Some memoirs are written about rock-and-roll celebrities. Some are written about the people who hung around them and learned how the game was played. I Am Johnny Stark: My Rock and Roll Memoir, by Giovanni and Anthony Sticco, falls under the latter. It tells how one man kept trying despite many disappointments. Published in 2026 by Hollywood Tower Productions, it tells the story of Johnny Stark, who faced hardship, poverty, and family issues while trying to make it in the music business.
Reviewed by Allan R. Ellenberger
Johnny Stark was born John Sticco on February 19, 1937, in New Jersey. Written in Johnny's own words, the book takes place in Las Vegas in 2016. Looking back on his life, he describes everything from singing in church and learning opera to serving in the Air Force to performing in Hollywood nightclubs. He talks about signing with record companies, being on television and making friends with musicians. He never thought he would be famous; he just loved to sing. He learned to sing in church, took lessons, and fell in love with opera before rock and roll became part of his life. His mother passed away when he was eight, and that's when music became more than just a passion for him.
The first third of this book explains Johnny's character well. He enlisted in the United States Air Force at seventeen. He left his home life and traveled to Wyoming, then to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. He became a buck sergeant, boxed, got frostbite, learned to play blues from other soldiers, and sang "Ave Maria" under the Northern lights.
None of these things directly correlate to rock and roll, but they help explain why he did what he did. When Johnny finished his time in the military, he went back to New Jersey and started working at American Can Company in Jersey City. He talks about his days at the can company and meeting another guy with dreams. They drove out to California in a 1949 Ford with not much money but lots of dreams. Once in Hollywood, his friend turned back, and Johnny stayed. With no money and no place to sleep, he worked construction and traveled around Hollywood with his demo tape, trying to get people to listen.
One day, Carl Burns from Crystalette Records listened to him sing "On the Street Where You Live," liked what he heard, and suggested a new professional name. John Sticco became Johnny Stark. From there, the book goes into more detail about how the music industry worked. It introduces promoters, club owners, and other musicians and artists making a living off music in Hollywood in the 1950s. Johnny signed with Crystalette Records and started making music.
You will learn about all of the big names that Johnny met during his time. Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Frankie Avalon, Connie Francis, and Elvis are just a few. Johnny also recorded four songs with a young Gordon Lightfoot and the Four Winds. One of those songs was "Rockin' Billy." A recent profile in The Strange Brew emphasized precisely this quality of Stark’s career: he was not merely a man who knew famous people, but a working performer who moved through the same early rock-and-roll landscape and made records of his own.
The tone throughout is conversational and frequently profane, but that is also part of its charm. It's not written like a history book that was researched over many years. It reads as if Johnny is sitting in front of you and telling you what he experienced. Sometimes he goes on a tangent or repeats himself, but he's very entertaining to read. He is very honest and will tell you how he felt at certain times in his life. That's what the authors wanted to achieve, and they did a great job.
His time in Hollywood is my favorite part of this book. From sleeping wherever he could to meeting people and making it in the City of Angels. In 1957, Stark even signed a contract to appear in a proposed Civil War film called Johnny Reb and was expected to sing its title song, but the production ultimately fell through. He talks about running into people like Dustin Hoffman and John Barrymore Jr. and even visiting Hollywood Memorial Park and Rudolph Valentino's tomb. Johnny became obsessed with Valentino and Houdini and held séances. This shaped many of his paranormal beliefs, as the book discusses.
Johnny Stark signs his contract to appear in a featured role and sing the title song for the proposed film Johnny Reb. From left are producer Lee Hatfield, Johnny Stark, and Stark’s manager, Al Simms. Unfortunately, the film was never produced.
Toward the end of the book, he gets more emotional about certain events in his life. He talks about his father passing away, getting married, and having a son. He goes into more detail about losing his child to the state and his experiences with being broke. When social workers took his son away was heartbreaking to read. But six months later, with his new wife, Barbara, he regained custody of his son.
Music allowed Johnny to overcome all the adversity that he faced in his life. When he performed in San Jose in 1980, he stood on stage wearing a glittery red jumpsuit and looked back on all of his accomplishments. From New Jersey to the Air Force to Alaska to walking the streets of Hollywood. All the places where he recorded music and all the failures that he had. Family is what he lived for, and that is why he kept singing.
The best review I've come across is from The Strange Brew in September of 2026. They described Johnny as a “Cinderfella of rock and roll” and talked about how he overcame the odds. He made it in the music industry by singing. I Am Johnny Stark is not the story of someone who made it big in the music industry. It's about someone who refused to give up.
If you're interested in rock and roll from the 1950s and 1960s, this is a must-read. It will teach you about Hollywood and the different people that made music during that time period. Not everyone becomes famous, but some try, and that's what this book is about.
If you’re interested in reading, I Am Johnny Stark: My Rock and Roll Memoir, the ebook is available directly from Giovanni Sticco’s Ko-fi Shop. Click here to purchase the ebook
Check in tomorrow on The Hollywoodland Revue for the latest installment of The Women Who Built Hollywood Before the Movies, profiling Mary Sackett—the Hollywood pioneer remembered for helping establish the community’s early postal service and for her family’s important role in the town’s earliest years.
If you enjoyed my review or have read, I Am Johnny Stark: My Rock and Roll Memoir, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment, rate the article, and share it with anyone interested in rock-and-roll history, old Hollywood, and the stories of performers who lived just outside the brightest spotlight. Your comments, ratings, and shares help The Hollywoodland Revue reach new readers and keep these lesser-known entertainment stories alive.
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