER, SLIM DUSTY, CONNIE SMITH, WANDA JACKSON,  THE WEBB BROTHERS,  REX DALLAS, and many more well-known Country singers and players.

Rex's hands are displayed at THE HANDS OF FAME  in Tamworth, Australia, and both e Rex and Noelene feature in THE HANDS OF FAME in Gore, New Zealand, and they received The Pioneer award, at THE PROFESSIONAL COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, in 1988.

HANK SNOW asked Rex to introduce THE RAINBOW RANCH BOYS on stage in Nelson, when they toured in the 1970s, and Rex was the only Country Music representative at the New Zealand Memorial service for TEX MORTON, in 1983.

These days, Rex and Noelene are taking it quieter, doing some rest homes, festivals, and clubs, as they see fit.