He was brought up in Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty of New Zealand, and spent much of his early childhood in Te Atatū South in West Auckland.

[2] Rowles is best known in New Zealand and Australia, though he has also performed in the United States, particularly Las Vegas, Nevada and Hawaii, where he was managed by Kimo Wilder McVay.

[5] In Germany, schlager singer Peter Rubin charted with the German translation "Hätt ich nur einmal mehr Zeit".

In the US, Nick DeCaro and his orchestra charted with an instrumental version, released as the B-side of the single "Caroline, No"[6] in late 1968, peaking at number 71 on the Cash Box Top 100 in early 1969.

[14] Rowles was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1979 New Year Honours, for services to entertainment and New Zealand interests in the United States.

[18] Under Frankie Price he recorded three singles: "Pancho Lopez" b/w "Walk Like a Man", "Another Tear Falls" b/w "I Could Have Loved You So Well" and "Sweet Mary" b/w "Take a Little Time", all of which were released on the Polydor label.

[19][20] Under the name Frankie Rowles, he recorded the single "Ma Vie C'est Toi" b/w "Live a Little Longer" which was released on the Gemini label.