Victoria has many wonderful artists, one of the reasons that I moved here. Most of them are Indies, or they are signed to labels Who aren’t exactly Major world companies.
This young fella is one of the huge contingent of gifted, talented and fabulous songwriters down here. I am singling him out not because I love him any more than I love other members of my country music family, but because he has attempted to have an official launch of his Trigger album at least 4 or 5 times, and he has quit postponing it now and has cancelled it.
This baby faced bundle of energy has displayed humour, heart and has tried in many different ways to make the show go ahead. One of the postponed gigs had a poster with him ageing on the cover.
This husband, father and teacher has given this old cowgirl many lessons over the last couple of years. The way that he has posted so many happy shots, makes me laugh, keeps on fighting and has truly given his all in his own unique style is inspirational.
If you have a spare couple of bucks, please buy Trigger by Gareth Leach, it is truly a great album. Go and see him when we are allowed to again and take in one of his smiles. As someone who is old enough to be his mother, I can also say that he is a great hugger too!
Due to my pals Rock Man and Leonie McClure taking up an alphabet challenge on 2RRR with rock and country songs respectively, I am going to put my country songs starting with K here – (for Kaz, naturally). Here is my playlist for K if I was on radio.
King – Katie Brianna
King of the Sky – Andrew Swift
Keeper of the Stars – Tracy Byrd
King of the Road – Roger Miller
Killin’ Time – Clint Black
Knowing That You’re There – Allan Caswell
Kiss an Angel Good Morning – Charley Pride
Kentucky Rain – Elvis Presley
Keeping the Faith – Mary Chapin Carpenter
Keep Me in the dark – Imogen Clark
Kew – James Van Cooper
Keep Holding On – Jetty Road
Keep the wolves from my door – Jo Caseley
Knocking on your screen door – John Prine
Kids in the street – Justin Townes Earle
Keep it to Yourself – Kacey Musgraves
Kings and Queens – Karin Page
Kimberley Girl – Tom Curtain
Kings Horses – Tori Forsyth
Keeping Bars in Business – Lainey Wilson
Kiss it (and make it better) Dolly Parton
Kimberley – Aly Cook
Kandahar Lullaby – Doug McIntyre
Kimberly Moon – Tania Kernaghan
Kidman Rides Away – Dean Perrett
Keep Us Apart – Andy Penkow
King of the Kenworth – Billy Pitt and Jarrod Hickling
Kate’s Pretty Green Dress – Bill Jackson
Kimberley Time – Chris Matthews
Kissing a girl goodnight – Drew McAlister
Key of Love – The Family Sowell
Kimberley Frontier – Graeme Connors
Kedron Brook – Kevin Johnson
Keep On The Firing Line – Marty Stuart
Keep it to Myself – Kelly Brouhaha
Keep this love alive – Melissa Robertson
Knowing you – Kenny Chesney
Kindergarten Fete – Michael Waugh
Kiama – Kevin Sullivan
Kick it Tomorrow – Liam Brew
The King and I – Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes
Keys in the mailbox – Marie Hodson
Kiss Me of Kill Me – Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes
King of the Bar Room – Lee Forster and Stuie French
Kameruka Nights – The New Graces
Karma – Pam Tillis
Kryptonite – Route 33
The Key – Phil and Lana
The Key – Vince Gill
Keep you hangin’ Round – Phil Doublet
The Keeper – Phil Doublet
The Kingston Flyer – Phil Doublet
Kitchen Table – Rex Dallas with Ashleigh Dallas
There are probably plenty of others, but this is a start!
It has been requested again, so I am just going to post it and press the repeat button when I am asked in future. I would like to make this point quite clear – this is not my list. It is an old story, but back in 2004, when I returned from Tamworth Country Music Festival, I was sent an email from one of the official Tamworth Country Music organisations, asking me to complete a survey. They asked me normal questions like was it my first time to Tamworth, where did I stay, what did I do, where did I eat and it had a question that I have been asked repeatedly about for 17 years. Which of the following types of Country Music did you listen to in Tamworth? There were 79 types. I had to tick boxes. To be honest, I am still not quite sure what a lot of them mean, and thus I would be flat out giving you an example. Some are more obvious – again, this is not my list, I just checked (yes or no, as George Strait would sing). Added to that is Allan Caswell’s donation, Temporary Country and now it is 93, given a site that I looked up this morning which added some more. So it is 93 or 94 types now. In the end, if it floats your boat (or horse), just enjoy it for what it is.
I put this album on pre-ordered this album a long time ago, it has taken a while to become fully available. It is under the category of country on Itunes, and a lot would disagree. I find that I can detect country music in most songs, maybe it is my unique ears, or maybe it is some kind of intuition, but it is there. Everything has to come from something. I only know that my kids at wiggle and jiggle love Boots are Made for walking, who usually prefer rap. With a long time collaborator, Lee Greenwood and countless copycat shows about the two, it is definitely an album that smells of country. My roots are in the 60’s…I was born there, and folk, blues, roots and early rock and roll were all based on a cousin called country.
Nancy, of course, is the daughter of some reputable singer called Frank, sister of another bloke called Frank and a sister of a producer called Tina. They are mates with The Martins and all of the Rat Pack, and even before young Nancy Jnr sang her first note, she was famous.
This album is just full of wonderful memories, and there is definitely a country thread. Nancy Sinatra has style, class and she has the tubes. This lady has some serious cred on her own without having to link it with the above.
This is an Itunes buy, so I don’t have songwriting credits or production and muso creds here, but what I do have is a lady who can sing just about anything and in many respects, is and always has been an underrated singer and performer, sometimes being part of a famous circle can be damaging and unfair.
Some Velvet Morning is actually the name of a venue in Melbourne which plays mainly Alt. Country Music (Americana) and folk. Here she sings songs like Jackson, and a whole heap of songs with Lee Greenwood, which wreak of country.
There is a pretty famous tribute show of Nancy and Lee that has done the rounds in Australia for many years. It is totally country. Many of the tracks are included here…including Arkansas Coal, Paris Summer, Jackson, etc.
On her own, Machine Gun Kelly, Hello L.A, Bye Bye Birmingham, Kind of a Woman,How does that Grab you darlin’? etc are definitely country.
For those who doubt that this album is country, I recommend that you compare it to some of those who say that they are.
This is a wonderful almost best of by an amazing woman called Nancy Sinatra, technically, Nancy Sinatra Jnr, who does the mob proud, with sass, vinegar and vocal power.
As a child of the sixties, and a country music fan since birth, welcome to the mob.
I have been lucky enough to meet Rich and see and hear him play his original tunes and with and without my dear country music brother, Michael Waugh. I couldn’t resist this, then, because I love Rich’s music and his interpretation of other great songwriters’ music but also because he is just such a beaut bloke and I knew that he would put love and passion into this album, because that’s what he does. He is a 100 percenter.
Of course, I am a big Springsteen fan, so that helps too. Springsteen brought out an amazing country album last year, but I have always found some country in what Springsteen does. Having said that, Rich sings and writes a lot of different kinds of music too, so it is not a stretch.
Maybe I am looking at too many parallels, but Bruce’s band is the E Street Band (for those who have been living under a non musical rock), and Rich’s band is the Low Road! Sorry, couldn’t resist.
You can tell by Rich’s subtitle that he is much more articulate than myself, but you get the picture. This album is lovingly produced. Rich has been very careful to present each song without impersonating or attempting to impersonate Bruce and his band, it is simply a tribute to one of the world’s greatest artists and his music.
The soul and spirit of Bruce’s music is there without copying it note for note and vocally.
We all know the songs, particularly if we grew up in the era when Born in The USA and Nebraska were huge. My favourite album of Bruce’s is still The River, but it is hard to go past Born in the USA for popularity and sheer iconism. (Kaz word). My Hometown, I’m On Fire, Dancing in the Dark, Glory Days and my personal favourite interpretation, No Surrender (which was my favourite on the original!) are all wonderful. Born in The U.S.A. is perhaps too Bruce to be anything else, but that is a tough image and sound to get out of your head. Cover Me sounds more like Elvis than Bruce, but it could be argued that there is a lot of Elvis in Bruce….as there is a lot of Dylan in Bruce.
Glory Days is close No Surrender as my favourite, but as I alluded to with No Surrender, Glory Days was also a favourite on Born in The USA. It is a more mellow approach than Springsteen made on his album, but in many ways, I prefer it….as I get older, I prefer slower and smoother.
This must have taken a lot of time and dedication to get this right. It could have gone badly in the wrong hands. I have never seen, heard or read anything that Rich creates which doesn’t have that wonderful touch to it. As I wrote above, he’s a 100 percenter.
He has the voice and the talent for it, and being a songwriter himself, he looks a bit deeper into the meaning of the words and the music than a singer would. These are all brilliant songs, classic songs from a classic album. A wise person once said, what is a singer without a song? While it is true that a great song can sometimes seem good even when left in the hands of an okay singer, it really does take someone who can go a few more layers down into the song to get a result like this.
To be honest, I wouldn’t trust just anybody with this project. It would have to be a pretty special artist (and a brave one) to take on such an amazing piece of music history.
And Rich Davies is pretty special. Do your ears a favour, keep an open mind and give this a listen. Then go and listen to Rich’s original.
In a world gone mad, I thought that I would add a bit of fun silly to your day. There are reasons why I write about music and I don’t play it or sing it. I have absolutely no talent in that area. I do love music though….lots of kinds – and in a moment of fun, I decided to make up a mock album of something that has become a bit of a running joke with my friends (those of the talented variety) and myself.
Some of the titles will be vaguely familiar to you, others are ones that I have conjured up myself.
Now to the serious stuff…..this is totally for a laugh. The album is not available anywhere. It is just for fun.
Kaz Stumpy Johnson does not usually do covers, but she has taken some classic country songs and made them her own in her usual dingaling style. Added to these wonderful re-creations, she has penned some amazing songs with her trusty air triangle and air pen.
All of these songs have reached the top three in Trianglesilvania, Triangladad, Triangleparary and Triangleworth (of course!)
Her air singing to match her air triangle playing will go down in history as being just about the most iconic silent voice work of all time. There are already plans to make a silent movie of her wonderful songs which so many people can’t relate to but wish that they could.
If you could buy this album, it would be the first one that you would grab from your KTEL record holder to play each day.
Remember, folks, Triangle a little kindness every day, it will let a little sunshine into your lives.
Track Listing:
Triangle A Little Kindness – Bobby Austin/Curt Sapaugh/Kaz Johnson
Triangle to think about Elvis – Gary Burr/Kaz Johnson
The More We Triangle – Kenny Loggins/Kaz Johnson
Triangle to Remember – Tom Jones/Harvey Schmidt/Kaz Johnson
I’m gonna triangle and be that way – Johnny Cash/Kaz Johnson
Hard as I triangle – Gene MacLellan/Kaz Johnson
Three sides to the story – Kaz Johnson
I’m just a Countriangle Girl – Kaz Johnson
(Looking at life) From a different Triangle – Kaz Johnson
From Three Sides Now – Joni Mitchell/Kaz Johnson
3 Sides are better than one – Kaz Johnson
That’s the Ding that I remember about you – Kaz Johnson
Produced by Kaz Stumpy Johnson at Ding Ding Studios, Victoria
I have put this new album in the off the cuff section because this is a self-professed pop album. Pete (my Bundy brother) has his roots in country and blues but this is a new venture for him.
He may be trying a different path, but as this recent pic shows, he still has the check shirt on, so I think that you will hear some country blues on this album too. After all, there are 20 tracks – very generous these days and it covers a lot of ground.
Long Road, Ride the Sky, Son of Mine, Child, Sex on Fire, Aussie Girls, Together, Goodbye and Hysteria have elements of country blues in them. Long Road is probably my favourite track on the album. These are all terrific songs. Pop can mean bubble gum music these days, I would lean more to rock or blues. I would never think of Pete’s music as pop, that is too shallow. Pete’s music always has substance, no matter what he produces. As a wise muso recently said, country music can be found in most songs if you dig deep enough. In the end, good music is good music.
This album is quite epic – in length and in content. It is very personal, being largely autobiographical. There are 4 covers and the rest are Pete. See if you can pick them. I know Crazy is one of them (not the Willie Nelson song made famous by Patsy Cline). It is the Seal song, if I am not mistaken. Awesome version.
I only have the iTunes version of this album, so I can’t give you a lot of details. I know Pete very well now, for a long time, though we have never met in person, he feels like a brother. You can learn a lot about a person by their words and music and Pete has helped me through P.Ms on Facebook through a lot of ups and downs. He is a kind and caring person and it comes through on his songs. I think that it is the Bundy connection. My grandmother was from there. We have fun arguments about the footy and have had some colourful conversations about all sorts of things.
To know the man is to know his music and visa versa. Pete can really sing anything. His voice is quite powerful, soulful and his delivery is always emotional and heartfelt.
It has been a while since Pete has released new music and he has worked very hard to get this album up and running. I base a lot of my music likes on the people who make the music. Pete is a great bloke (I’ll get him to go for the Roosters one day!) His music reflects that. The two factors usually go together. Give Pete a listen…he doesn’t fit into any particular box, his music laps over into several genres.
Hi folks, in its infinite wisdom, Facebook has taken down every post that we have shared of our campaign to help Felicity and her children. Thank you for posting your pics to our personal message banks. Donna Marie will donate $2 for every pic of you ‘singing the phone book’ and I will donate $1. Every cent of this will go to Felicity and her girls to help them out and to raise awareness for their very tough loss. We have already raised a fair bit of tosh and we hope to raise much more by the time Tamworth comes and at Tamworth itself. I have already a box with a fair bit of coin in it. Others have donated as well. I am not sure why Facebook has deleted our pictures, but the charity event goes on…or more aptly, we are helping out a mate. You just need to send us a pic of you and a phone book. Thanks to Gina Timms, Leonie McClure and others who want to do more at Tamworth. Whatever, Facebook omits, we will submit. This is not about us two fans, this is about helping someone who we care about. Please help
It is now not just female artists, but all artists and fans who want to help too.
The original idea came from Lachlan Bryan who suggested to me that even the best female vocalist may not be able to sing the phone book beautifully. So here we are, doing something fun for someone who deserves it.
Yo folks, well, I have been delaying this. While this was not as hard, in some ways, as compiling my Australian Country Music Top 100, it certainly has been tough. I have tried to leave Greatest Hits albums out, though some have filtered through. I stress that this is in my lifetime – 1963-2019 and therefore, there are a lot of good ones from before this time – Hank Williams, for example, that I have left out. Patsy just snuck in.
There were a few beauties that just missed the cut and could really easily fit in to this 100. This is purely based on my taste and of course, I have excellent taste! Apart from the no. 1 album, any of these albums could feature in any of these positions, I love all of them. I have said many times that the number 1 album is my favourite. It is the album from the Americas that I play the most. Some may surprise you, others definitely won’t, if you know my taste. So, here are she be, a totally biased, 100.
There’s More Where That Came From – Lee Ann Womack
The Austin Sessions – Kris Kristofferson
I Still Believe In You – Vince Gill
Old 8 x 10 – Randy Travis
Come On, Come On – Mary Chapin Carpenter
Days Gone By – James House
Long Stretch of Lonesome – Patty Loveless
Back Home Again – John Denver
Love Songs – Tanya Tucker
Three Chords and The Truth – Sara Evans
Nashville Skyline – Bob Dylan (featuring Johnny Cash)
Everywhere – Tim McGraw
Guitars and Cadillacs – Dwight Yoakam
Road Tested – Bonnie Raitt and Friends
Lead On – George Strait
See If I Care – Gary Allan
Thinkin’ About You – Trisha Yearwood
The Hard Way – Clint Black
Double Live – Garth Brooks
The Restless Kind – Travis Tritt
For My Broken Heart – Reba McEntire
Real Man – Billy Dean
Photographs and Memories – Jim Croce
Sweet Talk and Good Lies – Heather Myles
Alabama Song – Allison Moorer
Old Enough to Know Better – Wade Hayes
Songs From The Movie – Mary Chapin Carpenter
Drive – Alan Jackson
Cage the Songbird – Crystal Gayle
Always and Forever – Randy Travis
Let’s Keep it That Way – Anne Murray
Blame The Vain – Dwight Yoakam
Rumour Has It – Reba McEntire
The Song Remembers When – Trisha Yearwood
Ten Feet Tall and Bullet Proof – Travis Tritt
Revelation – Joe Nichols
Did I shave my legs for this? Deana Carter
Greatest Hits – Pam Tillis
Van Lear Rose – Loretta Lynn
Blue Kentucky Girl – Emmylou Harris
Acoustic Sessions – Rodney Crowell
Walk The Line (Studio Album – 1964 ) Johnny Cash
Lee Ann Womack – Lee Ann Womack
Civil War – Nashville Sessions – Various
The Best Of – Don Williams
Sweet Dreams Soundtrack – Patsy Cline
A Thousand Winding Roads – Joe Diffie
Easy Come, Easy Go – George Strait
The Grass Is Blue – Dolly Parton
Cass County – Don Henley
The Eagles Greatest (Blue Cover)
Infamous Angel – Iris DeMent
When The Wrong One Loves You Right – Wade Hayes
Back To Me – Kathleen Edwards
The Road Goes On Forever – The Highwaymen
Storms of Life – Randy Travis
LIVE – Alison Krauss and Union Station
The Best of Collin Raye – Collin Raye
GP/Grievious Angel – Gram Parsons
I Hope You Dance – Lee Ann Womack
Sunday Morning To Saturday Night – Matraca Berg
Stranger Than The Truth – Reba McEntire
Souvenirs – John Prine
She Remembers Everything – Rosanne Cash
Greatest Hits – Beth Nielsen Chapman
The Late Great….. – Townes Van Zandt
Goodbye Girl – David Gates
Trio – Linda, Dolly and Emmylou
Wide Open Spaces – The Dixie Chicks
Car Wheels on A Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
Between Now and Forever – Bryan White
Keepers: Greatest Hits – Tracy Byrd
8 Seconds Soundtrack – Various
Full Circle – Loretta Lynn
Born To Fly – Sara Evans
The Key – Vince Gill
Simple Dreams – Linda Ronstadt
Let Them Be Little – Billy Dean
Colvin and Earle – Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle
Some Days Are Diamonds – John Denver
4.5 – Indigo Girls
Highways and Heartaches – Wade Hayes
Tarpaper Sky – Rodney Crowell
What I Do Best – John Michael Montgomery
The Travelling Kind – Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris
Love and Honour – Ricky Van Shelton
Solid Ground – Ricky Skaggs
Duets – Reba and Friends
Adios – Glen Campbell
Country Music – Marty Stuart
Same Trailer, Different Park – Kacey Musgraves
Girl Going Nowhere – Ashley McBryde
The Thorns – The Thorns
Greatest Hits – Martina McBride
The Lonely, The Lonesome and The Gone – Lee Ann Womack
Blade – Ashley Monroe
Part II – Brad Paisley
Django and Jimmie – Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
Cowgirlup 