Jack O’Hagan, a Melbourne composer of Irish background and one of Australia’s most prolific popular song writers, was known in his time as ‘The Irving Berlin of Australia’. This great songwriter wrote a swinging Australian soundtrack from the Jazz Age to the Beatles, publishing around 200 songs and leaving a legacy of approximately 600 compositions to Australian social, cultural and musical heritage.

Jack O’Hagan’s tunes are instantly recognisable. Most Australians know the classics ‘Along the Road to Gundagai’, ‘Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox’ and ‘Our Don Bradman’. Jack also wrote songs for musicals and revues, ‘talkie’ film scores and radio jingles. In 1920’s Melbourne, the likes of gangster Squizzy Taylor and sexy ‘Phyrne Fisher’ flappers danced to his tunes and bought his records. His career spanned many disciplines – as a composer, performer, recording artist, actor, radio personality, music publisher, a producer, director and writer of radio plays and an advertising agency Radio/TV director. His music chronicled an era and is part of the Australian psyche – from Dad and Dave to the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Jack O’Hagan’s achievements earned him an MBE and an APRA Platinum Award for his great contribution to music and entertainment in Australia.

The official Jack O’Hagan website (About Us) is managed and curated by Jack’s grand-daughter and biographer, Jo Gilbert (About the Author).