NEWS
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Hot Off The Press is news that Goodbye Lover, Hello Friend is No4 in Ireland last week, having topped the charts there last September with the same song. Since the latter half of 2007, I have seen songs from the album on charts somewhere, which is always great surprise.
Well last year was certainly a great year! After the release of my Soundboard album early in the year I have had 18 Top 10s in twelve European countries including my first No1 in Ireland with Goodbye Lover, Hello Friend. There were four different songs to reach Top 10 and something is telling me to pick up my pen and start writing again and perhaps tour Scandinavia.
BIOGRAPHY
I was born at a very early age in Melbourne, Australia. I first played guitar at the age of nine, playing a small bodied acoustic that my parents gave me for my birthday. Nothing much happened until The Beatles came along redefining the music that had been the inspiration for my learning. Until this, inspiration had come from the Everly Brothers, Marty Robbins and Guy Mitchell. As a result of the new generation of music, school-work took a back seat and found playing music became more appealing. Playing in a school band called The Phables did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. I wanted more.
My more serious playing days started in 1969 in a band called 'FUZZ' appearing on Television's 'Uptight' show and playing the dance halls alongside bands such as the 'Master's Apprentices' and 'The Valentines' in venues such as Festival Hall. A year or so later I joined a band called 'LIVE SOUND DIMENSION', a recording and cabaret act that occasionally doubled as a backing band for many floorshow acts. The band was also sought for recording sessions for other artists because of their harmony abilities. I had some fun dabbling in acting working on the television series Prisoner and The Sullivans, which became international successes. I also appeared as an extra in the movie Thirst during c1979.
In 1979 I joined the band STONEY CREEK. The band carved a name for itself on Australia's country music circuit, head lining at most of the major music festivals in the eastern states. The band leaned heavily on their harmonizing abilities and were often called upon as a back up band for solo artists, such as the legendary Jimmy Little, Patsy Riggir, Col Elliott and Alison Durban. Because of the band's backing abilities they were also chosen as the support band for Tom T. Hall and Diana Trask. We were also the backing band for the contestants in the Tamworth Starmaker Talent Quest in 1981- 1982, an event that was to launch the careers of several of today's stars, including Lee Kernaghan and Keith Urban. The band won a talent quest at the famed Wandong Country Music Festival and Most Popular Vocal Band at the FEIP Southern Hemisphere awards in 1983 and 1984. It was felt that each member should be a multi-instrumentalist, so in addition to guitar I learned to play bass and banjo.
During this period I was writing more songs than Stoney Creek could use, so I entered the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards winning Best Composition with Lady Right and also fourth prize for Goodbye Lover, Hello Friend.
In 2001 I recorded an album with ex-Stoney Creek member Steve Cross. It was produced by another ex-Creek member Charlie Kneale and scored radio air-play in Malta and the Channel Islands.
January 2006 saw the independent release of a four song EP which was played on radio throughout Australia and Europe while I finished off the rest of my Soundboard album.
Soundboard is now released and being played throughout Australia, U.S., Canada and Europe.
This year the album received a finalist nomination in the Victorian Country Music Awards for Album of the Yearp
SONGS CURRENTLY RECEIVING AIRPLAY:Goodbye Lover, Hello Friend
Crazy
Streets of Your Town
Got To Find Me
Storm of Love
If You Gotta Go, Go Now
I was walking along the pavement the other day, and look what I found. Why didn't someone tell me?