Country Music Capital News - September 2017 Volume 42 No 9

(INC.GST)

SEPTEMBER 2017 VOL. 42 NO.09

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SHANIA TWAIN SHE’S STILL THE ONE

MATES COLLABORATE

TRAVIS COLLINS & AMBER LAWRENCE years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

TOMMY EMMANUEL

THE UNSTOPPABLE ENTERTAINER ADIOS

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years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

OUT NOW

OUT NOW

The great New Album from Australia’s Premier Country Duo. Features 13 Tracks including their latest #1 Single ‘Start Over’ and ‘Playing To Win’ featuring The Wolfe Brothers and Travis Collins

Discover Missy Lancaster and her Stunning New Single ‘Forget.’ Recorded and co-written in Nashville. Available now on download and streaming services

OUT NOW

OUT NOW

Witness the Dixie Chicks World Tour from the comfort of your own home! Released on 2CD/DVD and 2CD/Blu-Ray

The New Album from the Hottest New Band in US Country Music! Featuring the Hit Single ‘No Such Thing As A Broken Heart’ and more!

SO NY M U S IC . C O M . AU years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

/ H OTTE S TS TA R S ON TH E P L A N E T

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HAIR DESIGN & MAKE UP

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AristoMedia years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

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FROM THE EDITOR A SOLEMN TIME I CAN’T RECALL A TIME IN THE PAST 13 YEARS WHEN WE COVERED THE LOSS OF SO MANY GREAT PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY MUSIC INDUSTRY.

A treasured memory meeting Glen Campbell in Tamworth in 2009.

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his month, we acknowledge four men and one woman who led the way in Australia – Geoff “Tangletongue�

Mack, Rick Carey and around the world Dr Yunupingu, superstar Glen Campbell, as well as Jo Walker-Mead, who was the first paid employee of the Country Music Association in Nashville. Glen was in his 80s and Geoff, Rick and Jo were in their 90s and how lucky were we to have been enriched by their long lives.

Geoff and Rick paved the way in vaudeville and comedy for nearly eight decades. They taught us how important it is to be present and make the most of every day. Our writer Anna Rose has written some beautiful pieces in this month’s issue about these special men.

I expect their secret to a long life was through their humour – laughter is the best medicine after all.

We also acknowledge the tragedy of a life taken way too soon, that of producer Anthony Lycenko of Byron Bay. I met Anthony just a few years ago. He was a handsome, and extremely talented, young man whose death no-one saw coming.

As much as we want time to stand still after great loss, life goes on and with that, I am thrilled to advise that Capital News’ writer Jeremy Dylan was given some time to chat with our cover girl, superstar Shania Twain.

It’s a great read that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

There’s quite a few artists touring this month and we have included their stories inside including our great mate Tommy Emmanuel, Isla Grant, Jett Williams and Old Crow Medicine Show.

I hope you enjoy this issue and if you’re not a subscriber yet, our details are on page 7 so please give us a call and we’ll get you sorted.

Thanks for reading. Keep it country Cheryl Byrnes

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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 17 FEATURES SHANIA TWAIN TOMMY EMMANUEL FANNY LUMSDEN GLEN CAMPBELL OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW TRAVIS COLLINS AND AMBER LAWRENCE GRETTA ZILLER ISLA GRANT JETT WILLIAMS VALE JEFF MACK VALE RICK CAREY EDITOR Cheryl Byrnes P: 0407 106 966 E: c.byrnes@tamworth.nsw.com.au SALES Joanne Maiden P: 0429 784 860 E: j.maiden@tamworth.nsw.gov.au CONTRIBUTORS Allan Caswell, Alex Turnbull, Anna Rose, Bec Belt, CMAA, David Dawson, Jeremy Dylan, Jodie Crosby, Jon Wolfe, Lorraine Pfitzner, Peter Coad, Susan Jarvis, Webster PR and our great mates in publicity and record companies nationally and internationally

JOHN ERTLER

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REGULARS NEWS NASHVILLE NEWS TOYOTA STAR MAKER UPDATE ONE TO WATCH: CASSIDY RAE GAITER

PHOTOGRAPHERS The Voice (Judah Kelly), Glen Hannah (Shelley Minson), Justyn Denney Strother & Shot By Mrs Jones (Tami Neilson) Gavin Inglis (Toyota Hats Off To Country) and to our many suppliers often unknown to us.

HEAR & THERE

ART AND DESIGN Sam Woods

COUNTRY CHARTS

FESTIVALS SOUND ADVICE

BUSH BALLADS DOWN MEMORY LANE WRITING GREAT SONGS

PUBLISHER Tamworth Regional Council 437 Peel Street, Tamworth NSW 2340 P: 02 6767 5555

COMING EVENTS GIG GUIDE

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Country Music Capital News is compiled and published monthly by Tamworth Regional Council, 437 Peel Street, Tamworth NSW 2340. The views and opinions expressed in Capital News are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright 2017 Tamworth Regional Council, ABN 52631074450. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part by any manner or method whatsoever without the written permission is prohibited. All statements made in advertising are the sole responsibility of the advertiser in respect of legal and industrial relations. Printed by Fairfax Printing, 159 Bells Line of Road, North Richmond. 2754. ISSN 1440-995X years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2017

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NEWS

Anthony Lycenko

Fanny Lumsden

APRA PDA

F

anny Lumsden, winner of the Golden Guitar for new talent at this year’s CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia, has received a financial career boost of $15,000 in the country category at the 2017 APRA Professional Development Awards (PDAs).

The APRA PDAs, held every two years, were held at the NudeBar in Sydney. They acknowledge Australian songwriters and composers in the areas of popular contemporary, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, classical, country, dance/electronic, film and television and jazz. Judges included Lior, Mia Dyson, Johannes Luebbers, James Blundell, Brooke McClymont, Cat Hope, Dan Zilber, Kevin Bennett, Leah Flanagan, John Ferris and others.

TRAGIC LOSS PRODUCER AND ENGINEER ANTHONY LYCENKO PASSED AWAY LAST MONTH IN BYRON BAY.

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r Lycenko worked both within Australia and abroad for over 20 years.

Throughout the 90s, he was an assistant and house engineer in some of the UK’s most prestigious recording studios, including both Metropolis and Mayfair.

He worked alongside some of the very best producers and engineers, before returning to Australia in 1998 where he became chief engineer and studio manager at Rockinghorse Studios and lectured at Griffith University as part of their Bachelor of Popular Music Degree and SAE Qantm Byron Bay. In late 2003, he began freelancing and focussing on the development of unsigned artists. Clients included Busby Marou, whose album went on to win a 2010 Deadly Award for Most Promising New Talent in Music, a Q-Song award for their song Paint My Cup and a spot in JJJ’s 2011 hottest 100 for their hit single Biding My Time, Lou Bradley, Brad Butcher, Darren Middleton, Round Mountain Girls, and others, with a number

of albums achieving platinum or gold certified releases in Australia. His work was recognised with an ARIA in 2008 for Engineer of the Year for Pete Murray’s Summer In Eureka, and he received Golden Guitar nominations and Queensland Music and Music Oz Awards.

If you or somebody you care for needs help or information about depression, suicide, anxiety, or mental health issues, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

PASSING OF DR YUNUPINGU

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he great Australian Dr G Yunupingu passed away on the 25 July in Royal Darwin Hospital after a long battle with liver and kidney disease. He was aged 46.

Dr Yunpingu is remembered as one

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of the most important figures in Australian music history. Blind from birth, he emerged from the remote Galiwin’ku community on Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem land and sold over half a million copies of his albums across the world, singing in his native Yolngu language, becoming the highest selling Indigenous artist in history.

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Dr G. Yunupingu was the driving force behind the G Yunupingu Foundation, creating opportunities for young people across the Northern Territory.

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

NASHVILLE NEWS

LONGEST SERVING CMA MEMBER DIES

Kenny Rogers

FORMER CMA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JO WALKERMEADOR DIED ON AUGUST 15, AGED 93, IN NASHVILLE FOLLOWING A STROKE.

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orn Edith Josephine Denning, the future Jo Walker-Meador was one of 10 children raised on a farm near Orlinda, Tennessee.

She was the first paid employee as an office manager at the fledgling Country Music Association. When the CMA’s founding executive director Harry Stone resigned in 1962, she was promoted to take his place.

Initially a staff of one, she did whatever had to be done to pursue the best interests of the association and country music. Under her leadership, CMA played a critical role in expanding worldwide awareness of country music.

The Country Music Hall of Fame (created in 1961), the CMA Awards (created in 1967 and televised nationally since 1968), the CMA Music Festival (launched as Fan Fair in 1972) and many other initiatives were conceived

and launched on her watch.

The CMA JoWalker-Meador International Award is named after her.”

The Country Music Hall of Fame, whose existence owes much to Walker-Meador’s vision, welcomed her into its pantheon in 1995. And in 2008, the same year she received Big Brother’s first Big Tribute Award, WalkerMeador’s name was installed in Nashville’s Walk of Fame.

Jo is survived by her brother Pete Denning, daughter Michelle Walker, and step-children Rob and KarenMeador.

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usic stars Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton, Lady Antebellum and Wynonna and Naomi Judd have been added to a momentous line-up for “All In For The Gambler: Kenny Rogers’ Farewell Concert Celebration” to be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, 25 October 2017.

Previously announced artists include Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Little Big Town, Alison Krauss, The Flaming Lips, Idina Menzel, Jamey Johnson and Elle King. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation and the Kenny Rogers Children’s Centre.

The concert will honour Kenny Rogers’ historic 60-year career and will feature the final performance together

by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.

The event will be filmed and recorded for multi-platform distribution. www.allinforthegambler.com

NASHVILLE MEETS LONDON

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ondon’s largest free country music festival, Nashville Meets London, took place over the weekend 22 & 23 July in Canada Square Park drawing thousands of festival goers to the Canary Wharf estate.

This year’s line-up featured US-based acts Russell Dickerson, Lucie Silvas, Ashley Campbell, Sam Outlaw, Angaleena Presley, and Jo Smith, alongside UK-based acts Flats & Sharps, Wildwood Kin, Kevin McGuire, and Raintown.

The event features established and exciting new talent from Nashville, Tennessee and the UK. Co-producer and AristoMedia’s president of marketing and international relations, Matt Watkins said, “The UK country scene is alive. It’s obvious that fans are willing to do what it takes to hear the music in London, including standing in the pouring rain ALL day.”

The event is part of Canary Wharf’s Arts + Events programme which offers tenants and visitors over 200 diverse and culturally inspired events. years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

Pictured L to R: Back - Wildwood Kin (Beth Key, Emillie Key, Meghann Loney), Raintown (Claire Bain, Paul Bain), Russell Dickerson, Peter Conway (Peter Conway Management and NML CoFounder); Front - Kelly Sutton (Emmy award-winning television host, radio personality and Nashville correspondent for the 2017 NML), Matt Watkins (The AristoMedia Group and NML Co-Founder), Baylen Leonard (BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio DJ and NML Consultant), Jo Smith, Christy Walker-Watkins (The AristoMedia Group President and NML Co-Founder).

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SHANIA RETURNS:

SHE’S STILL 10

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years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

BY JEREMY DYLAN

LEOPARD PRINT. SHANIA TWAIN. YOU ALREADY HAVE AN IMAGE IN YOUR MIND’S EYE.

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ut it’s probably not the one I’m thinking of – the classy black and white cover to Shania’s new album Now, where the highest-selling female artist in country music history gazes towards the sky, hands clad in gloves that surely must be reference to that music video.

“Yes,” Shania chuckles, confirming the wink at her indelible That Don’t Impress Me Much video. “You know it’s funny because the album is called Now, and there are just some things in my life that I just move on from. Time to let go of this. Then there are things that just stay with you forever.

I think that the leopard print will just always stay with me forever.

It’s part of my career and my life and part of who Shania is visually and always will be. I’m happy to take with me into now and the future.”

The Now album is recognisably the Shania we all remember, but it’s an album showcasing her growth and maturity in the 15 years since her last album Up!. A bout with vocal chord dysphonia left her retraining her voice, which now has a more complex timbre.

Some will be tempted to scan the lyrics for references to Shania’s personal challenges, which have been well documented by the tabloids.

But is this an album about the struggles of her last decade and a half or is this like any other album – a complete portrait of the Shania of today.

As Shania explains, the title tells the story.

“It really is more about where I am now, and a reflection on my whole life and not just recent years. There’s been a lot of life lived to now and I would say that it’s the most personal album that I’ve ever written.”

As one of the all-time great songwriters in pop or country music, and one of the most successful, Shania has always walked the line between drawing a portrait of her heart and world and finding language that all kinds of men and (especially) women around the world can relate to.

Lead single Life’s About To Get Good is deeply personal, but I’d wager many listeners have no problem finding themselves in lines like ‘You no longer love me and I sang like a sad bird / I couldn’t move on and I think you were flattered’.

A song like the volatile, emotionally stark Poor Me is without parallel in Twain’s back catalogue. Part of the reason may be that this is her first album written totally solo, without a single co-writer.

“That just does naturally make it more personal. It’s coming from me directly, without any outside influence in the songwriting. I isolated myself to write most of the album, and it’s me in the purest sense, unique to anything else I’ve ever recorded.”

Now may be the first record with no credited writers other than ‘S. Twain’, but Shania has always defied Nashville conventions. Instead of cutting tunes from the Music Row songwriting elite, she’s had a hand in the penning of all but one song on all her records since 1995’s The Woman In Me, largely in collaboration with her then-husband and producer Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange. years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

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“I was a writer from the age of 10, so I’ve been writing alone all of my life. I met Mutt and then he became my collaborator and co-writer for the next two decades.

But there was one period, when I first got signed to my record label, that for the first time it wasn’t going to be doing my own music. There was pressure to only record outside songs and that’s what I did on my first album.”

The self-titled Shania Twain album features only one song co-written by Shania, and perhaps not coincidentally, it failed to yield any significant hits. As soon as Shania took the creative reins, this trend was sharply reversed. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under, Any Man of Mine, The Woman In Me, You’re Still The One, From This Moment On, That Don’t Impress Me Much, Man! I Feel Like A Woman and on and on. This is Michael Jackson territory.

Countless column inches have been spent remarking on Shania’s pop crossover success and her high-octane stage shows. Her status as one of the most important and consistently successful songwriters of the last 25 years has been underappreciated.

Growing up poor in Ontario, Canada, Twain took to the greats of classic pop and country (“The Beatles were a huge influence, the Carpenters, Dolly Parton”), and the legendary Canadian singer-songwriters.

“There was a whole host of the storytelling singer-songwriters. There were many great Canadian songwriters that were always on our radio like Joni Mitchell of course and Gordon Lightfoot, who was a big influence on my writing.”

Shania’s love of folk singer-songwriters established a songwriting process that is still largely unchanged today.

“For me it’s still what it always was, it’s sitting with my guitar. I do work with my guitar in front of a computer now, but that’s the only part that’s changed. Sometimes it starts with a melody, sometimes with poems, sometimes with a title or just a concept. So there’s no real formula.

“I’m always writing from a different element in music and there is no one way that I write to be honest.”

Songwriting is a constant in Shania’s life, whether the goal of a new album is in the front of her mind or not.

“I’m always an ongoing writer and I usually just collect ideas over time. When years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

“WE WANTED OUR SONGS TO “FOR ME IT’S BE REAL, TO DIG STILL WHAT IT DEEPER, TO BE ALWAYS WAS, IT’S SITTING MORE THAN WITH MY JUST ALRIGHT – GUITAR. I DO WE’VE REACHED WORK WITH AMY POINT IN OUR GUITAR IN LIVES WHERE FRONT OF A COMPUTER NOW, THEY HAD TO BUTSOMETHING THAT’S SAY THE ONLY SUBSTANTIAL.” PART THAT’S CHANGED.

I decided to jump into the project and make an actual record, it was a good year of on collecting all of those ideas and putting them all together. A year of really concentrated writing and then I carried on writing during the recording process as well so. That was all about a two-year period.”

The deliberate, unhurried pace of Shania’s current artistic process is hard not to contrast to the relentlessness of 20 years ago, when she was riding the bazillion-selling Come On Over album to world domination. I asked her if she was able to enjoy all her success in that period, or if she got too caught up in the crazy pace of it all, like so many superstars.

“It’s true and that is what happened to me. I didn’t really realise how wonderful it all was at the time. That’s partly why symbolically I used the leopard print glove [on the new record cover]. I look back on that period of my life very fondly, especially creatively. So it’s a throwback of a moment that I now am enjoying really for the first time.”

It’s hard not to remark on a coincidence of timing that Shania is returning with new music, less than a month after another pop culture icon of assertive brunette womanhood has been relaunched into the forefront of our consciousness. Wonder Woman may be fictional, but the awe and inspiration she’s generating in young girls who see that movie has a lot in common with how girls look at Shania.

With her recent return to touring, I wondered what it was like for Shania to play to 20-something girls who grew up worshipping her music.

“Well it’s very special to see the audience today compared to the audience 20 years ago.

You know 20 years ago the audience was so full of parents with their small children who were three, four, five, six. Now those kids are in their late teens or early 20s, college age. It’s amazing to see the transition.

They all have a very similar story and it is touching.

To hear them say repeatedly ‘You were my first concert, I came with my mom’ and now they’re college kids coming with friends.

It’s still in the joy of a child almost, that’s what music does to us. It brings us back to such an excitable euphoric place. A song takes you back to a time and it’s just so refreshing and wonderful and energising for me.

It’s unexpected as well because… I don’t know what I was expecting, but I just forgot that all these little kids grew up. You come back 15 years later and all of a sudden, they’re adults and that really did blow my mind.

So it was wonderful to watch that evolution. And there’s always a heartwarming story as well that people have to share and I love to hear their stories.”

In a couple of short months, these young women will be waiting with bated breath to pick up their first ‘new’ Shania record. Their real-life superhero has returned, armed with a new collection of lyrics and melodies to touch their hearts.

Shania thinks on this for a moment.

“Well,” she says. “I hope they like it.”

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BY JEREMY DYLAN

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ommy said “I’ve played this song in front of the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh… and many other pubs”.

Tommy Emmanuel is an entertainer. While many songwriters and performers make music purely for their own gratification, Tommy has always made music to connect with an audience, using the songs he writes or loves as ways to communicate with the thousands who come to each show. But

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I RECALL A MOMENT FROM A TOMMY EMMANUEL SHOW A FEW YEARS AGO. THE LEGENDARY AUSSIE GUITAR MASTER WAS INTRODUCING ONE OF HIS BEST-KNOWN SONGS.

while music is the most important element of a Tommy Emmanuel show, it’s not the only weapon in his arsenal.

“Surprising people is a very big part of what it means to entertain people. You think you’re coming to a serious guitar show, the guy comes out and says ‘Hey folks, great to be here. I got pulled up by the police. I didn’t know they were allowed to drive that fast’.

All of a sudden, this person is making you laugh and having a laugh at himself. ‘If I make any mistakes tonight, they’re probably on purpose’.”

In the liner notes to his latest album Live At The Ryman, he writes “This is genuine ‘had to be there’…no fix ups…no frills recording”

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– an acknowledgement of potential imperfection that is undetectable in the actual recordings within. Tommy steps on stage armed purely with two or three Melbourne-made acoustic guitars, his astonishing musical memory and no set list. An hour and a half later, you look around the floor to find where your jaw dropped so you can put your face back together and go home. While Tommy is sometimes left unsatisfied with a performance, it’s because he’s holding himself to an ideal that would be hard for anyone else to imagine. Asked what his goals are moving forward, he says simply “I want to play better”.

The new live album is the document of Tommy’s dream gig – performing at the historic ‘mother church of country music’ in his adopted home town of Nashville, and selling it out. For the most part, it’s a pretty typical TE gig – raucous and tender in equal measure, drawing from his own

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TOMMY EMMANUEL:

THE UNSTOPPABLE

ENTERTAINER

dense songbook and some of his best known arrangements (Classical Gas, his Beatles Medley, Guitar Boogie) and as much a classic pop concert as a masterclass in fingerstyle dexterity.

What made the show truly unique was that Tommy was joined on a few numbers by Steve Wariner and John Knowles, the other two living Certified Guitar Players. The CGP title was bestowed on a select few guitar geniuses by Tommy’s idol, mentor and surrogate father Chet Atkins. This show was the first time the three remaining CGPs had performed live together.

Wariner will join Tommy down under this month, a special guest on all the shows of the

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Australian tour – the first time two CGPs have appeared on the same show in Oz. “You’d better be up on your game, because they’re watching,” Tommy says of touring Australia.

“In every city, there’s always the real hardcore fans.”

If you mention Tommy’s name to any random Aussie, you’ll get an interesting variety of reactions.

Any guitarist will either salivate at the memory of Tommy’s mastery, or curse his name as the unattainable ideal. Some people know Tommy best from his frequent appearances on variety television at the start of his solo career, or from his stint in Dragon, his performance with his brother Phil at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 or even as the little kid who toured the breadth of the country before he was old enough to shave.

Tommy started his professional career during his formative years (he initially retired from touring at the age of 11) and he developed a skill and love for performance that bordered on compulsive. One of my favourite (and most revealing) Tommy stories starts with him getting snowed in in Allentown (yes, the city from the Billy Joel song) on his way to a show. The airport is closed and… well, I’ll let Tommy pick up the story…

“We weren’t going anywhere.

The only place we could get was the shuttle to the Sheraton hotel and there happened to be two rooms left. Everything shut down.

The hotel is full and no one is

coming in or out. So we’re stuck there for at least three days.

So we were there for three days and all I could do was just practice my playing. I get antsy if I’m on tour and there’s too much time off. I don’t like that. I started looking around the kind of bar/disco area where there was a PA in the ceiling and there was a DJ desk and everything with a microphone and everything.

So I talked to the hotel manager I said ‘How about we put on a show for all the people. No one can go in and out. Why don’t we put on a show?’ and he said ‘Okay’ just like that. ‘After dinner we’ll move all the tables and chairs and moves the chairs concert style. We’ll open the bar and people can drink for free’.

We made the announcement, everybody had dinner and we all sat down. The place was jamming with people and I came out and played about 45 minutes, everybody loved it.”

To me, that story sums up what is special about Tommy and a lot of what separates him from other incredibly skilled musicians. It’s also what comes out when you talk to him, and hear the well-crafted anecdotes he’s developed to explain himself and his life. Nothing frustrates Tommy more than a missed opportunity to entertain, to bring happiness to other people.

“When I come off the road at the end of a long tour, there was a time where I’d get very teary and weepy several times a day and I couldn’t figure it out and my ex-wife she said to me ‘It’s end of tour blues. You’re putting out all these emotions every night and now they’re waiting to come out and there’s no outlet. You’re just hanging around the house drinking coffee and reading books and whatever’. It’s like your emotions are wanting to come out.”

There are great musicians who have mastered a craft.

There are inspired songwriters who can weave beautiful songs out of the ether. There are journeymen who tour relentlessly like it’s a day job. But Tommy Emmanuel is more than the sum of those qualities. He’s the quintessential entertainer.

“When I was a kid,” he often says. “I wanted to be in show-business. Now I just want to be in the happiness business. I make music, you get happy.”

Tommy Emmanuel CGP tours Australia with special guest Steve Wariner CGP this month. Check tommyemmanuel.com for details.

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BY JEREMY DYLAN

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he could have spent 2017 basking in the glow of last year’s ARIA nomination or this year’s Golden Guitar, CMC Awards and APRA Professional Development Awards wins. Instead, Fanny hunkered down at work on her sophomore album.

“I write all the time, I’m always writing. I just had a lot of songs and really wanted to share them”.

After a year of relentless touring, where she mainly performed songs from her debut LP Small Town Big Shot, Fanny was hankering to get into the studio. To force herself to commit to a recording schedule, she booked in time with ARIA winning producer Matt Fell (Shane Nicholson, John Williamson).

“Then we went ‘Oh ok now how are we going to work this out?”

With the acclaim from album one and the attention around her awards nominations and wins, the first big choice for Fanny was whether to sign with a record label for the new release, or keep on the fiercely independent road that had got her to where she was.

“The community around us has been so strong, and I loved the idea of doing it totally our way again. It really worked with the touring model and everything, so we decided that independent was the way to go again”.

There’s no bigger vote of confidence from an artist’s fans than for them to help

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“RED DIRT ROAD ROLLS ON…” SINGS FANNY LUMSDEN ON THE FIRST SINGLE FROM HER NEW ALBUM REAL CLASS ACT.

fund the creation of a new album. Fanny and her husband (and creative partner) Dan launched a Pozible crowd funding campaign in April, crossing their fingers that there would be a enough support to cover the cost of producing album number two.

If it succeeded, it would validate their choice to stay independent. If they came up short of their funding target…

The love and enthusiasm of Fanny’s fans proved steadfast. By June, they had smashed past the initial funding goal by thousands of dollars, leaving them in a great position to head into the studio with Matt.

“We went into the studio with Matt for three weeks – and we were actually living in a studio upstairs. We were living in this little album bubble – it was fantastic. We just focused all of our attention on making each song the best that we could.”

While many ar tists are scared of a ‘sophomore slump’ after a well received debut album, Fanny headed into the production process with a much clearer sense of her sonic goals for Real Class Act, after a couple of years to reflect on the process of making Small Town Big Shot and her experiences the first time around.

“This time, I knew how to articulate my ideas better. Last time around, I’d done some recording but not a lot. This time I knew really definitely what I wanted to get on and what I didn’t like, while at the same time I was still really open to ideas and suggestions Matt and the other musicians had”.

“THE COMMUNITY AROUND US HAS BEEN SO STRONG, AND I LOVED THE IDEA OF DOING IT TOTALLY OUR WAY AGAIN. IT REALLY WORKED WITH THE TOURING MODEL AND EVERYTHING, SO WE DECIDED THAT INDEPENDENT WAS THE WAY TO GO AGAIN”.

While a few songs had gotten live airings, most of the material was having it’s first life outside of Fanny’s basic guitar demoes, and some ended up taking off into unexpected places.

“The song that’s the final track on the record is a really emotional song to me. I’d just done a sort of traditional arrangement for it, and then Matt had this idea to really open it up, using all acoustic instruments.

It sounds like nothing I’d ever thought of. There’s one with four bass parts on it, which has kind of a Paul Simon vibe.”

A major life change since the release of Fanny’s last record was her and Dan relocating back out to the country and rediscovering the country lifestyle. The small town vibes are seeded deep within the songs across the span of the album.

“There’s one track that starts with a recording of a band playing in the Anzac service in the little town I grew up in, just an iPhone recording. It really sets the mood and every time I hear it, it just sends me back there.”

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With a completed album in hand, Fanny and Dan decided to form their own record label, following in the footsteps of artists like Jason Isbell who have taken control of their process from songwriting to release.

So far, the newly minted Red Dirt Records is staying in the Fanny Lumsden business, with no plans to sign any other artists… for the time being.

“We’ve never done this before, so I’m trying to read up and learn as much as I can and it’s great to be working with Dan on it with everything he brings to it. But I’m not ruling that out… in the future.”

Giving the resourcefulness and work ethic she’s shown to date, surely the Fanny Lumsden Record Company Empire can’t be far away. For the time being, pick up a copy of Real Cass Act, or get to a show – chances are she’s playing a country hall near you.

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ACT TWO: AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY’S INDEPENDENT WOMAN

FANNY LUMSDEN RETURNS

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BY ANNA ROSE

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n Tuesday, August 8, at a Nashville care facility the singer’s singer, picker’s picker, beloved husband and father of eight, Glen Campbell, died from complications due to Alzheimer’s disease.

In an extraordinary career, the Billstown, Arkansas native seemingly hadn’t experienced a decade since the 60s when he didn’t have a chart hit, a TV or movie role or been the subject of a documentary.

Starting out as an in-demand session player in California, it wasn’t long before he took centre stage as a recording artist in his own right.

Two key factors played a huge role in Campbell’s early solo career – the production work of Al De Lory and the songs of Jimmy Webb – and it all started with Top 20 hit Burning Bridges from the album of the same name.

He received four Grammy awards in 1968 for Gentle On My Mind, By The Time I Get To Phoenix, I Wanna Live and Wichita Lineman — creating another arena where his multiple talents shone.

Among the songs on his almost 60 studio albums and six live discs, Glen Campbell formed the soundtrack for countless lives.

He’s inspired guitarists, singers, actors and everyday people to simply Try A Little Kindness and shine your light for everyone to see.

For 35 years he’d been the husband of former Radio City Music Hall Rockette Kim Woollen and was father to their three children – Cal, Shannon and Ashley, all of whom joined him on stage in his touring band.

Prior to that, he was married three times with Debby, Kelli, Travis, Kane, and Dillon his older children.

His passing, although not unexpected, was still like a blade through the heart for those closest to him – including his songwriter of choice for half a century, Jimmy Webb.

“Let the world note that a great American influence on pop music, the American Beatle, the secret link between so many artists and records that we can only marvel, has passed and cannot be replaced … He was bountiful …

His was a world of gifts freely exchanged: from

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HE’D BEEN WALKING THESE STREETS SO LONG, SINGING THE SAME OLD SONG … BUT THIS TIME THE RHINESTONE COWBOY FINALLY TOOK HIS LEAVE OF PHOENIX. Roger Miller stories, to songs from the best writers, to an old Merle Haggard record. He gave me a great wide lens through which to look at music. He loved the Beach Boys and in subtle ways helped mold their sound. He loved Don and Phil, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, Flatt and Scruggs. This was the one great lesson that I learned from him as a kid: Musically speaking, nothing is out of bounds. When it came to friendship Glen was the real deal. He spoke my name from ten thousand stages. He was my big brother, my protector, my co-culprit, my John crying in the wilderness. Nobody liked a Jimmy Webb song as much as Glen! And yet he was generous with other writers: Larry Weiss, Allen Toussaint, John Hartford. You have to look hard for a bad song on a Glen Campbell album.

He was giving people their money’s worth before it became fashionable. This I can promise. While I can play a piano, he will never be forgotten. And after that someone else will revel in his vast library of recordings and pass them on to how many future generations? Possibly to all of them.”

Dolly Parton shared her thoughts on his passing: “Well, Glen Campbell was special because he was so gifted.

Glen is one of the greatest voices that ever was in the

track to benefit the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

“I’m just devastated,” Tucker said in a statement. “It’s been so hard these past several years knowing what he’s been going through. My heart just breaks. Glen and I shared some incredible, precious memories together for a long time. There were some ups and downs and, of course, all the downs were played out in the press. We both got past all that. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing.”

In 2013, fellow Arkansas native Collin Raye honoured Campbell with a tribute album of his most iconic songs – Still On The Line: The Songs of Glen Campbell.

Closer to home, Brisbanebased guitar virtuoso Michael Fix

“WHAT A POWERFUL ARTISTIC AND PERSONAL JOURNEY GLEN CAMPBELL’S PASSAGE HAS BEEN. AS A ROLE MODEL, SINGING GUITAR PLAYER, HE WAS A BIG INFLUENCE ON ME.” business, and he was one of the greatest musicians. He was a wonderful session musician as well. A lot of people don’t realise that, but he could play anything. And he could play it really well. So he was just extremely talented. I will always love you, Glen!”

Keith Urban, who cites Campbell as one of his greatest influences, shared his thoughts with Rolling Stone.

“What a powerful artistic and personal journey Glen Campbell’s passage has been. As a role model, singing guitar player, he was a big influence on me. His blend of genres created his own sound and style and his ability to entertain wasn’t limited to the stage. He blazed real trails through film (and especially television) where his charismatic Southern charm and personality fit perfectly.”

Since news of his passing, many artists have paid musical tribute to Campbell, including Tanya Tucker, with whom he had a relationship between marriage in the early 1980s.

Tucker has just released Forever Loving You, a song she wrote for Campbell, with a portion of proceeds from the

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has penned and released a new instrumental inspired by Campbell – Pick Me! “The sound of the 12-string guitar is a part of my earliest musical memories … in fact, the first album I bought with my own pocket money (as an 11-year-old in 1971) was The Astounding 12-String Guitar of Glen Campbell. It was the first time I heard the 12-string guitar as a lead instrument, rather than a strumming, jangly support to a vocalist. Over the past 20 years I’ve recorded a number of tracks on 12-string guitar. Glen Campbell’s death on August 8 caused me to revisit his 1964 album and the tune, Pick Me! arrived soon after.”

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DOIN’ DYLAN

BY JON WOLFE

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ow it’s Australia’s turn to see this remarkable concert when the band returns to Australia for the first time in eight years to recreate Dylan’s masterpiece.

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IN MAY 2016, US AMERICANA BAND OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW WAS ASKED BY THE NASHVILLE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME TO HONOUR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELEASE OF BOB DYLAN’S ICONIC BLONDE ON BLONDE DOUBLE ALBUM BY PERFORMING THE ENTIRE ALBUM LIVE IN CONCERT.

Co-founder of the band, Chris “Critter” Fuqua, along with other members of the band, admits to be a Dylan fan.

“We realised pretty quick that we couldn’t do it like Dylan, because only Dylan can do it like Dylan,” Critter said.

“The Country Music Hall of Fame and the band both said we really wanted to do it like us – so, we really dug into the songs and arranged them to suit our show and our sound and it came out good – just a testament to how

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good those songs are.”

Main vocalist for Old Crow, Ketch Secor, said he plays music because he simply wants to be like Bob Dylan.

He said, “When Peter Cooper from the Hall of Fame pulled me aside in an east Nashville record shop back in January 2016 to ask if Old Crow would consider helping the Hall celebrate

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the 50th anniversary of the making of Blonde On Blonde, I didn’t think twice before giving my emphatic “YES!’” Ketch said the band decided that they would give the songs a distinctive old Crow Medicine Show touch.

“We played it country, folk, and rock and roll, acoustic and electric,” he said. “Hillbilly

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and hokum; at once gospel-fired and Hava Nagila blues.”

It was no coincidence that a country-influenced band was chosen for the celebration, as Blonde On Blonde was recorded in Nashville, using some country studio musicians in 1966.

In addition, there is another connection to Dylan that makes Old Crow’s selection pertinent.

When both Ketch and Critter were teenagers, and busking on street corners, Critter returned from a trip to the UK with a Dylan bootleg that featured a song then listed as Rock Me, Mama, and the words to the verses were unintelligible. The chorus caught the attention of Ketch and he put new words to the verses and came up with a song he called Wagon Wheel.

Many years later, in 2004, the song became a huge hit for the band and earned Old Crow platinum status for their single of the song in 2013.

“We’ve been playing Wagon Wheel since we were 17,” Critter said. “It’s pretty cool for Ketch to have a co-write with Dylan, even though we haven’t met him.

“You know, when we recorded it we had to go through all the legal stuff and get his permission – it’s funny to have a co-write with someone you haven’t been in a room with!”

The band has recently been in the studio recording a new album and Critter said this time around they approached the sessions in a completely different way.

“It’s different with every record,” he said. “The last record, 2014’s Remedy, which won the Folk Grammy in 2015, we did with Ted Hutt, and we were pretty prepared when we got into the studio. We kind of rehearsed a lot, built tracks, and arranged stuff.

“The new record we did in Nashville…. was a lot different than that. We gave the producer some songs and he said ‘Don’t record anything, don’t arrange anything, don’t rehearse, just come in and we’ll do it’.

“It was real zen like. We didn’t road test any of the songs before we went in and that gave it a sort of spontaneous magic.”

The new album should be released next year.

Old Crow Medicine Show’s three city Blonde On Blonde tour (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney) in September and October promises to be a true taste of Americana and the focus of the show, the presentation of the songs from Blonde On Blonde, is sure to attract a new audience to the band.

Joining the band for the tour, presented in collaboration with AmericanaFest, is Valerie June, a native of Memphis, who has her base in blues, rock and soul. In 2010 she worked with Old Crow on a project called Valerie June and The Tennessee Project.

As a band, Old Crow Medicine Show embrace and exemplify the roots of Americana, incorporating the early jug bands and Sun Records sounds of Memphis to the bluegrass and classic country that made Nashville famous on the Grand Ole Opry, of which they are proud members, and always the music of the legendary Bob Dylan.

The album, 50 Years of Blonde On Blonde, recorded live in 2016, is available in Australia through Sony Music and tickets for the tour are now on sale.

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BY SUSAN JARVIS

TRAVIS COLLINS AND AMBER LAWRENCE FIRST MET AT THE TAMWORTH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC BACK IN 2004, AND INSTANTLY HIT IT OFF.

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ver since, they’ve been wanting to collaborate – and particularly to tour together. But they’ve been busy building their solo careers and it never happened – until now.

The pair is hitting the road with their Our Backyard tour, and to mark the occasion they’ve recorded a stunning new EP of all-new music.

The Our Backyard EP features five duets and a solo song from each of them, and every track is an absolute killer.

“We’re so excited, because we’ve been talking about doing this pretty much ever since we met,” Amber said.

“The problem is that to do something like this, you have to build your own career to a point where you can hit pause and move in a slightly different direction for a while.

Luckily, we’ve both reached that point.”

Indeed they have. Both Travis and Amber are the hottest properties on the Australian country scene right now. Amber was the 2015 Female Artist Golden Guitar winner, and was also named the 2015 and 2016 CMC Female Artist of the Year.

Her last album, 2016’s Happy Ever After, was filled with wonderful songs, and has already seen two singles soar up the charts. She’s also released a highly successful children’s album, The Kid’s Gone Country, and is in demand as a children’s entertainer.

On top of that, she was invited to perform in New York earlier this year for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, where she performed in front of the American president.

Amber also has a successful media career, presenting on Channel 9’s Getaway, co-hosting the 2017 CMC Music Awards and hosting iHeartRadio Australia Country.

After more than a decade of hard work, former Star Maker winner Travis Collins really hit pay dirt this year, taking out his first three Golden Guitars in one fell swoop with his album Hard Light, and then going on to pick up three CMC Awards, including CMC Oz Artist of the Year.

The album produced three number 1 singles and charted in the ARIA top 20 all-genre charts.

So it would have been easy for Travis and Amber to rerecord a few of their hits for their new album, but they had no intention of doing things the easy way.

“We wanted to push ourselves and make this album really fresh and exciting. We see this tour and the EP as a way to progress our careers, to show a slightly different side to us and our music,” Travis said.

So the pair sat down and penned a batch of new songs, with the help of collaborators like Mike Carr,

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Katrina Burgoyne, Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley.

The result is a vibrant, positive, fun collection of songs that country fans will adore.

The title track, Our Backyard is a celebration of Australia.

“We’re so lucky to travel this place as part of our jobs – the cities are cool, but when you go into the outback, you get a real sense of how amazing Australia is. It’s a sprawling, unique, extraordinary country,” Travis said.

Here I Stand is a gorgeous wedding song.

It’s the only love song on the album, and it is filled with joy and emotion.

Millionaire is the kind of small fantasy we can all afford – the experience of a night out when you decide to hang the expense and just pretend you’re rich.

And the wonderful Drink is a playful song about the differences between men and women. It’s a fun song that will go down brilliantly when Travis and Amber hit the road.

Travis chose the emotional How Good You Got It as his solo track. It is a song about watching someone else’s relationship break down, and being powerless to help.

Amber also selected a wonderful track for her solo recording. In Reverse explores how painful breakups and missed opportunities can sometimes be the best things that happen in life – a in retrospect.

The Our Backyard tour kicked off in country NSW in August, and will continue through Queensland in October and then back to NSW in November.

Both Travis and Amber appeared at this year’s Gympie Muster, and received a huge reception from fans – particularly when they sang together.

Meanwhile, Travis is currently writing songs for his next album. He heads over to Nashville this month to continue that process.

Amber is planning another children’s album for Christmas, and will then start to focus on writing for her next adult album. She recently threw a musical party to celebrate her 10th anniversary as a performer.

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MATES

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BY SUSAN JARVIS

GRETTA ZILLER’S NOT A WOMAN WHO LIKES BEING PUT IN A BOX.

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retta said “There’s something about me that is always seeking and searching – I guess I have a desire for change, a need to look for what else is out there.”

“And I find that being pigeonholed can be really counter-productive to creativity and the ability to understand and explore human nature.”

So when she began to conceptualise her sensational new debut album, Queen of Boomtown, Gretta realised the need for change had to be a central theme.

“I began with a batch of songs, but it soon became pretty clear to my producer, Paul Ruske, and I that there was a pretty strong thread running through them,” she said.

Gretta describes her songs as “tiny novels”.

She says the core of all her songs is a real experience or emotion, but they take on a life of their own.

“I’m a bit of a songwriting bowerbird. I collect ideas and thoughts – I tend to take an idea or emotion about something and then roll with it, and see where it goes.”

Gretta’s songs are tantalisingly tangled into multiple layers – these are no simple country ballads, but deep emotional journeys.

The album’s title track, Queen of Boomtown, initially appears to be boastful and loud, but it soon becomes apparent that it’s a song about self-deprecation and doubt.

“It’s a song about isolation, and about a need to escape a bleak situation,” Gretta said.

Similarly, the powerful Slaughterhouse explores a deep need to escape an unwanted and suffocating situation – it’s a classic tale of the need to leave a small town that has become suffocating.

Slaughterhouse has already attracted a lot of attention, reaching the finals of the Americana section of this year’s prestigious international Unsigned Only songwriting contest. Gretta received an Honorable Mention in the contest in 2013 with Hell’s Half Acre from her first EP. The winners will be announced this month.

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But the songs aren’t all about struggles. Let It Go is a song about being who you are in the moment, and not holding on to worries, while Alright With Me focuses on accepting that someone loves you for who you are – flawed and imperfect.

“I wrote that song at the Country Music Academy a few years back. It was one of the songs that made me realise that my passion was songwriting,” Gretta said.

“There’s a kind of fatalism in all the songs – while there is always an openness to change, there is also a sense that sometimes you need to accept the way things are.

That comes through particularly strongly in the raw This Is Gonna Hurt, about the pain and regret of a breakup.

“It’s complicated. Sometimes you know you need to leave, but you don’t know how to break up with that person. And you know it will be painful,” Gretta said.

Whiskey Shivers is another breakup song, disguised as a drinking song. It’s one of the best of many highlights on this album.

Another song that really stands out is Round And Round, which takes on the difficult subject of spousal abuse.

“I started off writing it as a murder ballad, but it evolved into something different. It’s a pretty confrontational song – which is only appropriate, given the subject matter.”

The song also features the wonderful Henry Wagons, which gives it a whole different sound.

Jude was written in

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appreciation for the boys in Gretta’s band.

“They complete me. St Jude is the patron saint of lost causes, but these guys just bring my music alive. I love working with them,” she said.

And the most moving song on the album is I Don’t Ever, which Gretta wrote for her mother, who passed away 12 years ago.

“It took me a long, long time to be able to write a song worthy of her memory,” she said.

“It’s about the day after losing her. It’s not just that she was no longer there, but the world kept turning when I just wanted it to stop.

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“I still find it difficult to perform, because all those emotions rise to the surface.”

Gretta is reluctant to describe herself as belonging to a particular genre.

“This album’s taken me in a different direction from my EP, Hell’s Half Acre, but it’s definitely who I am,” she said.

“I wanted to push the boundaries of country, or Americana, or alt-country, or the new label, ‘folk-noir’. I just didn’t want to fit neatly into a box.”

The same applies to Gretta’s approach to

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performing live. She and fellow rising star Andrew Swift have been touring caravan parks this year, presenting their music to an audience they never would have reached otherwise.

It is a new model of performing that in fact harks back to the days of Australia’s country music pioneers, and Gretta says it is working brilliantly.

“We’ve had nothing but wonderful responses, and the whole concept is working really well for us. It has been completely worthwhile, and we’re planning another run of tours in January,” she said.

Meanwhile, Gretta’s just embarked on her Queen of

Boomtown tour. She launched the album in Melbourne on August 31, and will have another launch at Rooty Hill RSL in Sydney on September 3, before heading to Brisbane on September 8, Tamworth on September 9 and the Nimbin Roots Festival on September 15.

More dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

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THE BRAVE 28

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BY BEC BELT

THE LAST TIME WE SPOKE WITH SCOTTISH SONG BIRD ISLA GRANT, IT WAS ABOUT HER FAREWELL TOUR OF AUSTRALIA TWO YEARS AGO, BUT SHE RETURNS FOR SHOWS THROUGHOUT SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER WITH A NEW ALBUM, A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE AND MORE LOVE THAN EVER FOR AUSTRALIAN AUDIENCES.

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sla said “I thought the last tour was maybe going to be the farewell one, but there was such a reaction from Australia with petitions to get me back, that I had to come back.”

“Probably I’ll be back again after this one, too. It’s really about the people and the welcome they give me over there because they are so enthusiastic at the concerts. Australian audiences really are second-to-none.”

What draws audiences to Isla and makes them so passionate about seeing her live are the stories behind each of her songs.

“They know that every song comes from somewhere real,” Isla said.

“Therefore, they can relate to them; a lot of people say ‘you could have written that song for me’ after the shows.”

Her new song, I’m A Survivor, a classic from Lacy J. Dalton, sums up Isla’s life as she has overcome a near-fatal car accident and then agoraphobia to get her music career back on track, to the delight of audiences across the world.

“I have kind of come out the other end of

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it as a survivor,” she said. “Still people want to see us and that’s wonderful. When I heard it, I knew I would want to record that at some time because of everything that happened to me; you could definitely say that Isla Grant is a survivor.”

Isla is no stranger to Australia, having toured here countless times over the years, but there are still places she is yet to discover, and a few of these are included on this tour.

The two-month visit to Australia will see her travelling to all corners of the country starting in southern NSW, heading to Victoria, before returning to NSW, travelling through the southern areas, Central West to the coast, the North West, including Country Music Capital Tamworth, then into Queensland before heading to Western Australia and down to Tasmania before she heads off to New Zealand.

“I’ve been going on stage since I was 14,” she said.

“I can get very stressed going down the supermarket, having had agoraphobia for many years, but when I go on stage, I’m in complete control.”

Isla said, as well as entertaining her audiences, she wanted to reach out and help people with similar issues and give them hope.

“I’ve had so many emails that said ‘because of you, I’ve been able to beat this terrible illness’ and the songs help a lot of people as well,” she said.

“There And Back Again is all about being in that illness and coming out the other side and so many people have said it has given them so much hope. If you can help one person come through something like that, then it’s all worth it.”

Australian audiences are in for a treat with songs from the new album, I’m A Survivor, and surprises including a new Christmas album released for her fans in southern lands.

“I have one little surprise for the Australian folks,” Isla said.

“So many were saying they hadn’t heard a Christmas album and I had recorded one, but it wasn’t released in Australia, so I went into

“THERE AND BACK AGAIN IS ALL ABOUT BEING IN THAT ILLNESS AND COMING OUT THE OTHER SIDE AND SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAID IT HAS GIVEN THEM SO MUCH HOPE.” This leaves little time for sightseeing, but Isla said so many places had special memories for her that she couldn’t pick a favourite Australian town or city, but she always made time to catch up with the many friends she’d made on her numerous visits Down Under.

“I love the whole country; there is just such a welcome and a feeling when we go over,” she said.

Performing has always been Isla’s life and she said she felt more at home on stage than anywhere else.

the studio about eight weeks ago and recorded another called Winter ’s Tale, and the first place it will be available is Australia.”

The new albums will be available at shows.

Isla said her biggest goal was to send audiences home having had a good time.

“I tell them where the songs come from and I have a wee chat with them,” she said.

“I have a great relationship with all my audiences - it is as much a homecoming for me as it is for them coming to an Isla Grant show. I love meeting them at the end of the night.”

She has promised Australian fans that as long as they want to keep seeing her, she will keep making the trek Down Under.

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COWGIRL CINDER

BY ANNA ROSE

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t’s a story that could be the basis of a great country song – punctuated with lust, passion, greed, betrayal, fraud, rejection, terror, lying, cheating, deceiving, tears, loneliness, despair and love lost and found.

Jett, who is Hank Williams’ “lost” daughter, was born five days after her father died on January 1, 1953.

For two years she lived with her grandmother, Lillian Stone, Hank’s mother. Lillian so loved the little girl she tried her heart out to adopt Jett, who was then known as Cathy Yvone Stone.

It took nearly two years to achieve, but she did it, despite attempts from her lawyer to shelve the adoption.

Then, at age 57, Lillian died of a heart attack. Although she’d made provision for Jett to be cared for by her own daughter, Irene, that same lawyer colluded with Irene to have Jett made a ward of the state of Alabama within three weeks of Lillian’s death.

For almost a year Jett was in the care of loving foster parents, Ilda Mae and James Henry (Mama and Daddy) Cook, but was then adopted

by Wayne and Louise Deupree, who were not told all the facts about her natural parents.

It wasn’t the loving home the Cooks had provided for her, but Cathy learnt to live with her “new” folks.

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IF EVER THERE WAS A CINDERELLA STORY, IT CAN BE TOLD IN THE LIFE OF NASHVILLE-BASED COUNTRY SINGER JETT WILLIAMS. When she arrived on their doorstep, Jett had a small suitcase, with a toy guitar strapped to her back. Music was definitely flowing through those tiny veins.

She loved to sing and play her guitar, eventually convincing her parents guitar tuition was more her style than any other instrument.

On her 21st birthday Jett received $US2,000 from the estate of Lillian Stone. It was then her adoptive mother told Jett she believed her natural father could be Hank Williams, but it was best to leave it alone as nothing could be proved.

When she did ask questions, she was told not to delve too far into her past as it would only hurt her adoptive parents, so she respected their wishes and got on with her life.

After graduating from the University of Alabama she married Michael Mayer. Theirs was a comfortable marriage, based more on mutual respect and friendship than love.

It was only after her adoptive father saw a TV interview with Hank Williams Jnr where it was reported he received $US500,000 a year from royalties of Hank’s music that he persuaded Jett to continue her search for the truth.

A solicitor, F Keith Adkinson had been recommended to her by a friend and although he had an extremely busy caseload, Keith was so captivated by Jett’s story he decided to take on her case.

What ensued was “the great paper chase” where Keith turned up the document the Williams family had tried to keep under wraps – and a whole lot more.

The key to it all was an agreement between Hank and Bobbie Webb Jett, Jett’s natural parents. Hank had made provision to have Bobbie stay with his mother in the final months of her pregnancy and after the birth,

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for the baby to remain in his care.

Jett had final confirmation that not only was Hank her father – he loved her and had wanted to take care of her.

For years, Jett and her half-brother Hank Williams Jnr had sat on opposite sides of the courtroom but when they united in a nine-year legal battle against a publisher to secure the rights to Mother ’s Best Flour radio shows on Nashville radio station WSM, the siblings won the case.

The old acetate recordings were originally headed for the dumpster when the Grand Ole Opry relocated from the Ryman Auditorium to Opryland, so this was a significant triumph for Hank’s children – and not just in a financial sense.

What those precious recordings contained was another significant link for Jett with her father – as Hank was special guest each day on the show.

“I got to spend 100 hours with him, hear him laugh, talk, play music … it was unbelievable,” Jett said from her Nashville office.

“On one particular show he said he was going to play On Top of Old Smoky and sing it the way his grandmother did when she tucked him into bed at night.

“Then he started playing the wrong song! It was funny and he made a joke out of it, saying when you write so many songs, you’re bound to get them mixed up sometimes.

“It also revealed another part of my history I didn’t know – about my grandmother. While I didn’t know my dad, I feel I do, through those recordings and all of his friends who share their memories of him with me.”

Another old radio series composed of four 15-minute shows, The Garden Spot, was uncovered by a record collector, and with Jett’s permission, it was released as a 24-track album, which won a Grammy for Best Historical Album.

Having sung for pleasure all throughout her life, Jett was encouraged by Keith, whom she later married, to continue her pursuit of a musical career, so they headed to Nashville, where they met famed producer Owen Bradley.

Her first public performance was at the 16th Annual Hank Williams Memorial Celebration in Evergreen, Alabama, where she met two of her dad’s oldest friends

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RELLA – original band members from The Drifting Cowboys – Don Helms and Jerry Rivers.

She became quite close to the Helms and Rivers families, and was told many heart-warming stories of her father’s life and times.

At the invitation of the band, she began touring with them as Jett Williams and the Drifting Cowboys Band, making their debut performance in Mobile.

Playing her father’s music is a way for Jett to honour him, which is the reason she’s heading Down Under for her first official tour in October-November, presented by Terry Gordon OAM. “I want to share my dad’s music and his memory and honour him as a daughter should,” Jett said.

“I could have visited Australia as a tourist, but I think it’s going to be more fun this way, getting to meet my daddy’s fans and hear their stories of what Hank meant to them.”

The tour begins on Thursday, October 12, at Wests in Tamworth – the Country Music Capital.

From there Jett will perform another 11 shows with the Australian version of The Drifting Cowboys – Rod Coe, bass; Kelvin Nolan, guitar; Dallas Southern, pedal steel; and Brendan Crickmore on fiddle.

The tour concludes at Caloundra in Queensland on November, with October 29, her only festival appearance in Australia at the fifth annual Clarence Valley Country Muster.

“I haven’t had a whole lot in my life, but I know where I’m at and that I was wanted,” Jett said.

“I’m truly excited to be coming out to Australia. I want people to bring back a memory of Hank and share with me – and I’ll take all the handshakes and hugs I can get.”

A friend of Jett’s, Milton Brown, wrote a song for her, Conceived In Love, which she delivers in part, as a recitation, a la Luke the Drifter. She performed it at her stage debut in Evergreen, Alabama, with Milton and his wife Margaret and all her closest friends and supporters watching from the audience.

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I never knew my daddy But I know my daddy well His life is written in his songs And the stories that they tell And through all the controversy There’s one thing I am sure of If he had lived he would have told me I was conceived in love Conceived in love but treated with shame Denied the right to know my family name But now I know and all the world can see Conceived in love and that’s good enough for me So let the record show for the world to know What I’ve known all the while ‘Cause that stern old judge looked down and said She is Hank Williams’ child C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

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ALBERT GEOFFREY 20-12-1922 McELHINNEY OAM TO 21-7-2017 BETTER KNOWN AS GEOFF MACK – OR TANGLETONGUE – HE WAS A GIFTED SONGWRITER, MUSICIAN, COMEDIAN, ENTERTAINER AND A RARE GEM OF A MAN.

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eoff enlisted in the RAAF in 1942 training as an aircraft mechanic.

This was where his musical talents were discovered, and the Gibson guitar he’d brought with him was put to good use in many a concert.

He even performed as opening act for the legendary Gracie Fields, to an audience of 18,000 troops. Known for his “vocal gymnastics”, his number, Der Feuhrer ’s Face, would leave every audience in stitches.

He married his soulmate, Tabbi Francis, in 1954 and their adventures together began with an epic journey from one side of the world to the other.

Geoff bought a Phantom M100 500cc motorbike (with sidecar), which is now housed at the Walk a Country Mile museum in Tamworth.

They rode from London through the Middle East, then on to Sri Lanka, where they boarded a ship bound for Perth. Arriving in WA, the intrepid twosome traversed the Nullarbor, arriving in Sydney within a year of their journey’s commencement.

His international success with I’ve Been Everywhere started out very humbly, as the B-side of his first single with the unlikely name of The Swagman Rock.

As rock was seen to be “just a fad” the name was rejected and it was renamed I’ve Been Everywhere.

It became an Australian #1 when Lucky Starr recorded the tongue-twister in 1962. Then Hank Snow adapted the words for North America and the I’ve Been Everywhere machine cranked into gear.

At a recent count, there were more than 130 cover versions recorded by everyone from Johnny Cash to Lyn Anderson, Willie Nelson to The Statler Brothers, Glen Campbell and Susan St James to John Denver.

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in Nashville in 1963, the Hands of Fame in Tamworth in 1978 and was named TSA Song Maker of the Year in 1997.

In 2005, Geoff was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to country music, and his support of community and senior citizens’ groups.

Then in 2013, the CMAA presented him with a Lifetime

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Achievement Golden Guitar at the annual awards ceremony.

Having made their home for any years at Mount Kuring-gai, they relocated to Southport, on the Queensland Gold Coast.

While the above is merely a quick sketch of a long and remarkable life, it’s the hole he’s left in the hearts of those who loved him that says the most about this remarkable man.

Long-time mate Chad Morgan recalls the first time they met.

“Geoff Mack was the greatest gentleman I’ve ever struck in my life. in 1955 when I first went to Sydney I was struggling getting work with clubs down there, but one of the agents, Ted James, took a liking to me. He gave me a job and rang up Geoff and said: ‘Can you pick this bloke up and take him to shows? Take him under your wing and show him the ropes. I’ve got a feeling he’s going to be a big man one day’. We became great friends back then and have been friends ever since.

“He was a brilliant musician and great guitarist. Some of the chords he used to play were unreal. He had a wonderful sense of humour. I never once heard him say one word that wasn’t good about anyone – he was just a gentle soul. He told me once he had a song for me which he’d nearly finished. At that time I was drinking very heavily and when he gave me the song, it was so tongue-twisting I couldn’t get my mouth around the words. I didn’t end up recording it but several others did – it was called I’ve Had Everything.”

Then there was his young mate, Pete Denahy, who simply adored the man.

“I first met Geoff Mack at the City Lights Caravan Park in Tamworth, 1992. I recognised him from a book on Australian country music and asked him if he was Geoff Mack to which he replied, ‘yes.’ I said, ‘My name’s Pete

Denahy … I write silly songs, too.’

Geoff said he’d like to hear them sometime and within 20 minutes I was sitting in his bus singing one of my sillies to him. From that day we became great friends and even though he was 50 years my senior, we never felt an age gap; in fact, he was like a big brother to me.

“The things he and his amazing wife, Tabbi Francis taught me are too many to list here. They knew the old rules of show business, learnt on stages in Germany, London and Australia after WWII, and perfected years later in Carols Variety Show with the great Lucky Grills – Australia’s last big touring tent show. I could call Mack if I was feeling uneasy at a job and he always knew how I felt because he’d been there many times. But the highs far outweighed the lows and he taught me gags and chords and introduced me to songs that work like magic in a comedy set.

He also imparted a great bit of wisdom that’s so important to remember in this game: Fame is fleeting – all the names that were big when he was young are mostly forgotten now. He was pretty much telling me that fame should never be the reason – entertainment and a great show should be. And Geoff Mack certainly did that. I miss my brother and I am so grateful to have had him in my life.”

For Melbourne-based singer, Donita Dey, Geoff Mack was like “another father” to her.

“He was my other dad. I lost my dad when I was 32 and I’d met Geoff and Tabbi when I was in my early 20s, so

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BY ANNA ROSE

when I got married in 1994, I asked Mack to give me away.

I used to call him ‘Mackle Crackle’ and he always said he should have used that as a stage name. I remember once he had a hat that was a bit big for him and thought if he got a perm, it would fluff the hair out a bit and the hat would fit better. Well that was the plan.

I answered a knock at the door and here was Mack, looking prettier than I’d ever seen him.

“We laughed for hours. Once I gave Geoff and Tabbi a surprise party. They did a lot of things for people and some might have forgotten to say thank you, so this party was a sort of thankyou to them both. I’d enticed them over for tea, saying I’d asked Shirley Thoms. While they were inside, I told them I had to go three doors up and pay my rent, so I put my new album on for them while I was gone.

“There were entertainers everywhere outside - Jan Adele, Lucky Grills, Slim Dusty and Joy McKean – so they all went around the back while the music was playing. I told Geoff and Tabbi I had a nice new stereo out the back, so when Mack opened the back door, everyone shouted ‘surprise!’. Tabbi ran for the bathroom. She was beside herself.

Old Mack couldn’t believe it. Just recently he said those were two of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him – asking him to give me away and throwing that surprise party.”

The bloke who propelled I’ve Been Ever ywhere to the top of the Aussie charts, Lucky Starr (aka Les Morrison) is extremely

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grateful for the opportunity given to him by Geoff.

“I’ve Been Everywhere allowed me to forge a career in the business that I love. When I first started there were lots of aspiring entertainers around – some like Col Joye, Johnny Devlin, the Delltones, Digby Richards had hit records – and a lot of others didn’t. The difference a hit record made allowed you to progress two or three steps up the ladder. If you had the wherewithal, like Col Joye did, you could turn it into a career. Sixty years later I’m still working flat out.

“Geoff was a lovely mate. He’d call me, generally laughing incredulously about the latest international recording of the song. I read somewhere that it was the most recorded song in the world at one particular time.

He was always amused and amazed that the “little chant” he’d written to open up his show had such legs. Geoff was a very generous man. He told me ‘I created the song, but you breathed life into it’. That was a very generous thing for him to say.”

The last word on Geoff Mack comes from a dear friend of many years’ standing – Joy McKean.

“On the door of his music den in our Sydney home, Slim fastened a photocopied picture of Geoff Mack. Not

just a professional publicity photo advertising Geoff ‘Tangletongue’ Mack and his hilarious stage performances, but Geoff in a leisure moment during his air force days of World War II, somewhere in the Pacific Islands. He still had his guitar and as he clowned around, helmet on head, held his guitar in a strategic position to give a false impression of nudity. He knew how to raise a smile in his audience even then.

That photo is still there, and will remain so, as a memento of a man who is remembered by his fans as the writer of that unforgettable, and mostly unsingable, tongue-twister I’ve Been Everywhere. But Geoff will always be remembered by me, and by my two children, as that kindly, laughing, man who saw us all grow into performers of sorts ourselves. A mentor of young aspiring performers and writers, he was always willing to pass on those bits of wisdom that can make or break a performance; and he leaves the Australian variety scene much poorer for his passing.”

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Rick and Thel Carey partners on stage }and in life.

RICHARD BRUCE (RICK) CAREY 13-8-1927 – 28-7-2017

BY ANNA ROSE

THERE WOULDN’T BE TOO MANY COUNTRY TOWNS AROUND AUSTRALIA THAT RICK & THEL CAREY DIDN’T VISIT IN THEIR HEYDAY.

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ogether with his late wife Thel, the couple known as Mr and Mrs Country Music toured the length and breadth of Australia, taking their music to the masses in what was regarded as one of the most popular touring shows on the road.

As a youngster, Rick listened avidly to the “hillbilly” music

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played on radio and even took tap dancing lessons as a child, which stood him in good stead for his later role as “Cousin Ratsack”.

Returning from World War II where he’d served in the RAAF as a radio mechanic, Rick met a lovely

young girl, Thel Hoctor, who was also keen on hillbilly music.

Pretty soon they formed a duo, and performed together often, winning Australia’s Amateur Hour in January 1950.

Following this major win, more work came in for the couple and within two years they made their double act a permanent one, tying the knot on January 5, 1952.

While they sang at every opportunity available, Thel continued her work as a school teacher in Sydney and Rick as a washing machine mechanic.

They rented a house in Merrylands, and were soon sharing the rent with another country music duo, Slim Dusty and Joy McKean.

Slim and Joy were doing short tours at this time, so Rick decided to build a small caravan so he and Thel could begin more extensive touring.

Here Joy McKean recalls those days in a short tribute to her old friends.

“It is never possible to speak of Rick without saying ‘Rick and Thel’, and it used to be the same in the past whenever referring to Thel. It was always ‘Rick and Thel’. Heather and I, and then Slim and I, met up with them on many of the country music shows that sprang up all around Sydney in the late ’40s and early ’50s.

We became good friends, and even shared a house for a while – two houses, in fact. Thel and I became very close friends, and being four young and ambitious country singers there were many long talks about how our futures would pan out – but singing and performing took first place in those hopes and dreams. Rick was an energetic, enthusiastic person who enjoyed life to the full. He sang with gusto, he loved being comedian Ratsack in their stage shows, and with Thel duetting with him, playing guitar and harmonising (and solo singing too), I think Rick was a happy man with the way life had turned out on the road with their show. They became ‘Mr and Mrs Country Music’ to their fans all over Australia, and I think that Rick, like Thel, will always be remembered as part of that strong partnership. Another part of our early touring history has gone with Rick’s leaving.”

Slim Dusty was instrumental in securing Rick and Thel’s recording contract with Regal Zonophone and they released six 78rpm records on the old red and green label between 1954 and 1958.

Joy’s niece, Dianne Lindsay and husband Peter Simpson have vowed to honour the memory of Rick and Thel Carey, as they have done in the past in their concerts.

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“Rick and Thel Carey – aka Mr and Mrs Country Music – are revered icons of the Australian country music scene.

As very special members of the elite, select group of early Australian country music pioneers, they will always be remembered as such. Our family is very saddened at Rick’s passing, especially as our families are tied together by a special bond our parents all shared. Mum (Heather McKean), is very saddened and recalls the early years of our country music scene and of how she met Rick and Thel and the other hillbilly singers at various venues in Sydney. Then, as young families, Rick and Thel, Reg and Heather, Slim and Joy and others all took to the road with their own shows. In cars, trucks, caravans, tents, to hall shows and showgrounds, taking their music around the country, struggling to make a career out of their passion – country music. Mum recalled sometimes meeting up with Rick and Thel on the road when their paths crossed somewhere in the outback and over their lives. Mum said on the road in the early days, she liked to knit and Thel did not; Thel liked to sew and Mum did not; so when they met up, she and Thel would swap clothes and knitting for the children. Peter and I often perform Rick and Thel songs on our concerts, as our tribute to them. The audience love

This was the start of the Rick and Thel touring show which continued, with various lineups for the next 30 years.

Right at the start a second comedian was needed for Freddie Meredith’s act, so Rick was the likely candidate. He learned a lot from the old showman while developing his alter-ego of Cousin Ratsack, also a mainstay of the Rick and Thel Show, which was renowned for all-round entertainment.

In the ’70s, with the introduction of TV, and poker machines in clubs, attendances started dwindling. In a bid to expand their reach, Rick and Thel pioneered air charter tours, taking their troupe to far-flung Aboriginal communities at Thursday Island and the like.

A young stockman turned balladeer, Brian Young, was on the show at the time and went on to run his own shows, almost exclusively using charter aircraft.

Balancing family life and showbusiness was always a challenge, particularly when the Carey family began to grow. Daughter Lynne was born

AS VERY SPECIAL MEMBERS OF THE ELITE, SELECT GROUP OF EARLY AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY MUSIC PIONEERS, THEY WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS SUCH. their songs and hope we do them justice. We will always try to keep the memory of these two wonderful people alive. Peter and I honour the memory of Rick and Thel Carey and their place in our Australian country music history. On a personal note, Rick was a very nice bloke as well, made a lot of people happy and we cherish being able to have known him.”

Chad Morgan recalls when he first met Rick and Thel.

“It was 1956 in Sydney – the same time I met Geoff Mack – and we were working on the Reg Lindsay Show when Nev Nicholls and Kevin King decided to take the All Star Western Show on the road. While we were all getting the show together I stayed with them at Chester Hill and then travelled with them when the show split up midway through the tour.

We continued on as the Chad Morgan show for 18 months, and after two years went our separate ways. They called their show the Rick and Thel All Star Western Show. Rick was a very clever man. There’s nothing much he couldn’t do whether it was mechanical or carpentry, he was very good at it.”

That first big tour Rick and Thel did was in 1958 with the All Star Western Show, a combined effort with Kevin King, Nev Nicholls, Athol McCoy, Chad Morgan and comedian Freddie Meredith. When the show split, Chad, Freddie and the Careys continued on their own, with Paul Lester joining them on the road.

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in 1955, followed five years later by Susan.

Sadly, Susan developed a serious illness at the age of four and died at age 14.

Touring 10 months of the year, Lynne would be in boarding school and in school holidays would fly to wherever they were, then spending time at home with them in Sydney for their twomonth “break”.

It was a break in name only, as that was the time they would record new songs and start booking the tour for the following year.

In 1977, Rick and Thel were inducted into the Hands of Fame in Tamworth.

In 1978, after more than two decades with EMI, Rick and Thel signed to Hadley Records and had a hit with For Jenny a Rose, a song penned

by Ken Robertson.

In 1984 Mr and Mrs Country Music were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Barmera Country Music Festival in South Australia, and the following year, they were elevated to the Roll of Renown in Tamworth.

In 1987 Rick and Thel ceased touring and based themselves in Denmark, WA, due to Thel’s mouth cancer diagnosis in 1981.

They were finally living in a house after 30 years on the road in a caravan.

Sadly, Thel passed away on October 2, 1998 and was buried on what would have been her 69th birthday –October 9, in Denmark, WA. Rick stayed on in WA until moving to Brisbane in 2005 where his daughter Lynne cared for him.

In 2002, at the invitation of the Australian Country Music Foundation, Rick was invited to be a guest at one of the Meet the Pioneers talks they held at the annual Tamworth festival.

Although Lynne tended to shy away from the limelight, she enjoyed seeing the pleasure on her dad’s face as they sang those old songs.

Bill Chambers even came along to that session and played guitar for them.

It was at this time Bill suggested Rick record again, but this didn’t come about until 2007. The resultant album, Beyond the Dream was released in 2008.

Special guests such as Tracy Coster, Rod and Jeff McCormack and Stuie French, Troy Cassar-Daley joined Rick and daughter Lynne, whose voice is very much like her mother’s.

In a significant salute to the passing of both Slim Dusty and Thel, Anne Kirkpatrick joined Lynne for their own version of Rusty, It’s Goodbye – a song that had forged their families’ friendship so long ago.

In January 2016, Keith Jamieson invited Rick to be part of the Legends show at Southside Uniting Church during the Tamworth Country Music Festival.

He even dusted off the old Cousin Ratsack baggy suit, daggy hat, too-large boots and battered old suitcase – the first time since their official retirement from performing in 1987.

Rick died peacefully at home in Brisbane with Lynne and her family on July 28, 2017.

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THE PERFECT MIX IN THIS MODERN DAY OF TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS YOU TO RECORD A SONG IN YOUR OWN HOME OR GARAGE, IT SERVES AS A TIMELY REMINDER THAT VERY FEW OF THOSE SONGS EVER MAKE IT TO RADIO OR GO ON TO BE SUPER HITS.

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or those in search of a recording studio where you are treated as a special client and guided through the processes of recording you should check out John Ertler Recordings at Round Corner in Sydney.

As a youngster in Tasmania, John was exposed to music by his father.

“I started playing guitar and piano when I was eight and playing in bands when I was 12, John said. “It was my passion and I was fascinated by the recording process and it was in the days when 4-track was new and exciting.”

After purchasing a Teac 4-track reel-to-reel recorder in 1977 John was hooked and he combined his skill for composing with recording and at the age of 17 he had composed music for a children’s film called In A Little Crooked House.

By 1988 John began a freelance career as a sound engineer and soon established his own studio.

“I’d always been interested in making home movies and videos,” John said. “So I loved doing sound and music for television.”

He soon established himself as a music composer for

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television - Getaway, Changing Rooms, Breakers - and film, including Acting Out and Short & Curly.

To date he has worked on hundreds of productions and now he has branched into recording other people.

Capital News brought him customers who wanted to record songs and John has embraced that area with a zeal that sometimes sees him building vocals line by line to get the perfect mix.

As a musician himself, John offers the full scope of recording, with the ability to compose, arrange and mix music and vocals and a dedication that has seen him work with the likes of Renee Geyer and the Doug Parkinson

and Tim Shaw bands, as well as with Kris Cummins, who has had some success with videos of his songs being aired on TV. “He’s recorded 10 or 12 songs with me and we’ve got songs in production at the moment,” John said. “He got one of the songs we recorded to John Laws and John played it three times in the one morning.”

John is now very interested in working with country music acts.

“I played in a country band for a while, but when CMT came along, I really liked it,” he said. “And I like working with country acts.

“I love working with fellow artists and helping them realise a dream. Helping them to bring out the best in themselves and guiding them if that’s what they need. It’s about making something we are both proud of.”

John offers something unique and as a sign that he is well regarded in the industry, he picks up work through personal recommendations.

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years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2017

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R A C H A E L F A H I M Confetti is the hit single from the self-titled EP Rachael Fahim Available now on iTunes

rachaelfahim.com SEPTEMBER 2&3 Albert Hotel, Tamworth NSW 8 Annual Shade Day Breakfast, S P ON S OR E D B Y

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Cronulla League Club NSW *7am Henty Field Days * Toyota Stand Deni Ute Muster, Ice Stage NSW

OCTOBER 2-8 Mildura CMF Vic 14 Toyota Caringbah NSW

P R OU D L Y S U P P OR T E D B Y

OR G A N I S E D B Y

HAIR DESIGN & MAKE UP

e: starmaker@fairfaxmedia.com.au | w: starmaker.com.au 38

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years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2017

FROM TAMWORTH TO TOWNSVILLE

LAST MONTH I SAID THAT MY YEAR WAS GETTING BUSIER, AND I WASN’T JOKING.

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rom the Central Coast, to Gympie, Townsville, to Tamworth, Newtown, Cronulla, Henty, and Deni – I played in some of these towns last month and playing some this month, and I’m really getting those kilometres up in the

Toyota RAV4.

I’ve had the best month travelling around, getting my music out there and going to see other musicians.

I got to meet with my local Toyota dealer in Pennant Hills this month too which was great and I look forward to working with them into the future.

I loved playing at the Central Coast festival. It was a nice early morning spot and it was beautiful looking out at the blue ocean from my spot on stage. I know the organisers had been hoping for a break from previous year’s bad weather – it was a perfect day this year. Thanks for having me.

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

At the end of last month, I performed at the Gympie Muster firstly with a really nice gig at The Grove with my guitarist, and the following day I performed on the Toyota Star Maker showcase with fellow winners Kaylee Bell (2013), Karin Page (2016), and Liam Brew (2009) at the Crow Bar before heading back home. The muster began in 1982 and is such an iconic event and has supported Star Maker since 1982, the year

TOYOTA STAR MAKER UPDATE

Lee Kernaghan won. I’m so glad to be a part of the history.

When I returned home from the muster I had a quick overnight rest before heading back up to Townsville to sing for the Toyota Cowboys versus Brisbane Broncos pre-match on August 31.

This month I return to where my year began, in the country music capital Tamworth to sing at The Albert Hotel, and later in the month I’ll sing at a special event for Toyota Shade Day in Cronulla and then at the Toyota stand at the Henty Agricultural Field Days.

Thank you so much to all of the organisers of each of these events, your support means the world to me and I’m having so much fun.

This month was also the month that Melanie Dyer released her debut album Fresh which I pre-ordered as soon as I could, and I am so excited to hear the full thing.

Mel is such a beautiful person and she is SO talented. Her Sydney launch is on September 6 at Leadbelly in Newtown – you know where I’ll be. Another insanely talented artist also has their launch this month – Mr Judah Kelly. I’ll be heading to his Cronulla launch at the Brass Monkey on September 8. Both amazing artists and I look forward to attending their launches.

At the end of this crazy month, the Deni Ute Muster weekend begins, I’ve got my set list ready to go so I’m super excited.

I haven’t played many of the festivals in previous years, so this will be my first time in Deni! If there’s anything you suggest doing, or anyone you think I should see, hit me up on Facebook or Instagram.

Lots of love, Rach xx

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www.chriswatsontravel.com.au

1300 552 032

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chris@chriswatsontravel.com.au

years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2017

O N E T O WAT C H

CASSIDY RAE GAITER

BY SUSAN JARVIS

IT’S SAID THAT ADVERSITY MAKES YOU STRONGER, AND DESPITE HER YOUTH, THAT HAS CERTAINLY BEEN AN EXPERIENCE.

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s a teenager, she attended an Adelaide private school where neither her fellow students nor her teachers could understand her passion for country music.

“I had a tough time during high school – I struggled to be accepted by my peers, and to be taken seriously by my teachers,” she said.

“I couldn’t find a single friend who shared my love of country, and when I tried to use country music for my school assessments, the teachers basically told me to find something else.”

So Cassidy headed in the direction of musical theatre.

“I really love telling stories, which is what country music years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

is about. I figured musical theatre did the same thing, and I also love to dance and sing, so I immersed myself in that world, and fell in love with it too,” she said.

In fact, her new musical passion led her to complete a Bachelor in Music (Musical Theatre) at Sydney’s Australian Institute of Music, and to perform in a number of productions.

“It’s taught me a lot about performing and about music,

and it has really strengthened my voice and broadened my vocal range. Those lessons can be applied across all styles of music,” Cassidy said.

But Cassidy’s love of country was still there, so when she graduated, she followed her heart to Nashville, where she set to work writing songs for her debut recording.

“I instantly felt I belonged there. It was amazing, because it was really the first place I’d been where country music was the be all and end all. I loved it!” she said.

“I also found that people were really willing to help and encourage me to chase my dream.”

Many country fans encountered Cassidy for the first time in January this year, when she reached the finals of the Toyota Star Maker competition, and blew the crowds away with her appealing performance and catchy songs.

Her new EP, Shake It, Don’t Fake It, showcases her vocal and songwriting talents, and also captures the journey she’s travelled in her life so far, and the lessons it has taught her.

Produced by Nashville-based producer and publisher Dan Hodges, the EP features six tracks, four of them co-written by Cassidy.

“All the tracks reflect who I am. I really wanted to send the message that you should always be yourself – don’t try to conform, but embrace what it is about you that’s unique.

That’s what makes you amazing,” she said.

The title track is set at a school dance, and captures that sentiment perfectly, painting a picture of a teenager who doesn’t quite fit in, but who has something special to offer.

The Shade is directed at everyone in Cassidy’s life who has doubted her abilities and told her she wouldn’t succeed.

“I’m saying, ‘I can grow and bloom in the shadow cast by your negativity’,” Cassidy said.

Social media is the subject of Puttin’ On A Show, which explores the fake life many people portray online, and encourages listeners to concentrate on actually living their real lives instead.

The rather cynical Prince Charming has its roots in a real experience, while All The Feels is about meeting someone new.

And the gorgeous Beautiful Now is a simple love song about living in the moment, and treasuring the experience.

Shake It, Don’t Fake It is released on 19 October, and will be launched in both Sydney and Adelaide. Pre-orders include an instant download of Puttin’ On A Show.

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HEAR+THERE MEET SCOTT DOUGLAS

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S-born and raised, Australian singer songwriter Scott Douglas releases his self-titled debut EP this month with the first two singles, Giving Up and Not Counting The Days Go By, already embraced by country radio and listeners in Australia, the USA and UK. “All the songs on the EP are something I’ve experienced or can relate to,” he said.

Growing up in Indiana and spending time in Georgia has shaped Scott’s musical outlook, although he is a relative newcomer to public performance.

“I started performing after my wife told me to take it out of the shower and do something with it,” he said.

He graduated from the CMAA Academy of Country Music and the rest is history.

Think of the music of Randy Travis, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash combined with a dash of Josh Turner, Trace Adkins and a splash of Toby Keith mixed with Australian influences including Roo Arcus, Travis List and Adam Harvey, and you’ve summed up Scott’s sound.

KISSABLE MORGAN FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL FIRST UK TOUR, MORGAN EVANS, NEWLY SIGNED TO THE WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WARNER BROS RECORDS FAMILY, HAS RELEASED HIS WORLDWIDE SINGLE KISS SOMEBODY.

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he melodic and irresistible track was cowritten by Morgan with Chris DeStefano (That’s My Kind Of Night) and Josh Osborne (Body Like A Back Road).

Just two years ago, the singer, songwriter, musician moved across the world in order to chase his dream of becoming a country artist in Nashville.

His raw talent and on-stage charisma earned him spots early in his career touring with artists such as Alan Jackson and Taylor Swift while still in Australia.

Newly signed with Warner Music Nashville/Warner Bros.

Records has allowed Morgan to take his live show all over the world, including a recent visit to the UK with stops in Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol and London. Built around a loop pedal, which he demonstrates flawlessly in his recent #MEMashup series, the setup allows him to play solo with the presence and energy of a full band.

Morgan is currently in the studio working on his forthcoming album with DeStefano and on the road for select dates with Old Dominion, Lee Brice and major fairs and festivals throughout the summer.

PERFORMING AT THE TCMF?

Promote your shows in the Toyota Country Music Festival Tamworth OFFICIAL GUIDE

For further information contact TAMWORTH REGIONAL COUNCIL PO Box 555, Tamworth NSW 2340 | M: 0429 784 860 E. j.maiden@tamworth.nsw.gov.au www.tcmf.com.au DEADLINE: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 42

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years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

H+T CURTAIN TIME ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE OUTBACK HORSEBREAKING SINGER-SONGWRITERS, TOM CURTAIN HAS RELEASED A DUET WITH MULTI-GOLDEN GUITAR WINNER LUKE O’SHEA.

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he song Never Never Land is the first single from Tom’s new album Territory Time, produced by Garth Porter and due out in November 2017.

The song captures the stunning yet unforgiving landscapes of northern Australia, the extreme weather and isolation, the unique way of life, and the hardworking people and their ‘never give-up’ attitude.

The album includes songs from Tom’s experiences of mustering cattle and breaking-in wild horses in the Northern Territory capturing the true essence of life

in the outback.

For the past four years, Tom has been running a tourist venture called the Katherine Outback Experience, a 90-minute show that celebrates life in the outback through horse-breaking and working dog demonstrations, with songs Tom has written about characters and their stories from the bush.

Since 1966, the unmatched technology of the SM58 has secured it as an industry standard for musicians worldwide. Its patented Pneumatic Shock Mount is tuned by extensive, complex calculations to prevent handling noise, making it incomparable to any other microphone in existence.

Reliable, premium and with unparalleled quality, the SM58 has been defining the true spirit of sound for almost half a century.

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H+T JAYNE STACKS IT JAYNE DENHAM RELEASED STACKS HER NEW SINGLE PRIOR TO RETURNING TO THE USA LAST MONTH.

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ast year, Jayne signed with US manager Stacey Willbur and went on to perform

her high-octane shows across the States, including at the Mid-American Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky and The Great American Trucking Show, in Dallas, Texas, where sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll perform again as well as launch the official music video for the single. Stacks was co-written by Jayne with Phil Barton and ACM nominated songwriter, Brian White, who also produced the track, recorded at Jay DeMarcus (Rascal Flatts) studio in Nashville with Jay playing bass.

Jayne said; â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Nashville-producer, Brian White and I were brainstorming ideas about trucking songs and he mentioned the title â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Stacksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which took me back to my childhood. I remember as a kid going to truck races and seeing all those blinged up rigs screaming around the track. One of my favourite parts of the day was when the drivers would put the pedal to the metal and you would hear this loud roar and smoke come from those 11 feet of galvanized Chrome Stacks.â&#x20AC;?

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years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2017

H+T NEW SINGLE FOR 2016 STAR MAKER

K

arin Page’s new single Lonely Nights was inspired by 18 months on the road touring with her partner, guitarist Adam Nyeholt. Since winning Toyota Star Maker in 2016, Karin has found hundreds of new fans and is highly regarded in the industry where she is particularly popular in all areas of country, folk, blues & roots. The song was produced and mixed under the guidance

of Jordan Power (Angus and Julia Stone, Kasey Chambers), including help from Grant Gerathy on drums (John Butler Trio), Matt Bone on double bass and Matt Englebrech on guitar (Bernard Fanning). Mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering (Black Keys, Ray LaMontagne, Chet Faker), the laid back instrumentation draws influence from Ray LaMontagne and The Waifs and floats along with Karin’s delicate vocals.

TWINS ARE TOPPS

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ew Zealand’s favourite country twins, Lynda and Jools Topp have multiple projects on the go with more touring, a children’s book, an exhibition in their honour plus a huge fundraising campaign to save NZ water.

On the back of a tour earlier this year, the twins are heading back to their roots where they say they’ll travel like gypsies and perform in smaller centres where ‘life is less rushed’.

In October, they’re hitching up their “wee” home (“Stinky”) on wheels and head to seven North Island towns.

They have released their sixth children’s CD book Old MacDonald Had A Farm and will be taking both their Scholastic songs to the stage plus characters and surprises in a special show for kids of all ages at The Dororthy Winstone Centre, Auckland Girls Grammar, Howe Street, Ponsonby, NZ from October 3 to 5.

A fabulous interactive Topp Twins Exhibition, created by the Te Manawa curating team, is currently on show at the Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science and History in Palmerston North, NZ. The twins are currently writing a script, following donations of $25,000 raised in the Boosted campaign, which will assist in the making of a film to help save NZ water.

JOHN HOWIE Mu s i c Tou r s NEW ZEALAND Western Australia TO

with Craig Giles, the Hillbilly Goats, The Toombs Brothers and John Howie

Join us as we cruise on the luxury Sun Princess, listen to fantastic music and see the highlights of New Zealand’s North and South Islands. Cruise includes sightseeing tours in Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier, Rotorua, Auckland & Bay of Islands as well as 6 exclusive music concerts. Also, 3 on-shore concerts, featuring outstanding NZ acts, including the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band.

19 Feb - 4 Mar, 2018

TOP END & KIMBERLEY Music Tour with Pete Denahy

6 - 20 Jun, 2018

Discover the beauty of the ‘Top End’, visiting Darwin & Kakadu National Park.

In Katherine, travel by boat through spectacular Katherine Gorge. Near Kununurra, visit El Questro cattle station and take a flight over the Kimberley coast (optional). Enjoy a fabulous cruise on Lake Argyle. Travel to the Bungle Bungles and Fitzroy Crossing before arriving in exotic Broome. Also, heaps of great Aussie music & bush poetry.

Music Tour with John Howie

Tour the beautiful South-West region of W.A. and enjoy a feast of great Aussie music & bush poetry. Visit Perth, Rottnest Island, Margaret River, Pemberton, Albany, Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Wave Rock, & The Pinnacles. Great local music, incl. Bluegrass Parkway, The Lost Quays (a sea shanty group), and The Pepperjacks.

Music Tour of

Ireland & Scotland

Belfast, Londonderry, Donegal, Westport, Galway, Dublin, Liverpool, Glasgow, Mull of Kintyre Oban, Isle of Skye, Ullapool, Orkney Islands, Inverness and Edinburgh

Plus optional AMSTERDAM extension tour, including ANDRE RIEU concert in Maastricht!

1800 033 436 years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

16 - 30 Oct, 2017

with

Beccy Cole Experience fabulous scenery and fantastic music (incl. Edinburgh Military Tattoo). John Howie (tour leader) has been leading music tours to Ireland & Scotland for 23 years!

16 Jul - 7 Aug, 2018

sales@travelrite.com.au www.travelrite.com.au C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

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FESTIVALS

BROADBEACH CMF

Whistle Dixie

Caitlyn Shadbolt

Shane Nicholson loving his crowd

Girls at country music cocktails

US duo America headline the festival

BROADBEACH Viper Creek

Wolfe Brothers

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Fanny Lumsden

Bill Chambers and Kasey Chambers

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Canadians Tomato Tomato

Round Mountain Girls

years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2017

FESTIVALS

BROADBEACH CMF

Travis Collins

CMF

Roo Arcus

Shane Nicholson

Troy Cassar-Daley

Round Mountain Girls’ Rabbit Robinson

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

Sara Storer

Tex Dubbo (aka Troy Cassar-Daley)

Enjoying the music

Jetty Road

Grizzly Train

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FESTIVALS

MILDURA CMF

SOUTHERN STARS MILDURA DARREN COGGAN HEADS THE LIST OF FINALISTS IN 2017 FOR THE 21ST SOUTHERN STARS – THE AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS.

D

Darren Coggan

arren scored four finalist nominations while Aleyce Simmonds and Allan Caswell each have three finalist spots in a year that has a total of 22 artists and groups, as finalists, in the eight judged categories.

Tania Kernaghan, Jeff Gibson and Sandra Humphries are also multiple finalists with two nominations apiece.

“We received nominations from 82 individual artists and groups,” said awards coordinator John Arnold. “In the eight judged categories there was a mix of well-established

artists together with some outstanding emerging talent,” he said.

“The festival plays a major role in fostering independent Australian country music talent I would like to congratulate all the nominees for the 2017 Southern Stars awards.”

A full list of finalists can be found on the website milduracountrymusic.com.au.

The awards evening, co-hosted by Aleyce Simmonds and Dave Prior will feature 2017 Toyota Star Maker Rachael Fahim, Taylor Pfeiffer, Allan Caswell, Kim Ritchie, The Long And Short Of It, Reg Poole, Bryen Willems, Hayley Marsten, Stephen R Cheney, Pat Drummond and Paul Gibbs with more to be added to the gala show.

Tickets for the awards presentation and concert to be held at the Mercy Theatre, St Joseph’s College on Saturday October 7 are available from the Mildura Visitor Information Centre on 1800 039 043 or online via milduraartscentre.com.au.

The 2017 festival will be staged from September 29 to October 8 with over 70 artists performing over the 10 days at 27 separate venues.

3•4•5 NOVEMBER 2017 OVER 30 ARTISTS ON 6 STAGES FREE

PLUS Friday November 3 – OPENING BENEFIT CONCERT Brothers 3, Stuie & Camille, Murray Hartin, The Mid North Saturday November 4 – FESTIVAL SHOWCASE CONCERT Travis Collins, Felicity Urquhart, Billy Bridge and Rebecca Lee Nye MAJOR SPONSORS

Tickets on sale at www.outix.co For more info visit www.ballinacountrymusic.com

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years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

FESTIVALS

MILDURA CMF

KEEPING IT COSTER AS IT’S THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF HER FATHER STAN COSTER’S PASSING, THE TAMWORTH-BASED SINGERSONGWRITER PLANS TO LAUNCH COSTER COUNTRY 2, A FOLLOW-UP TO THE ALBUM RELEASED A DECADE AGO.

Tom Maxwell

Dean Perrett

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n Saturday, September 30 at the Coomealla Club, Tracy will host two very special Stan Coster Tribute Shows – at 4pm and 8pm – with special guests Dean Perrett, John Lecner, Pete Smith, Tom Maxwell, Reg Poole and Lee Forster.

It will also be the launching platform for Coster Country 2, which was still being recorded as the September edition of Capital News was going to press.

“It’s been a really big year, emotionally and otherwise,” Tracy said.

“On May 27, we held the final Tent Hill Turnout, which started the year dad passed away, as a way of saying thanks to the Tent Hill mob who are such loyal Costerfans.

“Looking out at the crowd, nobody wanted it to end, but I had lots of people come up and speak to me in the break and they all agreed that the timing was right.

“What we (the Coster family) had with the people of Tent Hill and district was such a testimony of their love for him, to keep coming for 20 years.

“Overall, the feeling was of love, not sadness, and as always it was a great celebration of his music. We finished the show with Three Rivers Hotel and as Slim years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

Stan Coster

Reg Poole

(Dusty) sang, and Graeme (Connors) wrote: ‘we’ve done us proud’.”

The final Tent Hill Turnout had several new people on the show, who really impressed Tracy.

Michael Clare wrote a song about Tent Hill and Brendan Smoother, who got into Coster’s music via John Williamson, was another crowd-pleaser.

“Glenn Jones was at the very first show – and the last – so that was pretty special, too,” Tracy said.

One of the tracks on Coster Country 1, released in 2004, – Back To The Saltbush Plains, won the 2005 Vocal Collaboration of the Year Golden Guitar for Tracy and Anne Kirkpatrick.

“Fittingly, it was one of the first songs dad ever sent to Slim,” she said.

That writing partnership almost didn’t happen, as Slim met Coster in a pub in Rockhampton for the first time and Slim was keen to hear some of his songs, inviting Coster around to the caravan park the next morning.

Coster promptly got into the yummy beers and time got away … so consequently he missed the Dusty troupe in Rocky that time. Another two years passed before Coster got around to putting his songs on tape and sending them to Slim, with By A Fire of Gidgee Coal being just one of the gems in that collection.

The knockabout bushman who became one of the finest songwriters this country has ever known truly left his mark on Australian country music – and in the hearts of those people who loved his music.

Coster Country 2 is sure to strike a chord with people who loved Coster, so make sure you take the time at Mildura to get your copy of the new disc.

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FESTIVALS

COMING UP

CMC ANNOUNCES 2018 DATES

F

ollowing a phenomenal 10th Anniversary sell-out event earlier this year, CMC Rocks QLD, has confirmed next year’s dates will be from Thursday to Sunday, March 15 to 18.

The expanded program will deliver a jam-packed additional day of festivities exclusively for campers which will include live music at the Jack Daniel’s White Rabbit Saloon from 1pm right through to 2am the next morning.

On Friday, March 16, performers will kick off on the festival main stage at 11:45am, providing more live music action than ever before.

2017 saw CMC Rocks once again create history, with the festival completely selling out for the second year running. Crowds of more than 15,000 music lovers, coming from as far as North America, Sweden, Singapore, Germany, Austria and New Zealand, descended on Willowbank over the course of the three-day event, injecting more than $6.1 million into the local Ipswich economy.

The Queensland Government supports the event through Tourism and Events Queensland as part of the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar, showcasing Australia’s best live events in Australia’s best destinations.

2018 is sure to pack a punch for CMC Rocks festival-goers, showcasing the best that country and roots music has to offer, in a unique second-tonone festival setting.

COUNTRY MUSIC RACEDAY TROY CASSAR-DALEY AND THE WOLFE BROTHERS SET THE SCENE AT THIS YEAR’S DOOMBEN RACE DAY IN BRISBANE QLD, ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16.

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his rowdy race day is back for another year so you can pull on your cowboy boots and join Troy and the Wolfies for non-stop entertainment for everyone with rides, music and fun. The line-up also includes country artists Benn Gunn, Baylou, Phoebe Jay, Brooke Schubert, Bridget O’Shannessy, Jase Lansky.

There will be live racing on the track all day and entertainment to keep the party going into the night.

Now into its third year following two sell-out events, the 2017 race day will see even more #giddyup action.

Dress in your RMs and Akubras for Fashions On The Field with the male and female winners each receiving a $1000 party voucher and the runner-up a $500 party voucher.

Challenge your mates to line dance up a storm and keep the kids entertained with rides and a petting zoo.

Onsite camping, featuring a portable shower block and toilets, is available for one or two nights at a reasonable

Camping during TCMF2018?

Have we got a spot for you...

Riverside Camping Make it easy and pay now.

Set up and relax.

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price. Roll out your swag or pull up the caravan and make a weekend of it. With the convenience of being on site, you will be a short walk away from the country music festivities.

This great day featuring country music is to encourage a bigger crowd to the race days and offer more than just the racing by Brisbane Racing Club who wanted to include different kinds of entertainment, and by all reports the public has loved the concept.

Gates open at 10:30am.

For more information call 07 3268 2171 or view the website brc.com.au.

The Riverside Camping Grounds are a central camping location next to the Peel River and just minutes walk from the musical hype and action in the Tamworth CBD. Head to

tcmf.com.au and pay for your camping today.

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

COMING UP

FESTIVALS

GOLDEN GUITAR TICKETS ON SALE TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE TO THE 2018 COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS OF AUSTRALIA, THE TOYOTA GOLDEN GUITAR AWARDS.

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he Golden Guitars which started in 1973 are the nation’s longest-running music awards and play a vital role in developing and promoting Australian country music talent.

Mr Peter Ross, executive producer, Country Music Awards of Australia said; “This event is much more than just the presentation of the coveted Golden Guitar statues.

The night is a fast-paced concert featuring the best of Australian country music talent and the songs that have left their mark on fans over the past 12 months.”

He said fans will have an intimate night of non-stop entertainment and special magic moments.

Tickets to the Golden Guitar Awards go on sale to the general public on Friday, 1 September 2017 and following the first announcement that included on sale shows for Troy Cassar-Daley, Lee Kernaghan, John Williamson, The McClymonts, Sara Storer, Adam Eckersley Band, and Travis Collins, another round of ticketed shows have been placed on sale, with many more to come.

The third annual Tamworth Opry at the Capitol Theatre hosted by Golden Guitar Award-winning-artist Felicity Urquhart, will feature multi-Golden Guitar award winners James Blundell and Kristy Cox. Stars like 2017 APRA AMCOS Country Work of the Year Award Winner Aleyce Simmonds will take the stage during the showcase along with Dean Perrett, Jeff Brown, The Weeping Willows, Karin Page, Jen Mize, Brad Butcher, Amber Joy Poulton, Luke Dickens, and Daniel Thompson.

Graeme Connors returns to the Tamworth Town Hall following his sold out African Music Safari.

Melinda Schneider’s 100% COUNTRY is a brand new two-hour show tracing Melinda’s life and country music

SEE THE LATEST EPISODES

Cyrus returns to Australia after 18 years

CYRUS TO HEADLINE NEW FESTIVAL

R career through song – from bluegrass to ballads and back.

The Bluegrass Comes to Tamworth show will be back for its fourth year in a row bringing some of Australia’s best bluegrass and acoustic performers together.

The line-up for this popular show includes Pete Denahy and Kristy Cox, The Weeping Willows and the Karen Lynne Band, plus exciting newcomers Montgomery Church and a cast of surprise guests.

This year’s festival will also mark a momentous occasion for Lost Highway’s latest signing, Tori Forsyth who will showcase her full debut album in Tamworth’s new Craft Beer Bar, The Welder’s Dog.

oche Estate in the New South Wales Hunter Valley will host a new Crossroads In The Vines festival series in 2018 bringing together the biggest names in country and blues for two massive days of premium music, food and entertainment.

Crossroads Country in the Vines will take place on March 24, with Billy Ray Cyrus, Lee Kernaghan, Kasey Chambers, John Williamson, The McClymonts, Sara Storer, Adam Harvey, Beccy Cole and more of country biggest names, while Crossroads Blues in the Vines is on February 10 with Buddy Guy (US), Ian Moss, Diesel, Russell Morris, Larkin Poe (US), Ted Mulry Gang, Kevin Borich, Mia Dyson and many others.

Returning for the first time in 18 years, Billy Ray Cyrus said; “Back in March 1993 was when I kicked off my world tour in Australia, so now 25 years later it just kinda felt like the right thing to do at the right time!” said Billy Ray. “I love the fans there. They love their music, they love their football, they love the arts. It’s a great country with great people and we love coming down there and playing!”

Tickets to both events are available through Oztix.

BALCONYTV TAMWORTH Music with a view

Tune into BalconyTV Tamworth to check out the latest episodes from both touring and Tamworth artists

balconytv.com/tamworth years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

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SOUNDADVICE ALL TIME GREATEST HITS JO DEE MESSINA CURB Jo Dee Messina burst on to the country scene in the mid-1990s with the hugely successful Heads Carolina, Tails California, and had a string of hits in the years that followed. Her music has endured, and saw her release several chart topping singles, hugely successful albums and win several major awards. Her songs are strong, sassy and instantly connect with women everywhere and still resonate today. This is in fact her second Greatest Hits album (the first was released in 2003 after just three albums), and it covers a much longer career span. These songs have stood the test of time. Tracks like Bye Bye, I’m Alright, Heads Carolina, Tails California, Stand Beside Me and You’re Not in Kansas Anymore are just as good as when they were released. Other tracks include Burn, Downtime Because You Love Me and Lesson In Leavin’. Messina has also included a beautiful duet with Tim McGraw, Bring On The Rain. This album is an absolute delight – whether you’re a long-time fan or have only just discovered this immensely talented artist.

SONY/88985463832 SUSAN JARVIS

BEFORE BREAKFAST

WE ARE WOLVES

HIGHWAY 39

MOTHER LOVER CHILD

MOUNTAIN HOME MUSIC

INDEPENDENT

INDEPENDENT

INDEPENDENT

First up I have to say that if you consider yourself a true country music fan, you have to be a bluegrass fan and this album is powerful proof that the high lonesome sound can be great in the hands of truly talented musicians who know what they are doing. The blends of musical instruments and the vocals and harmonies are sweetly perfect and the choice of songs is spot on. John Bryan takes most of the lead vocals and shines on Delia, Sleeping With The Reaper and I’ve Been Redeemed; Terry Eldredge conjures up old time sass on Beer Tree and Clear Corn Liquor, while Terry Smith’s lead on Lonesome is sure to break hearts and bring a lump to throats. There’s not a wrong note or sentiment here and you can’t possibly not tap your feet to the instrumental prowess of Lynchburg Chicken Run. Before breakfast, over lunch and after dinner, pour yourself a shot of The Grascals.

Opening with the dark sadnesstinged Long Lost Friend, this debut offering from Andrew Thomson, going by his performance name of Thomson shows a great depth to this graduate of the CMAA Academy of Country Music. All tracks are originals and lovingly produced by award-winning producer Matt Fell. This is no background music; these are songs that demand to be where the listener sits and takes in every word. Standout tracks are Oh You and Six Feet Tall, which lifts the mood a little as Thomson celebrates how a woman makes him feel. The title track and final song on his offering paints a strong visual befitting of We Are Wolves. The raw banjo picking adds to the texture of this track. This is one that will enjoy high rotation from alt-country aficionados, but refuses to be put in any one particular genre’s box.

The Cartwheels are Wendy Phypers, Dave Patterson and Charlie Phypers and one of the most respected country groups to ever grace a CD tray anywhere. A family unit, they play all the instruments and this album follows the superb 2013/14 release At Home, but features 10 original songs by Wendy and every one showcases a songwriter who uses language to the best and never wastes words. Lyrics and melodies complement each other in an angelic balance that sweep through country nostalgia, bold bluegrass and country folk flavours that will grab you and take you to a simpler place where you can just enjoy the joy of a family making music. Highlights include the title track, Hello Darling, Hand Written Letter, Stop Being Lonely and Wake Up With Somebody….but in saying that I do an injustice to the other five tracks.

Sam (as in Samantha) Maddison is a relative newcomer who has shown plenty of potential since she was named the 2015 Gympie Muster Talent Search winner.

Sam combines a soft vocal style with original material that suits her to a ‘T’. This four-track effort kicks off with Frangipani Flowers, which kicks off a trio of songs - I Remember and Goodbye Old Friend - that are reflective of other times and other people. The final song, Wild And Free (Lover, Mother, Child) could be meant for and about ‘everywoman’. Acoustic guitar underlies the songs in a mix that sits right on the mark and producer Robert Mackay has given the songs sharp but gently tonal arrangements that bring them to life and showcase them and Sam’s vocals. There’s a nice contemporary, but folky feel to the songs and it should appeal to anyone who likes a quieter, reflective version of their country music.

THE GRASCALS

THOMSON

INDEPENDENT ATH001 BEC BELT

CROSSROADS DISTRIBUTIONS MH16872 JON WOLFE

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INDEPENDENT/ wphypers@bigpond.com JON WOLFE

SAM MADDISON

INDEPENDENT JODIE CROSBY

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

SOUND ADVICE - album reviews are the reviewers’ own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the view of Capital News or the publisher. Sound Advice will accept unsolicited albums for consideration, but cannot guarantee published reviews. Sound Advice does not review singles. Send 2 CDs together with biography or media release to Capital News, PO Box 555, Tamworth NSW 2340 and email a jpg of the cover to c.byrnes@tamworth.nsw.gov.au 61-615 O’SHEA ABC Mark and Jay O’Shea have always produced world-class albums. But with this one, they’ve taken a quantum leap. The album title is a combination of Australia’s telephone area code and the Nashville city code, to reflect their Aussie roots and US home. That dualism is reflected in the album, which is perceptive, sometimes disturbing and above all highly personal. The album explores relationships with the rosy glow removed – there’s the ecstasy of early love, but also the ebbs and flows: the tough times, the depth of mature love and sometimes having to say goodbye. The album has many highlights, including the first single, Start Over, the raw and powerful I Will Not Give Up and the wonderful Do It for Me. I also loved Nowhere Fast and Recover. Less intense, but just as memorable, are the wonderful Karaoke and Coronas and their cover of the Farnham classic Playing To Win with The Wolfe Brothers and Travis Collins. This album is right up there with the best in the world. O’Shea should be very proud of it indeed.

UNIVERSAL MUSIC/88985443792 SUSAN JARVIS

THE SOUNDS OF INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA – NOW & BEFORE

DOWN THIS OLD ROAD

VARIOUS ARTISTS

THE BURNING BRIDGES

FESTIVAL

INDEPENDENT

This double CD came out in conjunction with the recent National Indigenous Music Awards which were presented in Darwin in July.

The Now CD presents some of the best contemporary music from the likes of Dan Sultan, Jessica Mauboy, the superb Black Smoke

by Emily Wurramara and Busby Marou. The Before selection brings together some classic songs that showcase the strong connection country music has with many indigenous performers. Archie Roach (a 2013 remaster of Took The Children Away), Jimmy Little, Troy Cassar-Daley, Roger Knox and The Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Vic Simms, The Warumpi Band, Christine Anu’s great remake of Neil Murray’s Island Home and two of my favs The Pigram Brothers from the underrated LJ Hill. A collection like this would not be complete without From Little Things Big Things Grow by Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly. From humble beginnings, Indigenous musicians have forged a monumental place in the constellation that is great Australian music.

Down This Old Road is a banjoheavy album of Americana tracks spiced with bluegrass elements reminiscent of The Weeping Willows or The Carter Family. The old timey sound of this mountaininspired collection of tracks from the pen of banjo player Peter Somerville to Townes Van Zandt and Lou Reed, mixed with a range of traditional and instrumental songs is sure to appeal to old-time country fans. The combination of instrumentals and vocal tracks makes this an easy album to listen to and would make great background music or one to listen to on roadtrips where you could appreciate the lyrics and the skills of the musicians. As well as the skills of the full-time band members, award-winning musician Pete Denahy makes an appearance on fiddle on Townes Van Zandt’s If I Needed You, adding to the depth of this 16-track album.

FESTIVAL/WARNER MUSIC FEST601056 JON WOLFE

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

CDBABY.COM/CD/ THEBURNINGBRIDGES1 BEC BELT

CLASSIC HITS

LIFE WORTH LIVIN’

INDEPENDENT

TIM MCDONALD RECORDS

Clelia Adams is one of the best-loved women in Australian country music. She’s a wonderful singer and a talented songwriter, who’s been recording now for more than a decade and a half.

She has created a sound, style and following that have become enormously popular over the years.

This album brings together 22 of Clel’s most successful recordings, which have charted in Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and New Zealand. A number of Clelia’s own compositions are included: Heartbeat Highway, My Mother ’s Wedding Band, Rainbird Yodel and the wonderful The Captain and the Gypsy. Other highlights include You’re Gonna Love Me One Day, Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness, Back In Baby’s Arms, Talk Of The Town, the gorgeous Wildflowers, Play The Song and Forever Young.

Like everything associated with Clelia, this album is warm, vibrant and full of great songs. It is a feel-good recording that makes a wonderful soundtrack to pretty much anything you are doing.

Life Worth Livin’ is an album for those who love their country contemporary and uptempo. Tim is a classically trained pianist – not something you hear everyday from a country musician, but his various musical influences converge to create his style of music and the addition of piano on this album is most welcome.

When he’s not making country albums, he creates jazz albums, but the influences of his Nashville home are unmistakable on Life Worth Livin’. As well as wanting to get up and dancing to tracks on this album, the 10 tracks are also packed with songs that make you want to stop and listen to the lyrics and consider the stories behind them. The production is polished and musicianship impeccable and those behind the songs include our own Adam Eckersley and Scott Greenaway on the title track.

CLELIA ADAMS

TIM MCDONALD

INDEPENDENT BEC BELT

INDEPENDENT/CA2017 www.cleliaadams.com SUSAN JARVIS

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COUNTRYCHARTS ARIA TOP 20 AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY ALBUMS Week Commencing August 17, 2017 TW

LW

TI

HP

TITLE

ARTIST

LABEL

1 1 3 1 COUNT ON ME

JUDAH KELLY

UMA

2 4 67 1 RIPCORD

KEITH URBAN

CAP/EMI

3 6 16 1 THE GREAT COUNTRY SONGBOOK VOL II

ADAM HARVEY & BECCY COLE

4 7 21 1 THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM

LEE KERNAGHAN

5 5 3 3 LOVE AND BLOOD

SHANE NICHOLSON

6 2 2 2 OUR BACKYARD

TRAVIS COLLINS & AMBER LAWRENCE

7 13 3 2 61-615

O’SHEA

8 14 307 1 9 10 275 1 10 8

506 1

11 3 2 3 12 16 31 1 13 11 966 1 14 9 201 1 15 12 52 1 16 15 7 2 17 R/E 124 1 18 18 29 4 19 R/E 44 2 20 20 30 1

SME ABC/UMA LHAU/UMA ABC/UMA SME

ULTIMATE HITS LEE KERNAGHAN THE STORY SO FAR KEITH URBAN GREATEST HITS: 18 KIDS KEITH URBAN ODDS AND SODS SLIM DUSTY ENDLESS THE MCCLYMONTS THE VERY BEST OF SLIM DUSTY SLIM DUSTY THE GREAT COUNTRY SONGBOOK TROY CASSAR-DALEY & ADAM HARVEY HIS FAVOURITE COLLECTION JOHN WILLIAMSON JASON OWEN SINGS JOHN DENVER: THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY JASON OWEN SPIRIT OF THE ANZACS LEE KERNAGHAN HIT COUNTRY AUSTRALIA VARIOUS THIS CRAZY LIFE THE WOLFE BROTHERS DRAGONFLY KASEY CHAMBERS

ABC/UMA CAP/EMI CAP/EMI EMI ISL/UMA EMI SME WAR SFR/UMA ABC/UMA ABC/UMA ABC/UMA WAR

OFFICIAL AUSTRALIAN AIRPLAY COUNTRY TOP 20 Week commencing August 17,, 2017.

TW

LW

TI

HP

ARTIST

1 23 19 1 SAM HUNT 2 30 2 2 MORGAN EVANS 3 1 6 1 KELSEA BALLERINI 4 2 14 1 O’SHEA 5 3 8 3 BRETT ELDRIDGE 6 4 10 4 LEE KERNAGHAN 7 14 6 7 LOCASH 8 15 5 8 TRAVIS COLLINS & AMBER LAWRENCE 9 12 6 9 JASON ALDEAN 10 13 9 10 SHANE NICHOLSON 11 6 4 6 MELANIE DYER 12 49 3 12 FANNY LUMSDEN 13 11 8 6 LADY ANTEBELLUM 14 10 8 9 THE VIPER CREEK BAND 15 9 14 6 KEITH URBAN 16 NEW 1

16 BRAD BUTCHER

17 5 16 1 THE MCCLYMONTS 18 21 9 18 GORD BAMFORD 19 20 8 15 LEE BRICE 20 19 16 3 LITTLE BIG TOWN 54

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TITLE

Body Like A Back Road Kiss Somebody Legends Start Over Something I’m Good At Damn Good Mates Ring On Every Finger Our Backyard They Don’t Know Safe Save My Cents Roll On Heart Break Firework Sun Don’t Let Me Down Well Dressed Man Don’t Wish It All Away Tin Roof Boy Happy People

LABEL

MCA/UMA WMA SME SME WB/WMA ABC/UMA IND ABC/UMA SME UMA UMA IND CAP/EMI WJO/UMA CAP/EMI IND UMA ABC/UMA SME CAP/EMI years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

COUNTRY TRACKS Week commencing August 26, 2017. This chart is published by Country Music Services and updated weekly at countrytrackschart.com.au POS LW

TI

HP

TRACK TITLE

ARTIST

1 1 7 1(5) Let’s Go Driving

BEN RANSOM

2 2 5 2(2) Judgment Day

CHRISTIE LAMB

3 6 4 3(1) Gonna Outrun A Heartache

ASHIE NOEY

4 18 4 4(1) Ain’t Thinking About Monday

JASE LANSKY

5 3 7 2(1) Ghost Town

BILLY BRIDGE

6 36 4 6(1) Laidback Country

TONY COOK

7 5 11 1(4) The Way We Ride

CASEY BARNES

8 17 4 8(1) The Piano

THE BOBKATZ

9 11 4 9(1) Giving Up

SCOTT DOUGLAS

10 12 4 10(2) The Closer You Get

SHELLY JONES BAND

11 27 17 1(5) Gypsy Whitemoon

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT

12 4 4 4(1) Forever By My Side

GAYLE O’NEIL

13 7 5 3(1) Our Backyard

TRAVIS COLLINS & AMBER LAWRENCE

14 16 9 5(1) For So Long

WHISKEY BUSINESS

15 22 4 8(1) Count On Me

JUDAH KELLY

16 21 2 16(1) Little Ronnie’s Ghost

JUSTIN STANDLEY

17 25 8 3(1) Southbound Train

RUNAWAY DIXIE

18 0 13 5(1) Speed Of Light

CHRIS WILLIAMS

19 10 3 10(1) Drunks Like Charlie

ALLAN CASWELL

20 13 14 4(1) That’s The Way Love Goes

TRACEY DAVIS & CHRIS HAIGH

CMC CHART W/c 22 August 2017. This chart is updated weekly at countrymusicchannel.com.au or tune into CMC. # TITLE

ARTIST

# TITLE

ARTIST

1 You Look Good

LADY ANTEBELLUM

25 Speak To A Girl

TIM MCGRAW & FAITH HILL

2 It Ain’t My Fault

BROTHERS OSBORNE

26 Closing This Memory Down

BAYLOU

27 Ring On Every Finger

LOCASH

O’SHEA

28 Tin Roof

GORD BAMFORD

KELSEA BALLERINI

29 Last Time For Everything

BRAD PAISLEY

TRAVIS COLLINS/ AMBER LAWRENCE

30 Off The Grid

PAUL COSTA

31 Slaughterhouse Blues

GRETTA ZILLER

BIG & RICH

32 Five More Minutes

SCOTTY MCCREERY

MAREN MORRIS

33 What Ifs

KANE BROWN

9 Safe

SHANE NICHOLSON

34 Something I’m Good At

BRETT ELDREDGE

10 Save My Cents

MELANIE DYER

35 Slide Over

TIM HICKS

11 Damn Good Mates

LEE KERNAGHAN FEAT. THE WOLFE BROTHERS

36 Stand Tall

CARTER & CARTER

37 The Pale Rider

THE WEEPING WILLOWS BRAD BUTCHER

3 No Such Thing As A Broken Heart OLD DOMINION 4 Start Over 5 Legends 6 Our Backyard 7 California 8 I Could Use A Love Song

12 Firework

VIPER CREEK BAND

38 Well Dressed Man

13 Judgement Day

CHRISTIE LAMB

39 Turns Out

MAE VALLEY

CHRIS JANSON

40 Jealous

ELLEN AMY

15 Roll On

FANNY LUMSDEN

41 Yours

RUSSELL DICKERSON

16 They Don’t Know

JASON ALDEAN

42 Wacky Tobaccy

TOBY KEITH

43 Craving You

THOMAS RHETT WITH MAREN MORRIS

14 Fix A Drink

17 Confetti

RACHAEL FAHIM

18 Heartache On The Dancefloor

JON PARDI

44 The Way We Ride

CASEY BARNES

19 Small Town Boy

DUSTIN LYNCH

45 Good Company

JAKE OWEN

20 Coming Your Way

DREW MCALISTER

46 Baby Got Back

JOE NICHOLS

21 Boy

LEE BRICE

47 You Need To Run

JETTY ROAD

22 Anchor

ALEYCE SIMMONDS

48 Drinkin’ Problem

MIDLAND

23 Trouble

SAM OUTLAW

49 Still Got You

KARIN PAGE

24 Feel The Beat

ASHLEIGH DALLAS

50 Paint This Land

BUSBY MAROU

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BUSH BALLADS

BALLADS ALIVE & WELL

BY PETER COAD OAM WWW.BUSHBALLADEERS.COM.AU

WHILEVER THE CURRENT CROP OF BUSH BALLADEERS CONTINUE TO WRITE AND RECORD GREAT SONGS ABOUT OUR COUNTRY WE CAN GUARANTEE THE BUSH BALLAD WILL REMAIN AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY MUSIC INDUSTRY. who is currently working on completion of his latest project with Stuie French at Swinging Door Studios in Sydney. Dale received much accolade and awarded recognition for his previous album and this new venture once again promises a solid line-up of carefully selected bush ballad story songs.

TEXAS COUNTRY ROUNDUP Dean Perrett in the studio with Jeff Mercer, Mike Kerin, Michael Vidale and Phil Punch

DEAN PERRETT RECORDING Multi-Golden Guitar winner Dean Perrett commenced recording a new bush ballad album in July at Phil Punch’s Electric Avenue Studio in Sydney. The album is being produced by Dean Perrett and Michael Vidale. Musicians on the project include Michael Vidale, Jeff Mercer, Mike Kerin, Andy Travers, Lawrie Minson and Michel Rose. Dean is one of Australia’s most highly regarded bush balladeer story tellers, so the impending release of this new album will be an eagerly anticipated event by fans of his music.

NEW ALBUM UNDERWAY FOR DALE DUNCAN Award winner Dale Duncan is another fine balladeer artist

Monday, September 18 to Sunday, September 24, the annual Texas Roundup will be held at the Texas Showgrounds, Qld. Featuring a wide array of traditional country artists including Shaza Leigh and Lindsay Butler, Brian Letton, Peggy Gilchrist, Ashley Cook, Dale Duncan, Sharon Smith, Greg Bain, John Smith, Rachel Jillett, Roseanna Ruddick along with bush poets, it’s always a great event.

MILDURA COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL The mighty Mildura festival is underway from Friday, September 29 through to and including Sunday, October 8 with a huge selection of artists performing throughout the festival at numerous venues in Mildura and surrounding

towns. A main highlight of the event is the Southern Stars Independent Awards presentation and concert.

BEDGEREBONG COUNTRY MUSIC CAMPOUT WEEK This event is held from October 3 to 10 at the picturesque Bedgerebong Racetrack, just out of Forbes, NSW. Artists this year are Justin Standley, Kylie AdamsCollier, Johanna Hemara, Tom Maxwell, Allan Neils, Ray Pratley and Samantha Bellamy and more.

NOW AND THEN As we farewell two our most entertaining pioneers – Geoff Mack and Rick Carey – both who made a difference whilst on this earth with their humour and songs, we can look forward to coming together at upcoming events where we can reminisce and honour these men. Geoff’s song I’ve Been Everywhere was recorded by major artists around the world in country music and pop and most surely elevated him among Australia’s most successful all-time Australian songwriters.

Whilst the Rick & Thel Carey show was one of the legendary travelling country music tours with the couple successfully recording and touring the country, opening doors for many upcoming artists who appeared on such tours. Rick and Thel have left behind a wealth of recorded material and many wonderful memories for all those who knew them or saw them perform.

ALBUM REVIEW THE REE FAMILY – Ringbark Records In Australia we have many musical family groups and The Ree Family, Anita, her parents Trevor and Averil, and sister Kristina are a very popular group from Maryborough, Qld. This album is a showcase of the musical heritage of the Ree Family, with each member selecting a favourite song along with Anita writing three new tunes. The album opens with Anita’s song Hot Up Here, a lighthearted look at the Queensland weather. Trevor’s choice was Here ‘Em Go. This is a great traditional country album featuring Pete Denahy on fiddle, Mark Moulynox on dobro, banjo and steel guitar.

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D O W N M E M O RY L A N E

HANDS OF APPRECIATION

BY LORRAINE PFITZNER

LIFE HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN EASY FOR GARY ELLIS.

H

e has released successful albums, toured the country and been a respected broadcaster on both TV and radio.

He has also successfully battled an addiction to alcohol that saw him lose much of what he treasured. But with the help of wife Preeanie and the support of close friends, and his own determination, Gary reclaimed his life and built a long recording career.

In January this year, he was inducted into Tamworth’s Hands of Fame, and as a mark of gratitude for the honour, he has titled his new recording the Hands of Appreciation Album, which features photos of the event.

Released on Buck Carson’s Rodeo label, and featuring a mixture of styles ranging from traditional to rockabilly, the album opens with One More For Slim, written by Dustin Vosper. It also features the beautiful This One’s Just for You, which is dedicated to Gary’s wife.

Other highlights are Gary’s version of Ray Rose’s Old Cowboys Never Say Goodbye and Gary Gough’s The Blue Side of Me. Gary Ellis began his career in Victoria, at a time when record companies such as Planet and Spotlight were recording great country music – or hillbilly music as it was called in those days. Gary was an original member of Dick Cranbourne’s popular 3DB Hillbilly Show, which was broadcast on Sunday mornings. Artists came in and sang direct to air.

Gary also travelled extensively in tent shows, including Ern Smith’s Western Revue travelling show, taking over from Athol McCoy. Here he honed his experience in showmanship, enabling him to progress to having his own show on HSV7 television. During this time, he was selected to appear with Johnny Ray in Melbourne.

Along with Rocky Page, Pete Skoglund, Dick Parry and Les Partell, Gary was signed to record for Spotlight’s Country Round Up label.

He recorded and released two EPs on this label, My Dog and Me and The Old Chap Who’s Wandering, which today are collectors’ items. years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

He had a love of racing and was a race horse trainer, trackman and racing journalist for many years and today still has an interest in the sport. When his friend Stan Stafford, a country singer and ex-jockey, suffered a bad fall and couldn’t walk, Gary piggybacked him to shows for two years so they could perform together.

Although Gary was offered tours to the United States and SouthEast Asia, his career was halted by alcohol, but once he beat his addiction he returned to country music and has gone on to record a number of CDs, including a duet album with Jenny Anderson, Together With Pleasure.

Gary has received good airplay throughout Australia and overseas, including South-East Asia.

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The late Geoff Mack with wife Tabbi

GEOFF MACK 1922 – 2017

BY A L L A N CA S W E L L

I AM DEDICATING THIS MONTH’S COLUMN TO MY FRIEND AND HERO GEOFF MACK.

B

eing a friend of Geoff’s put you in a very large group. Everyone loved Geoff and his wife Tabbi. We were all shattered by his passing but grateful to have known and been influenced by this great and talented man.

Albert Geoffrey McElhinney OAM was born in Melbourne in 1922. He found his way into show business via his service in the RAAF during World War 2. He started by entertaining his fellow servicemen and finished by entertaining an entire country.

Geoff was a great influence to me as a songwriter.

Coming from a Variety Entertainment background (my dad was a stand up comedian and I grew up in the club scene), I was a huge fan of Geoff’s comedy and novelty songs. Dwarfed by his huge International super hit I’ve Been Everywhere, Geoff’s beautifully crafted songs were largely underrated by comparison but there were some real gems amongst them. He even wrote parodies of his own

W R I T I NG GR E AT SO NGS

song with the brilliantly ridiculous I’ve Had Everything.

Geoff mostly wrote his songs to be performed live. They would be peppered with clever innuendo and tongue twisting sound effects … this is how he got his nickname “Tangle Tongue”.

I worked with Geoff a number of times and his act never failed to get a huge reaction from the audience … and wall-to-wall laughter. The humour always came from wonderful timing and, perhaps more importantly, from the quality of his writing.

Geoff’s performing career spanned over 70 years. It was not about being a star … more about being a working entertainer … an act. His songs were all about being pieces of entertainment to be delivered directly to an audience rather than recorded and played on the radio. That said, he still managed to write one of the biggest Australian songs in history and finish up in the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame in Nashville and on the Roll of Renown in Tamworth. He was the winner of the TSA’s prestigious Songmaker Award and was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Golden Guitar.

I’VE BEEN EVERYWHERE A career-song is a song that is so successful that you can’t escape from it. Geoff will always be the bloke who wrote I’ve Been Everywhere. And why wouldn’t you be proud of a song like that?

It’s clever, witty and

memorable and still fresh after all these years. Apart from Lucky Starr’s iconic Aussie version, there have been well over a hundred cover versions; there have been English, New Zealand, Canadian, Japanese, Irish, Finnish, Czechoslovakian, German and US versions featuring their own towns and how’s this for a list of artists recording your song? … Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, Lyn Anderson, Asleep At The Wheel and The Statler Brothers. The song even appeared in a episode

GEOFF THE MENTOR Having one of your songs praised by Geoff was always a great experience … not because it was rare … Geoff was quick to praise and even quicker to encourage. What made it special was the fact that you knew it was coming from someone who really knew his stuff. Watching Geoff work was a master class in timing, stagecraft and sheer entertainment.

We all learned from Geoff’s work … probably nobody more so than Geoff’s long-term friend and protégé Pete Denahy.

Geoff and Tabbi were always part of the show business family. They would support our shows and back organisations like APRA and the TSA to the hilt.

The best thing you can say about an Australian bloke when he goes is that “he was a good bloke” … Geoff Mack was one of the best. We are sad his life is over but what a life it was he lived well into his nineties and did what he really loved for all of it.

See you next month … maybe.

If you have questions regarding participating or hosting upcoming songwriting workshops, my “one on one” private songwriting coaching service (based in the Blue Mountains), my book or my “how to” DVD contact me on 0419218988 or at allan@ allancaswell.com

1966 - 2016 CELEBRATING 50 YEARS SINCE ARRIVING IN AUSTRALIA ALLAN CASWELL’S BRILLIANT NEW ALBUM

50 Years in OZ

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years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

COMINGEVENTS

TELL THEM YOU READ IT IN

SEPTEMBER Aug 29-3 Phil & Chris Coad’s Traditional Muster | Wyper Park | Bundaberg | Qld 1-3

6th Maleny Music Festival | W: malenymusicfestival.com

7-10

Annual Heritage Country Muster | Nanango Show Grounds | Qld | Traditional Country Music | Contact Sandra 0429 631 273 | E: nanangocountrymuster2@yahoo.com.au | Facebook and Web Nanango Show Society

8-10

Neurum Creek Music Festival | Neurum Creek Bush Retreat | W: neurumcreekfestival.com

15-17

Bony Mountain Music Festival | Warwick | Qld | Contact:: Norma O’Hara Murphy | T: 0488 673 778 or 0490 415 699 | W: bonymountainmusicfestival.com

15-17

Howard Music Festival | Howard Reserve | Howard | Qld | F: facebook.com/howardmusicfestival

16

Country Music Raceday | Doomben Racecourse | 75 Hampden St | Ascot | Qld | Gates open 10:30am | Functions Open 11:30am | Country music | W: brc.com.au

29&30

Deni Ute Muster | Deniliquin Festival Site | Conargo Road | Deniliquin | NSW | E: info@deniutemuster.com.au | W: deniutemuster.com.au

29-Oct 1 2PK Parkes CM Spectacular | Parkes | NSW 29-Oct 8 Mildura CMF | Vic | Contact: John Arnold | W: milduracountrymusic.com.au | T: 1800 039 043 30-Oct 2 Pioneer Valley CMF | Qld | W: pvcma.com.au OCTOBER 12-15

Northern CM Port Pirie Music Festival | SA | Contact: Mary Bateman | T: 08 8633 2302 or M: 0408 334 086 | E: mabiena.mb@gmail.com | W: northerncountrymusicassociation.org

13-14

5 Rivers Outback Festival | Balranald | NSW | W: 5riversoutbackfestival.com.au

16-22

14th Annual Slim Dusty CMF | Kempsey Showground | NSW | Camping, food and entertainment | Contact: Pauline Fisher or Kate Mainey | T: 02 6562 6533 | 1800 18 SLIM | E: Festival@slimdustycentre.com.au | W: slimdustycentre.com.au

19-22

Munna Creek CMF | Guest artists Rodney Vincent, Chris Calligan, Lindsay Waddington, Sharon Heaslip, Laura Downing, Jeanette Wormald and many more Contact: Lex K | M: 0428 293 145

19-22

Annual Waterhole Rocks – Rock n Roll Campout weekend | Contact Sue | M:0474 266 215 | E: waterholerocks@outlook.com | Facebook and Web Nanango Show Society

23-29

Clarence Valley Country Muster | Grafton | NSW | Contact: Wendy Gordon | M: 0432 741 947 | E: wgordon@cvcmuster.com.au | W: cvcmuster.com.au

27-29

Nambung CM Muster | WA | T: 08 9652 4048 | E: enquiry@nambungstation.com.au | W: numbungstation.com.au

27-29

Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival | W: dorrigofolkbluegrass.com.au

NOVEMBER 3-5

Ballina CMF | Various venues | T: 02 6686 9255 | W: ballinacountrymusic.com

9-12

6th Kyabram RV CM Corral | Kyabram Showgrounds | Vic | T: 03 5853 2933 | E: ky47347@bigpond.net.au | W: kyrvcountry.com.au

13-19

Gidgee Coal Bush Ballad Awards | Pittsworth Showground and Bottletree Hall | QLD | Bush ballads, bush poets, walkups, food, damper | M: 0427 731 088 OR 0427 578 264

10-12

Burra CMF & TQ | Burra Showgrounds | SA | Camping, Food, Licensed Bar, Workshop, Bush Poetry | Contact: Secretary | M: 0428 922 614 | E: burracmf@gmail.com | W: burracountrymusicfestival.com

JANUARY 2018 12-18

Countdown to the 46th Toyota Country Music Festival | Tamworth | NSW

13

Gwandalan CMF | NSW

19-28

Toyota 46th Country Music Festival | Tamworth | NSW | W: tcmf.com.au

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

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GIGGUIDE

Please note all show venues & times are correct at time of printing.

Capital News recommends you check with the venue prior to attending.

8 BALL AITKEN

CAITLYN SHADBOLT

SEPTEMBER 16&17 Howard Festival Qld (near Hervey Bay) OCTOBER 6 Caloundra RSL Qld 8:30pm 7 Retro Bar, Kenmore Qld 8pm 8 Tyalgum Hotel NSW 2pm 14 Balranald’s 5 Rivers Outback Festival NSW 29 Sydney Harbour Cruise, 11am to 3pm NOVEMBER 9-12 Airlie Beach Festival of Music Qld

AMBER LAWRENCE

ADAM ECKERSLEY BAND

Our Backyard Tour with Travis Collins

SEPTEMBER 30 Deni Ute Muster NSW

*Amber Only OCTOBER 26 Warwick RSL Qld 27 Dag Pub & Motel, D’Aguilar Qld 28 Hamilton Hotel Qld 29 Mary’s Commercial Hotel, Dalby Qld NOVEMBER 3 Young Services Club NSW 4 Braidwood Serviceman’s Club NSW*

ADAM HARVEY & BECCY COLE

5 The Oaks Hotel, Illawarra NSW 24 Windsor RSL NSW

The Great Country Songbook II Tour SEPTEMBER 21 Albany EC WA 22 Bunbury Regional EC WA 23 Astor Theatre Perth WA

ALI S COUNTRY SINGER NOVEMBER 17-19 Cully Fest, Toowoomba Showgrounds Qld

ANGELA EASSON SEPTEMBER 29-30 Mildura CMF Vic OCTOBER 1-8 Mildura CMF Vic 15 Howard’s Vineyard, Nairne SA

ANNE KIRKPATRICK

OCTOBER 8-16 Cruisin’ Country 21 Slim Dusty Festival, Kempsey NSW

BILLY BRIDGE

SEPTEMBER 12-17 Nashville TN, USA OCTOBER 20-22 Patchewollok Vic NOVEMBER 3-5 Ballina NSW 11 Gamekeepers Secret Inn, Rockbank Vic

BOBBY HOWSON

SEPTEMBER 8 CEX Group, Coffs Harbour NSW DECEMBER 30 Green Valley Farm Fun Park, Tingha NSW

BRAD BUTCHER

*w Sara Storer SEPTEMBER 23 Timberfest, Mackay Qld 29 Red Lion Hotel, Rockhampton Qld 30 Irish Village, Emerald Qld OCTOBER 14 Monto Qld* 20 Blackall Qld* 21 Capella Qld* 22 Yeppoon Creek Seassions Qld* 27 Oodies Cafe, Bundaberg Qld

*w/ Melanie Dyer SEPTEMBER 9 Nellijam Festival, Nelligen NSW 14 Lizottes, Newcastle NSW* 15 Rooty Hill RSL NSW* 16 Hardy’s Bay Club NSW 17 The Oaks Hotel, Illawarra NSW* 27 Ararat Hotel Vic 28 Hysteria Lounge, Lilydale Vic 30 Deni Ute Muster NSW OCTOBER 7 Biloela Festival Qld 20 Maryborough Sports Club Qld NOVEMBER 17 Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane Qld* 18 The Dag Pub, D’Aguilar Qld*

CONNIE KIS ANDERSEN

SEPTEMBER 29 Mildura CMF Vic OCTOBER 14 Port Pirie Harness Club SA 26 Nambung CM Muster, Nambung Station WA

DALE HOOPER

NOVEMBER 5 The Australian Hotel, McGrath’s Hill NSW 18 Dubbo RSL Club Resort NSW

DEAN PERRETT

SEPTEMBER 2-3 Wyper Park Scout Camp, Bundaberg Qld 8-10 Nanango Showgrounds Qld OCTOBER 20-22 Maryborough Equesterian Park Showgrounds Qld NOVEMBER 3-5 Murgon Showgrounds Qld

DIANNE LINDSAY

SEPTEMBER 2 Coad’s Aussie Muster, Bundaberg Qld OCTOBER 6 Widgee Muster Qld 28 Music Memories Festival Kempsey NSW

S O N GW R I T E R S J O I N T SA MEMBERS BENEFITS

• Informative quarterly newsletters • Reduced fees for TSA National Songwriting Contest Re • Reduced fees for TSA Sponsored So Songwriting Workhops • $69 Annual Single Membership includes 12mths Country Music Capital News Co • $35 Annual Single Membership excludes Country Music Capital News Co • Options Op for Junior and Household memberships • Pe Performances opportunities 60

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

JOIN online or complete d e t a i l s b e l ow

and send to Tamworth Songwriters'Association Inc PO Box 618 Tamworth NSW 2340 Please send me a TSA Membership Application form Name: ..........................................................................

Address: ....................................................................... ....................................................................................... www.tsaonline.com.au years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

Please note all show venues & times are correct at time of printing.

Capital News recommends you check with the venue prior to attending.

NOVEMBER 18 Gidgee Coal Awards, Pittsworth Qld 26 Pittwater RSL Club NSW

FANNY LUMSDEN

The 6th Annual Country Halls Tour SEPTEMBER 5-8 BIGSOUND, Brisbane Qld 22 School Of Arts Hall, Burren Junction NSW 23 Mullley Hall, Mullaley NSW 29 Tullamore Memorial Hall NSW 30 Marra Community Hall NSW OCTOBER 6 Rankin Springs Memorial Hall NSW 7 Hatfield Hall NSW 13 Osbornes Flat Hall Vic 14 Out On The Weekend, Williamstown Vic 20 Wharf Hotel, Wynyard Tas 22 St Johns Craft Beer Bar, Launceston Tas 25 Sheffield Town Hall Tas NOVEMBER 3 Giant Dwarf, Redfern NSW 4 Eurongilly Hall NSW 10 Majors Creek Festival NSW 11 Greenthorpe War Memorial Hall, Monument NSW 24 Lacmalac Soldiers Memorial Hall NSW 25 Bowna Hall, Mullengandra NSW 30 Leftys Old Time Music Hall, Brisbane Qld

GEORGIA FALL

NOVEMBER 25 Palmwoods Hotel Qld

GIGGUIDE 17 Grapest Run, Tamworth NSW 21 Farrer HS Formal, Tamworth NSW 22 Manilla RSL NSW 30 Deni Ute Muster, Deniliquin NSWâ&#x20AC;&#x2039; OCTOBER 16-23 Rock The Boat, Cruise 27 Young Services Club NSW 28 Ariah Park B&S â&#x20AC;&#x2039; NOVEMBER 18 Grapest, Adelaide SA 25 Honeysuckle Hotel NSWâ&#x20AC;&#x2039; DECEMBER 31 Country In The Top Paddock, NZ

GRAEME CONNORS

*60 Summers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Back in Town Tour OCTOBER 3 Summergarden Theatre, Bowen Qld* 5 Diggers EC, Hughenden Qld* 6 Winton Shire Hall Qld* 7 Civic Centre, Mount Isa Qld* 8 Shire Hall, Cloncurry Qld* 10 The Dispensary, Mackay Qld* (SOLD OUT) 12 The Dispensary, Mackay Qld

HILLBILLY GOATS

SEPTEMBER 1 Gympie RSL Qld 2 Mooloolaba Yacht Club Qld 3 Mt Nimmel Hall, Austinville Qld OCTOBER 6 Albion Hotel Cootamundra NSW 8 St Arnauds CMC Vic NOVEMBER 3 Mooloolaba Yacht Club Qld 4 Gympie RSL Qld 11 Airlie Beach Festival Qld DECEMBER 2 Lismore Workers Club NSW

HURRICANE FALL

SEPTEMBER 2 Wingen Rodeo NSW 9 Cruisinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sydney Harbour NSW 7pm 15 Royal Hotel, Muswellbrook NSW

MADCDS

24 Geelong Playhouse Vic 26 Civic Theatre, Wagga Wagga NSW 27 Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre ACT 28 Illawarra PAC, Wollongong NSW 29 Bathurst Memorial EC NSW 30 Regional Theatre, Dubbo NSW OCTOBER 1 Wests Leagues Club, New Lambton NSW 3 Glasshouse, Port Macquarie NSW 4 Tamworth Town Hall NSW 6 Brolga Theatre, Maryborough Qld 7 Empire Theatre, Toowoomba Qld 8 Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton Qld 13 Bunbury Regional EC WA 14 Albany EC WA 15 Regal Theatre, Perth WA 20 Devonport EC Tas 21 Princess Theatre North, Launceston Tas 22 Theatre Royal, Hobart Tas

JEANIE OCTOBER 15 The Pub, Tamworth NSW

ISLA GRANT SEPTEMBER 5 Albury EC NSW 6 Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo Vic 8 Hamilton PAC Vic 9 Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool Vic 10 Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, Mt Gambier SA 12 Wangaratta PAC Vic 14 Regional Theatre, Griffith NSW 16 Twin Towns Auditorium, Tweed Heads NSW 17 Lismore City Hall NSW 19 Frankston Arts Centre Vic 20 Westside PAC, Shepparton Vic 21 Horsham Town Hall Vic 22 Wendouree Centre Of PA, Ballarat Vic 23 Esso BHP Billiton Wellington EC, Sale Vic

JONNIE RUSSELL SEPTEMBER 2 St Marys Spring Festival NSW 7Â Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL NSW

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61

GIGGUIDE

Please note all show venues & times are correct at time of printing.

Capital News recommends you check with the venue prior to attending.

9 Beaumont’s Winery, Hunter Valley NSW 10 Carousel Inn, Rooty Hill NSW 20 Lone Pine Tavern, Rooty Hill NSW OCTOBER 14 Kingsford Smith Commemoration Concert, Richmond School Of Arts NSW

JUDAH KELLY SEPTEMBER 3 Leadbelly, Newtown NSW 8 Brass Monkey, Cronulla NSW 10 Bella Union, Melbourne Vic 18 Old Museum, Studio 1, Brisbane Qld

KEL-ANNE BRANDT OCTOBER 4 Belmont 16ft Sailing Club NSW 12 St Marys Band Club NSW DECEMBER 2 Seaforth BC NSW

LEE KERNAGHAN *** Guests The Wolfe Brothers, James Blundell & Tania Kernaghan ### Guests The Wolfe Brothers & Tania Kernaghan SEPTEMBER

KALESTI BUTLER

8 Twin Towns SC, Tweed Heads

OCTOBER 20-22 Maryborough Showgrounds Qld NOVEMBER 5 Geebung BC Qld

NSW ### 9 Empire Theatre, Toowoomba QLD *** 10 Twin Towns SC, Tweed Heads NSW 29 Deni Ute Muster, Deniliquin NSW OCTOBER 8–16 Cruisin’ Country

KIRSTY LEE AKERS

KARIN PAGE SEPTEMBER 1 Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville NSW 2 Antojitos, Newcastle NSW 3 Peppertown, Mayfield NSW 16 Kilcoy Festival Qld 17 The Triffid, Brisbane Qld

62

Nashville to the Top End Tour SEPTEMBER 7-10 Canadian CM Wee, Saskatoon SK Canada 12-17 Americana Festival Nashville TN USA 27 Music City Roots, Nashville TN USA NOVEMBER 17 Lithgow Workers Club NSW 18 Hawkesbury Hotel NSW 19 East Cessnock BC NSW

KYLE CARTNER SEPTEMBER 21 Longyard Hotel, Tamworth NSW 23 Wests’ Diggers Tamworth NSW

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

27 The Events Centre, Caloundra Qld 28 Brolga Theatre, Maryborough Qld NOVEMBER 10 Civic Theatre, Newcastle NSW 11 The Glasshouse, Port Macquarie NSW 12 Cex, Coffs Harbour NSW 15 Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat Vic ### 16 Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo Vic ### 17&18 The Palms at Crown, Melbourne Vic ***

LINDSAY BUTLER & SHAZA LEIGH WITH THE BUTLER SHOWBAND

SEPTEMBER 1 West Tamworth LC NSW 15 Wests’ Diggers, Tamworth NSW 23&24 Texas Sports & Rec Grounds Qld OCTOBER 21 Wolumla Community Hall NSW 22 Queanbeyan ACT 27 West Tamworth LC NSW NOVEMBER 3 Theodore Qld 4 St Mary’s Hall, Rockhampton Qld 5 Bororen Community Hall Qld 24 Tenterfield Golf Club NSW 25 Oakey Community Centre Qld DECEMBER 15 West Tamworth LC NSW

LONNIE LEE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL NOVEMBER 24 St Georges Basin NSW

MELISSA ROBERTSON OCTOBER 7 Seaforth BC NSW

NORMA O’HARA MURPHY

SEPTEMBER 15 Bony Mountain Music Festival Qld

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW with Valerie June SEPTEMBER 28 The Tivoli, Brisbane Qld

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

GIGGUIDE

Please note all show venues & times are correct at time of printing.

Capital News recommends you check with the venue prior to attending.

RUBY BOOTS

OCTOBER 1 Forum Theatre, Melbourne Vic 3 Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW

SEPTEMBER 27 Brighton Up Bar, Sydney NSW OCTOBER 1 Semaphore MF, Adelaide SA 5 Wesley Anne, Melbourne Vic

PETER CAMPBELL

SEPTEMBER 21 Irish Club Hotel, Toowoomba Qld

RUNAWAY DIXIE

PETER COAD & THE COAD SISTERS

SEPTEMBER 15-17 Bony Mountain Festival, Warwick Qld

*with Runaway Dixie SEPTEMBER 15-17 Bony Mountain Festival, Warwick Qld* OCTOBER 6 Condobolin RSL NSW* 7 Dubbo RSL* 21 RFDS Fundraiser, Spear Creek via Wilmington SA*

THE WEEPING WILLOWS SEPTEMBER 17 T’Gallant Estate, Main Ridge Vic 24 Lizotte’s Newcastle NSW OCTOBER 7 Newport Bowls Club NSW 14 Tago Mago, Thornbury Vic

SHANE NICHOLSON

SEPTEMBER 1 Rooty Hill RSL NSW 8 Flow Bar, Old Bar NSW 15&16 Americana Festival, Nashville TN OCTOBER 13 Trinity Sessions, Adelaide SA 14 Song Room, Barossa Regional Gallery SA 16-23 Rock The Boat Pacific Cruise 27 Lonestar Tavern, Gold Coast Qld 28 Welcome to Morrisonville, Brisbane Qld

TROY CASSAR-DALEY SEPTEMBER 15 Cloncurry 150th Celebrations Qld 16 Country Music Raceday, Doomben Racecouse, Brisbane Qld

VIPER CREEK BAND

TRAVIS COLLINS Our Backyard Tour with Amber Lawrence OCTOBER 26 Warwick RSL Qld 27 Dag Pub & Motel, D’Aguilar Qld 28 Hamilton Hotel Qld

THE MCCLYMONTS

RACHAEL FAHIM

SEPTEMBER 30 Deni Ute Muster NSW OCTOBER 8 Cruisin Country #7

SEPTEMBER 2&3 Albert Hotel, Tamworth NSW 8 Annual Shade Day Breakfast, Cronulla League Club NSW *7am 20 Henty Field Days * Toyota Stand 29 Deni Ute Muster, Ice Stage NSW OCTOBER 2-8 Mildura CMF Vic 14 Toyota Caringbah NSW

TOPP TWINS

OCTOBER 6 The Peppertree Bar & Cafe, Aldinga SA DECEMBER 23 The Peppertree Bar & Cafe, Aldinga SA

Qld NOVEMBER 3 Young Services Club NSW 5 The Oaks Hotel, Illawarra NSW

OCTOBER 6 Pukekohe Town Hall NZ 7 Thames War Memorial Civic Centre NZ 12 Opotiki Deluxe Theatre NZ 13 Gisborne War Memorial Theatre NZ 14 Napier Municipal Theatre NZ 20 & Sat 21 Taupo Great Lakes Centre NZ 22 Hamilton Clarence St Theatre NZ

RISING SOUTH

29 Mary’s Commercial Hotel, Dalby

24 Windsor RSL NSW

SEPTEMBER 2 Mezz Bar, Wallsend Diggers NSW 23 Sydney Harbour Day & Night Cruise 29 Caloundra RSL Qld 30 Casino RSM NSW OCTOBER 1 Brisbane River Cruise Qld 8-16 Cruisin’ Country 1 East Cessnock BC NSW 28 Clarence Town River Hoedown NSW 29 Newcastle Truck Show NSW NOVEMBER 4&5 Ballina CMF NSW 11 Bungendore B&S Ball NSW 17 Muswellbrook RSL NSW 18 Narrabri RSL NSW DECEMBER 16 Rooty Hill RSL NSW 23 Cardiff RSL (Wests) NSW 30 Dungog Muster NSW

Visiting Tamworth?

See Star Maker’s amazing journey at the Star Maker Café at Diggers, Kable Ave, Tamworth

1979

THE LEGEND CONTINUES

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017

2017

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

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C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

years of bringing you the music 1975–2017