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THE LATEST NEWS
A major computer breakdown at the Bulletin restricted the amount of news uploaded through October 2009. Major news items will be included progressively for the record.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2009
An appeal has been launched for funds to build a permanent memorial to Australian country music legend Smoky Dawson in Tamworth.
Smoky died on 13th February 2008. His wife and long time partner Dot, aged 103, is still living in a nursing home in Sydney.
The memorial will take the form of a statue by well-known sculptor Tanya Bartlett (acclaimed for her statue of Don Bradman in Bowral and the Light Horse memorial in Tamworth).
It will be placed in a prominent position in Tamworth, the city Smoky and Dot always regarded as their second home and which they helped transform into Australia’s Country Music Capital.
The appeal will only run until the end of January. It is planned to unveil the memorial in January 2011.
In launching the appeal, John said: "For more than seven decades, Smoky and Dot working together made an extraordinary contribution to Australian life.
“A superb singer and songwriter and a consummate showman, Smoky was above all, admired for his humility and his infectious good nature. He revelled in the spotlight, sharing his achievements with enthusiasm, spreading laughter and happiness wherever he went.
“All who knew him were influenced and uplifted by his generous and effervescent spirit. Together with Dot, he was an inspiration to us all and we will always treasure his memory."
Contributions to the Smoky Dawson Memorial Appeal are tax deductible and can sent to the Australian Country Music Foundation, PO Box 1842, Tamworth, 2340.
Weblink – www.smokydawsonmemorial.com.
Tribute to "the pioneering ladies"
On Saturday, January 16, the Australian Country Music Foundation (ACMF), will present the Australian Country Music Hall Of Fame Tribute To The Pioneering Ladies Concert in the Tamworth Town Hall from 2pm.
"Honouring pioneering females like The McKean Sisters, Shirley Thoms, Sister Dorrie, The Schneider Sisters, Lily Connors, June Holms and Bernie Burnett, this wonderful concert will feature Anne Kirkpatrick (pictured), Dianne Lindsay, Wayne Horsburgh, Clelia Adams, Jodie Crosby And Steve Newton, Peter Pratt, Tracy Killeen, Lou Bradley, Laura Downing, Paul Wilson and will also include a special quest appearances by 2008 Roll Of Renown inductee Geoff Mack and ventriloquist Sue Archer.
"All this great talent will be backed by the Hall Of Fame Orchestra featuring Bob Howe on guitar, Rod Coe on bass, Mike “Fettler” Kerin on fiddle and Gary Brown on dobro).
"This concert will bring back memories of our pioneering ladies and the great music that is still enjoyed by many fans today and it’s fitting that it takes place in the famous Tamworth Town Hall," a spokesman for the ACMF said.
As the major fundraising concert for the Australian Country Music Hall Of Fame, the concert will also feature the announcement of the 2010 Hands Of Fame inductees and those being honoured in the Country Music Broadcasters’ Hall Of Fame.
Tickets at $30 each can be obtained over the counter from the Tamworth Visitor Information Centre, by phone on 02 6767 5300 or online here.
Weblink – www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2009
Troy Cassar-Daley, Shane Nicholson, Jasmine Rae, Keith Urban and Felicity Urquhart (pictured) are final nominees for the 2009 ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Awards Best Country Album.
Finalists for the 2009 ARIAs were announced today.
Troy is a finalist for I Love This Place (on the Liberation label through Universal Music Australia), Shane for Familiar Ghosts (also Liberation/Universal), Jasmine for Look It Up (on the ABC Music label through Universal), Keith for Defying Gravity (on the Capitol label through EMI Music Australia) and Felicity for Landing Lights (on the Shock Entertainment label).
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson are also nominated for Best Music DVD for Rattlin’ Bones Max Sessions (Liberation/Universal) up against projects by Jimmy Barnes (Live At The Enmore), The Cat Empire (Live At The Bowl), Sia (TV Is My Parent) and various artists (for Rockwiz – Salutes the Bowl).
Pop princess and "Australian Idol" alumni Jessica Mauboy (who came to prominence in the music business by winning country music's Telstra Road To Tamworth competition) leads this year's ARIA nominations overall with seven for her debut album Been Waiting which has achieved double-platinum sales to date.
The 20 year-old from Darwin is nominated for Best Pop Release, Best Female Artist, Breakthrough Artist – Album, Breakthrough Artist – Single (for Running Back), Highest Selling Australian Album and an impressive double nomination in the Highest Selling Australian Single category for Running Back and Burn.
The 2009 ARIA Awards will be announced at Sydney's Acer Arena on Thursday November 26 and will be telecast on the Nine Network from 8.30pm with a special live red carpet broadcast taking place on MTV from 7.30pm on the day and an encore screening on Friday November 27.
Weblink – www.ariaawards.com.au.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2009
Jetty Road dominates Southern Stars
Hot country group Jetty Road dominated the 2009 Australian Independent Country Music Awards (the Southern Stars) in Mildura last night taking out two of the eight judged categories and being named Australian Independent Country Music Artist of the Year.
The band, which has been running from success to success this year, won the Group/Duo award with World Keeps Turning and Independent Album of the Year with Life At A Million Miles.
Amber Lawrence built on her success from last year taking out Single of the Year with The Mile while Dean Perrett won Heritage Track of the Year with The Dust Of Kalkadoon.
Sam Hawksley was named Male Vocalist of the Year with Sounds Like Summer and Harmony James took home the Female Vocal award with Fly.
Doug McIntyre won the Male Rising Star award withThe Man Who Might Have Been with Lianna Rose following up on her recent Golden Saddle Awards taking our the Female Rising Star awarded with Angels.
Co-founder of the Mildura Country Music Festival and 2009 Australian Country Music Broadcasters' Hall of Fame inductee Max Thorburn was presented with the Awards' Barry Thornton Memorial Service Award.
Weblink – www.milduracountrymusic.com.au.
Deniese to headline in the north
Well known country music artist Deniese Morrison will headline the annual Far North Queensland Country Music Festival at Kerribee Park, Mareeba, next weekend.
The Festival, run by the Walkamin Country Music Club, kicks off on Thursday and runs through to Sunday. Deniese will appear with Peter Pratt and Ryan Sampson on the "Saturday Night Supa Show".
Deniese Morrison has been recording since 1974, winning the Female Vocalist Golden Guitar three times – with Now I’m Easy (1987), Battle Hymn Of Love (1989) and You’ve Gotta Learn To Dance (1990).
She hosted the major Golden Guitar Awards three times and has worked extensively in television and radio over the years.
Deniese has toured Australia with major international and Australian artists including Max Bygraves, Chubby Checker, The Drifters, Dick Emery, Freddie Fender,Gerry and the Pacemakers, Tom T Hall, Gene Pitney, The Platters, Jimmy Rogers and Conway Twitty.
Earlier this year, Bellbird Music created a new series of "Classic Collection" album, under which Deniese’s album No Charge was the first to be released.
No Charge – distributed by One Stop Country and available from from music retailers – is a 14 track "best of" compilation tracing Deniese’s success over the past 20 years.
Weblink – www.deniesemorrison.com
The 2009 Deniliquin Ute Muster was staged successfully this weekend.
Troy Cassar-Daley and Adam Harvey headlined the main Saturday night concert with fellow country stars Kirsty Lee Akers, Catherine Britt and The Sunny Cowgirls.
Beccy Cole (pictured) also headlined at the Festival with rising stars Sinead Burgess and Travis Collins.
A new Guinness World Record was created on Saturday for "the largest gathering of people wearing blue shearer’s singlets" with 2,230 people gathered in blue shearer’s singlets.
Wet conditions prevented organisers from attempting to break its 1999 record of the largest parade of legally registered utes The attempt will be made at next year's Festival.
Among results from the weekend, Robert Martin from Horsley in NSW won the 2009 Ute of the Year winner title with his 2006 Holden VZ.
The 2010 Deniliquin Ute Muster will be held Friday and Saturday October 1 and 2. Stars already booked for the event include Kasey Chambers and John Williamson.
Weblink – www.deniutemuster.com.au.
Canberra Country Music Festival next weekend
More than 50 individual performers or groups will appear during Canberra's first major country music festival being staged in the nation's capital next weekend.
They include major artists like Bill Chambers, Greg Champion (pictured), Adam Harvey, Jimmy Little, together with rising stars including Chuck's Wagon, Kelly Cooper, Nicki Gillis, Bec Hance, Kylie Hogan, Leanne Melmoth,Craig Morrison Little Cowboys, Ronni Rae Rivers, Mitchell Shadlow and Kimber Sparks.
The Festival runs this Friday, Saturday and Sunday across five stages at Tuggeranong Homestead at the corner of Ashley and Johnson Drives in Richardson, ACT.
Meanwhile, organisers have announced that, in recognition of the contribution of performers and grassroots support of fans, the Canberra Country Music Festival is to host a special session called "Dreamtime Country" which will profile emerging indigenous country music artists.
To be held from midday on Saturday at the True Blue Stage, organisers are planning to make this an annual feature.
Festival Director Kelvin Fahey said: "We wanted to ensure that opportunities are available for both the performers and audiences to experience indigenous artists performing country music. Whilst much is made about developing urban indigenous music, we know there is so much talent and indigenous community support for country music."
The "Dreamtime Country" program will include performances from Johnny Huckle, Dale Huddleston and James McLeod, among others, according to organisers. This will be in addition to the traditional "Welcome To Country" ceremony and a special performance by Jimmy Little who will headline the festival opening on Friday night.
Tickets are available online from Moshtix, Canberra area newsagents and numerous music stores. Children under 13 are admitted free.
Weblink – www.canberracountry.com.
Chart update – Troy at number one for fourth week
Troy Cassar-Daley's latest hit – Sing About This Country – is at number one for the fourth week on this week's national Top 30 Country Tracks chart.
The McClymonts' Kick It Up jumps three places to be in second position while America's Brad Paisley is at three with Welcome To The Future and Adam Brand's Blue Sky Cathedral is at four.
Slim Dusty's Give Me Room is up three places to number five, Amber Lawrence's Don't Do Lonely Well jumps four places to number six and The Sunny Cowgirls' Grog Monster slips one to seven.
Tania Kernaghan's Dad's Not Gonna Like It is down to eight, John Williamson's Better Than A Picture enters the top 10 at nine and James Blundell's Queensland Calling is at 10.
Bullet performers for the week include Harmony James' Precious Little (15 to 11), Lianna Rose with I Want My Tractor Back (16 to 12), Ronni Rae Rivers' Waiting On Lonely (19 to 16), Melinda Schneider's Courageous (22 to 18), Liam Brew's Girls With Girlfriends (23 to 19), Carter & Carter's Surviving Black Saturday (24 to 20), Keith Urban with Only You Can Love Me This Way (26 to 21), Brad Cole's Hold Me In Your Arms Tonight (29 to 25) and Adam Brand's Ready For Love (new at 26).
Other new entries to the chart this week include Greg Storer & Sara Storer with When I Was A Boy (in at 29).
The full chart can be viewed at www.countrymusicradio.com.au.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2009
The 2009 Mildura Country Music Festival is in full swing and leading up to Sunday night's announcement of winners in this year's Australian Independent Country Music Awards.
At the Festival, meanwhile, crowds have flocked in for the 20th annual event which kicked off last week and concludes on Sunday.
First results to hand are from the Festival's Top of the State Talent Quest where Jordy McMillan (pictured) from Airly was named Grand Overall Winner.
Jordy also won the Junior Overall title while Amanda Lawlor from Mildura took out the
Senior Overall award.
Katie Giddings from Mildura was named Senior Champion of Champions while Maddison Caruso from Traralgon won the Junior Champion of Champions title. Katie also won the Buttercup Showcase Invitation and the Norfolk Island Trans Tasman Entertainer of the Year Invitation.
In detailed results...
Kaylee-Rose Andrews from Cootamundra won in Juvenile Vocal – 13 Years & Under, Maddison Caruso from Traralgon won in Junior Vocal – 16 Years & Under and Caroline Caputo from Berri took out the Senior Vocal title.
Jordy McMillan won the Junior Australian Country Vocal 16 years & Under section, Amelia Richards from Bradbury took out the Junior Country Rock 16 Years & Under title while Skye Armstrong & Kaylee-Rose Andrews (from Young & Cootamundra) won in Senior Open Duet Senior or Junior.
Katie Giddings from Mildura won Senior Australian Country Vocal, Sonya Traha from Hampton Park took out the Open Songwriters Junior/ Senior section and Melody Feder of Dernancourt won the Senior Country Rock title.
Andrew Mahony from Skipton was presented with the Karl Williams Memorial Trophy and Eliza Parker from Elizabeth East was awarded the Sommerville Family Instrumental Award of Excellence.
The "Slim Dusty Way" will be a uniquely themed tourist drive giving visitors to NSW "a truly Australian experience" from Nulla Nulla and Kempsey, Slim's birthplace, via Port Macquarie through Wauchope, Walcha and o on to to Tamworth, whose transformation into Australia's Country Music Capital was strongly supported by the man himself.
A feasibility project is currently under way for the drive which will include a market demand analysis and a review of visitation trends and forecasts, the preparation of a route development report identifying possible opportunities and risks; and engage the local community and business groups to compile local stories and histories relating to Slim Dusty’s music and heritage.
Part of the project will involve conducting a survey to examine people's perception about travelling the proposed "Slim Dusty Way" and collecting people’s thoughts from all over Australia, including those who are Slim Dusty fans and people that have no association with country music who travel, or are intending to travel and may be interested in the project.
The survey can be completed on-line and will take less than 10 minutes. It can also
be completed in hard copy at visitor information centres along the proposed route at
Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Walcha, Tamworth, Nundle, Manilla and Barraba.
The survey will close at 4pm Friday October 16, 2009.
It can be accessed here.
The "Slim Dusty Way" will also build on Slim's vision, "to show visitors the real 'country
Australia', its people, its places, its culture and Australian country music, now more popular than ever."
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