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The Australian Songwriter
Issue 152, May 2021
First published 1979
The Magazine of The Australian Songwriters Association Inc.
In This Edition:
• On the Cover of The Australian Songwriter: Colin Hay (Men At Work):
2020 Inductee into the Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
• Chairman’s Message
• Editor’s Message
• Important Announcements
• Top 10 Category Finalists: 2020 Australian Songwriting Contest
• Colin Hay: 2020 Inductee Into The Australian Songwriters Hall Of Fame
• Wax Lyrical Roundup
• Sponsors Profiles
• Members News and Information
• 2020 Rudy Brandsma Award Nominees
• Cathy Dobson: 2020 Winner Of The Rudy Brandsma Award
• Tony King: 2020 APRA/ASA Australian Songwriter Of The Year
• Ana Key: ASA Regional Co-Ordinator Of The Year
• 2020 In Memoriam
• Latest Music Releases From ASA Members And Friends
• Mark Cawley’s Monthly Songwriting Blog
• The Load Out
• Official Sponsors of the Australian Songwriting Contest
• About Us:
o Aims of the ASA
o History of the Association
o Contact Us
o Patron
o Life Members
o Directors
o Regional Co-Ordinators
o Webmaster
o 2019 APRA/ASA Songwriter of the Year
o 2019 Rudy Brandsma Award Winner
o 2019 PPCA Live Performance Award Winner
o Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2004 to 2019)
o Lifetime Achievement Award (2017)
o 2019 Australian Songwriting Contest Category Winners
o Songwriters of the Year and Rudy Brandsma Award (1983 to 2019)
Chairman’s Message
Hi one and all,
The Australian Songwriters Association 2020 National
Songwriting Awards went to air on Sunday 16 May.
The awards were in a virtual format for the first time ever
and were aired on the website of our great sponsors, the
Wests Ashfield Club.
Your Board held out as long as possible, in the hope of
having our usual live Awards, but unfortunately when the
Northern Beaches and other hotspots in Sydney developed,
we eventually had to admit defeat, and work on the virtual
show.
Needless to say, the whole presentation had to be approached in a different way,
and the Board hopes that you were all entertained by the ‘new look’ Awards.
Now that these Awards have gone to air, we will be commencing the 2021
Competition, so we hope you enjoyed the show, and are ready to get busy, because
this year beckons.
Denny Burgess
Chairman
Editor’s Message
Hi Everyone,
And congratulations to the winners in the 2020 Australian
Songwriting Contest, and the Top 10s, Top 30s and, in fact,
everybody who entered.
The Top 10s listing is set out later in the magazine. The
video of the virtual awards is now available for viewing on
the ASA’s Youtube channel.
In this awards edition of the magazine, we are featuring
Glenn A. Baker’s induction speech of Colin Hay into The
Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame together with Colin’s
acceptance speech.
We also mention Tony King as the 2020 APRA/ASA Songwriter of the Year and Cathy
Dobson as the 2020 winner of The Rudy Brandsma Award for Songwriting Excellence.
We’ll be publishing interviews with Tony and Cathy, together with all Category
winners, in upcoming editions of the magazine.
Take care and stay safe,
Alan Gilmour,
Editor and Vice Chairman
Important Announcements 2020 Virtual National Songwriting Awards The 2020 National Songwriting Awards were held on Sunday evening 16 May 2012 in a virtual format. This followed a lengthy wait to see whether venue restrictions would be eased to allow for a full live event. Unfortunately, this did not eventuate. Thanks to ASA sponsor, The Wests Ashfield Club, for allowing us to use its website to host the awards video. We had over one thousand online viewers for the event. Congratulations to all of our Category winners, Top 10s, Top 30s and in fact everyone who entered the 2020 contest. A list of Top 10s is shown later in the magazine. The video of the 2020 awards is now available for viewing on the ASA’s Youtube channel. ASA Wax Lyricals Many ASA Wax Lyricals have re-opened as live events, as venue restrictions ease around the country. You’ll find a selection of recent Wax Lyrical photographs later in the magazine from Sunbury VIC, Hobart TAS, Central Coast NSW; Canberra ACT, Northern Rivers NSW, Newcastle NSW; Ballarat/Goldfields VIC; Yarra Valley; and Cairns QLD. If you are interested in performing original songs at any of the ASA Wax Lyricals, please contact your local Regional Co-Ordinator. 2021 Australian Songwriting Contest Your ASA team is currently working on the 2021 Australian Songwriting Contest, which will be announced shortly. The Contest will be accepting entries in 13 Categories: • Australia • Ballad • Comedy/Novelty • Contemporary Pop/Dance • Country • Folk/Acoustic • Instrumental • Lyrics • Open • Rock/Indie • Songs For Children • Spiritual • Youth We hope there is a category for you.
Top 10s in the 2020 Australian Songwriting Contest
Australia Category
Top 10 Australia Category 2020
RANK Title Songwriters State
1 The Generation Eric Read QLD
2 Fields Of Plenty Jonathan Hayden QLD
3 Till My Love is Gone Jacques Gentil VIC
Long Way From Home (This
4 Christmas) Phil Davidson NSW
5 The Boys At The Beach Jade Goodge VIC
Sam Hawksley/
6 A Little More Love Casey Burgess Fred Wilham NSW
7 Koora Carmel Charlton WA
8 A Farmer's Lullaby Cathy Dobson VIC
9 Rain Daniel Higgins Brendan Smoother NSW
10 On The Way Wendy Ford NSW
10 Sailing Tony Kennelly NSW
10 Wiradjuri Sammy Horner WEXHAM
Ballad Category
Top 10 Ballad Category 2020
RANK Title Songwriters State
1 Never Loved Jemma Siles Cyrus Villa VIC
2 Follow The Star Donna Dyson Craig Allister Young QLD
3 Side By Side Frances Madden NSW
4 Some Loving Left To Do Susan Muranty Bob Britt NSW
5 I'm Not Perfect Paul Volta TAS
6 I Will Remember You Frances Madden NSW
7 The Tide Will Come In Tony King NSW
8 Always By Your Side Katie Hardyman Mick Evans NSW
8 There You Are Steve Montgomery NSW
10 Alone Lola Brinton Brad Butcher NSW
Stephen Kiely/
10 Still Can't Wait Jack Rodgers Roxanne Kiely NSW
Comedy/Novelty Category Top 10 Comedy / Novelty Category 2020 RANK Title Songwriters State 1 The Day The Queen Smoked A Joint Tony King NSW 2 Pffucket Bucket Renee Jonas Jamie Newton NSW 3 Starting Over Kerrie Garside QLD 4 My Man In Red Elizabeth Usher Renee Jonas NSW 5 Fashionista Elizabeth Adams Nathan Esham NSW 6 Let's Go Nude Paul Owen NSW 7 Wouldn't Be Dead For Quids Eric Read QLD 8 Christmas In Australia Anthony Frizzell VIC 9 Safeway Don Cowling VIC 10 We Don't Wanna Work No More Anthony Corea WA
Contemporary Pop/Dance Category Top 10 Contemporary / Pop / Dance Category 2020 RANK Title Songwriters State 1 Silenced (For Too Long) Niamh Watson Mario Spate NSW 2 Outside And In Jordyn Richards NSW 3 Escape Lily Roome Kelly Griffith/Toby Wells NSW 4 Old Love Lauren Valatiadis Michael Hambly USA 5 Out Of My Head Jemma Siles VIC 6 Back Into The Night Damien Hosken VIC 7 Tunnel Vision Larissa Lock Josh Rogers SA 8 Touch Anna Maynard TAS 9 Wherever You Are Niamh Watson Kelly Griffith NSW 10 Good? Zoe Tracas VIC
Country Category
Top 10 Country Category 2020
RANK Title Songwriters State
1 25 Cents In The Ashtray Katrina Burgoyne NSW/USA
2 Bring My Innocence With Me Spencer Kelly WA
3 Perfect Christopher Mustica VIC
Moving Like A Candle In The
4 Wind Damien Hosken Stacy Hogan VIC
5 Gasoline Lucy 'Tiger' O'Connor NSW
6 A Picture Of Heaven Michael McGee USA
7 Worth A Shot Ricky Parker QLD
8 Take Me Home Damien Hosken VIC
9 Skinny Jeans Sandy McNaughton NSW
10 How The Story Ends Emily Markham NSW
Folk/Acoustic Category
Top 10 Folk / Acoustic Category 2020
RANK Title Songwriters State
Robert Pearce/Craig
1 A Silent Minute Renee Jonas Cooke/Allan Caswell NSW
2 Torn Apart Jason Greenwood VIC
3 Take Me Home Damien Hosken VIC
4 I Don't Want To Go To War Jan Bentley VIC
5 Tick Tock Loren Kate SA
6 A Face In A Long Line Mitchell Dean VIC
7 Beautiful One Michael Burrows Frank Myers VIC
8 Goodbye Is Blue Abbey Slattery VIC
David Carter/
9 Isn't It A Shame Daniel Higgins Merelyn Carter NSW
10 Swamped Anna van Riel NZ
10 You On My Side Anirban Banerjee ACTInstrumental/World Music Category
Top 10 Instrumental / World Music Category 2020
RANK Title Songwriters State
Bukhchuluun Ganburged/Peter
1 Sixty White Horses John Robinson Kennard/Bertie McMahon NSW
2 Roadworn Lindsay Waddington QLD
3 Deep Blue Susie Kothe QLD
4 Bushfire Moon Fiona Joy Hawkins NSW
5 Scrubby Creek Terry Bennetts WA
6 Sunset Greg Barnett QLD
7 Street Festival Peter Altmeier- Mort WA
8 Bostock Boogie Robbie Bostock QLD
9 Whitsunday Nights Lindsay Waddington QLD
10 Seashells Robbie Bostock QLDLyrics Category
Top 10 Lyrics Category 2020
RANK Title Songwriters State
1 A Library Burns Tony King NSW
2 Black Dog Donna Dyson Tyrone Noonan QLD
3 Beans Alec Raymer NSW
I'll Never Give Up On Rock N
4 Roll Steve Montgomery NSW
Valparaiso (The Stories It Could
5 Tell) Steve Montgomery NSW
Robert Pearce/Craig
6 A Silent Minute Renee Jonas Cooke/Allan Caswell NSW
7 Old Friends Steve Montgomery NSW
8 Some Loving Left To Do Susan Muranty Bob Britt NSW
9 There You Are Steve Montgomery NSW
10 The Tide Will Come In Tony King NSWOpen Category Top 10 Open Category 2020 RANK Title Songwriters State 1 Until We're Free Aniesha Hunt James Feagai QLD 2 I Can Get There From Here Steve Montgomery NSW 3 Boy In The Shadow Sophia Petropoulos VIC 4 Broken Dreams Kelly Hamilton NSW 5 No Love For You Jazzy Dale Robby De Sa NSW 6 All I Need Is You Thomas Libreri Tessa Libreri VIC 7 Luckiest Girl Lucy Burke NSW 8 Which Wolf Beverely Abela WA 9 When It All Comes Down To Love Jacques Gentil VIC 10 Baby Baby Damien Hosken VIC 10 Falling For Your Love Damien Hosken Stacy Hogan VIC 10 The Tango Never Lies Frances Madden NSW
Rock/Indie Category Top 10 Rock / Indie Category 2020 RANK Title Songwriters State 1 Already Mine Michael McGee Michael Kachani USA 2 Please Don't Cry Michael Burrows VIC 3 Big Wet, Long Dry Nick Charles Mick Pealing NSW 4 Falling For Your Love Damien Hosken Stacy Hogan VIC 5 Aftershock Abbey Slattery VIC 6 Faith Tiffany Gow NSW 7 Greenwood Lucie 'Tiger' O'Connor NSW 8 No One To Blame Antonio Corea WA 9 True Friend Sasha Sekuloski Sabrina Sekuloski NSW 9 Utopia Donna Dyson Tyrone Noonan QLD 9 Waiting On The Other Side Keri McInerney QLD
Songs For Children Category
Top 10 Songs For Children Category 2020
RANK Title Songwriters State
Who, What, When, Where,
1 How And Why? Stephen Kiely Roxanne Kiely NSW
2 High, Low, Inbetween Donna Dyson QLD
3 Great Big Feet! Donna Dyson Craig Allister Young QLD
4 Funky Monkey Julia Dayhew Jonathon Holmes NSW
5 Honey Bees Stephen Kiely Roxanne Kiely NSW
6 Say Hello Donna Dyson Craig Allister Young QLD
7 Let's Sing-Along Stephen Kiely Roxanne Kiely NSW
8 Sleepyheads Shane Murray QLD
9 My Little Veggie Patch Stephen Kiely Roxanne Kiely NSW
10 My 26 BFFs Stephen Kiely Roxanne Kiely NSWSpiritual Category Top 10 Spiritual Category 2020 RANK Title Songwriters State 1 Glorious Failures Susan Muranty Renee Jonas NSW 1 Observer Helen Mottee NSW 3 Faith Tiffany Gow NSW 4 Someday (He's Coming Again) Jacques Gentil VIC 5 All By Grace Of God's Own Hands Spencer Kelly WA 6 Boxes Helen Mottee NSW 7 Till My Love Has Gone Jacques Gentil VIC 8 All His Creation Christopher Mustica VIC 9 The One Who Walks Me Home Frances Madden NSW 10 Eden Melissa Stanton NSW 10 There You Are Steve Montgomery NSW
Youth Category Top 10 Youth Category 2020 RANK Title Songwriters State 1 Me Without You Lucy Parle NSW 2 Boy In The Shadow Vicky Karitinos VIC 2 Start At The End Angus Brill Reed SA 4 Hold Back Bianca Schembri Emanuele Mamo VIC 5 You'll Never Win Lucy Parle NSW 6 Changing My Ecology Elizabeth Adams Nick Adams NSW 7 Fit In Angus Brill Reed SA 8 Imperfect Amber Farnan QLD 9 Good? Zoe Tracas VIC 10 Girl In Love Sophia Petropoulos VIC 10 Fall Into Fears Lyla Digrazia VIC 10 You In The End Jazzy Dale NSW
Colin Hay: 2020 Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee 2020 marks the 17th annual induction of noted Australian songwriters into The Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame, since it was established in 2004. The award was established to honour the work of some of Australia’s best and most influential songwriters. The 2020 inductee is Colin Hay, songwriter and front man for the iconic Australian band, Men At Work. The Men had a string of local and International hits in the 1980s with songs such as Who Can It Be Now, Down Under, Overkill and It’s A Mistake, to name a few. Colin enjoyed an all-too-short, but busy time with the Men, and then embarked on a lengthy solo career, which has resulted in a catalogue of thirteen albums and a number of acting roles. Like most of the previous Hall of Fame inductions, the 2020 induction of Colin Hay was performed by Australian music icon and ASA Patron, Glenn A Baker. Glenn has known Colin since the early days of Men At Work and is well-placed to speak on Colin’s many achievements. The following is a full list of Hall of Fame inductees since 2004: 2020: Colin Hay (Men At Work) 2019: Andrew “Greedy” Smith & Martin O’Doherty (Mental As Anything) 2018: Iva Davies (Icehouse) 2017: Vikki Thorn, Donna Simpson & Josh Cunningham (The Waifs) 2016: Andrew Farris and Michael Hutchence (INXS) 2015: Johnny Young 2014: Kate Ceberano 2013: Garth Porter (Sherbet) 2012: Don Walker (Cold Chisel) 2011: Steve Kilbey (The Church) 2010: Richard Clapton 2009: Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock) 2008: Doc Neeson, John Brewster & Rick Brewster (The Angels) 2007: Brian Cadd 2006: Glenn Shorrock, Beeb Birtles & Graeham Goble (Little River Band) 2005: Russell Morris 2004: Harry Vanda, George Young & Stevie Wright (The Easybeats)
Glenn A Baker’s Induction Speech for Colin Hay In these different circumstances, I come to you as I have so many times before, to induct an iconic Australian tunesmith into The Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame. I’ve been honoured in the past to bestow this on the likes of Wright, Vanda and Young; Don Walker; Iva Davies; Brewster, Neeson, Brewster; Brian Cadd; Birtles, Goble and Shorrock; Garth Porter; Johnny Young and Steve Kilby. In doing this, I’m reminded of the words of Johnny Cash in 1989, when he became the second ever Country artist to be honoured by The Songwriters Guild of America. “Of all the awards, this is the one. It’s for writing songs. I found that songs are our children, an extension of ourselves. It’s what’s most important to me.” Well, songwriters set themselves apart from rock stars and fashion icons, and as I’ve found, this is the award that often means the most to them in a career dotted with accolades for their performance roles. When their memories of the cut and thrust on the concert stage fade, it is their songs that will live forever. That could well be the case with this Melbourne native, living in Los Angeles, who not so long ago was selected to participate in Ringo Starr’s All Star Band. I need to tell the tale of Men At Work, who were firmly entrenched as the house band at the Cricketers Arms pub in Richmond Melbourne when all this began to take shape. The nucleus of the band, Colin Hay, Ron Strykert and Jerry Speiser, who came together as friends at Melbourne University in 1977. After a stint in Adelaide, in the chorus of Reg Livermore’s stage production of Ned Kelly, Colin came back to Melbourne with guitarist, Ron Strykert, initially intent on forming an acoustic duo. Men At Work played as a three-piece and in time, would win Sax player, Greg Ham, and bassist Greg Rees came into the picture.
The band began to accrue an eclectic brew of rock, pop, reggae and the indefinable. They custom pressed a prototype version of their song, Down Under, and came to the attention of CBS records, who after signing them, matched them with American producer, Peter McIan. By January 1982, their debut album was quadruple platinum in Australia and had debuted at Number One in New Zealand. Even before full International success was forthcoming, the Men had Number One singles in Holland and Germany. Early in 1983, a little after three years after final formation, the group was holding down the Number One album and single positions in both England and America, a grand slam only achieved in the past by The Beatles, Barbara Streisand and Rod Stewart. Their first album, Business As Usual, became the longest running debut LP in American history, displacing The Monkees. It remained at the summit for a staggering fifteen weeks, shifting around eight million copies. The Men’s first two American singles, Who Can It Be Now and Down Under, reached Number One in the US, as they had done in Australia. It was a sound that was very Australian, yet absolutely international. As Rolling Stone magazine would comment, “Men At Work have come up with the unique concept of releasing an album with ten potential singles on it.” The second album, Cargo, followed Business As Usual into the high reaches of the American charts, yielding up the substantial hits of Overkill, It’s A Mistake and Doctor Heckyll & Mr Jive. The Men won a Grammy, a wall full of other awards and other citations and enormous radio popularity from Argentina to Zanzibar. At a time when British rock was sounding a little bit left of centre, and even Americans were finding their mass-appeal rock tame and predictable, Men At Work sailed into the void, brandishing a bright, quirky, inventive and totally irresistible sound that struck a responsive chord with radio and its listeners. With MTV having gone to air in August 1981, the timing could not have been better. The list of astounding achievements represented a victory, not just for the band, but for Australian music’s total acceptance in the top half of the world. Men At Work projected a freshness and vitality which captured the attention and imagination of the entire world. Their saga, in retrospect, was truly breathtaking. It was underlined by the presentation at the Sydney launching party for their third album, Two Hearts, which I attended, of the special award acknowledging global retail sales of one hundred million dollars. What brings us here right now is the fact that every one of those hits, in fact almost every track, on the first three Men At Work albums was a Colin Hay song. His ability to craft perfectly structured pop rock masterpieces, which came storming out of radios to find a secure, immovable place in your heart and minds was underlined by the fact that Down Under returned to Number One when it became a theme for the Australia II challenge in the America’s Cup in 1983.
Like so many creative units, Men At Work was a gathering of diverse talents, which found a perfectly articulated voice at a certain space in time. It was not destined to endure forever. There were spectacular performances at rock festivals all around the world, sometimes with just Colin and late Greg Ham as Men At Work. “We’d never heard ten thousand people clapping in tune, let alone singing in tune, but it is an experience that can only make you give your absolute best in return”, read the liner notes to the Brazil CD, the live Men At Work album. Colin was born in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, Scotland and emigrated to Australia with his family at age fourteen in 1967. He was a piano tuner, Hay said of his father, but before that, he was a singer and dancer on stage in Glasgow. He could tap, he could ballroom, he could do all of the steps of the day. Colin brought into his public life the wry and sly humour in show biz tradition that his heritage suggested, demanded even. It was inevitable that the enigmatic Hay would pursue a determined solo career. Following the breakup of Men At Work in 1985, Hay released several major label albums, including Looking For Jack on Columbia and Wayfaring Sons on MCA, to differing commercial success. In 2011, Hay commented on his early solo career, saying “After Men At Work, for the best part of a decade, I was stumbling around being unfocused. It was pre-internet. I really had to try to find my audiences by going out on tour. When you start out doing those tours, you start again, and you tend not to attract a big number of people. I played to one hundred people or sometimes less.” Well, the quality of his songs continued to shine, and he would go on to make thirteen solo albums, some on his own Lazy Eye Records. We’ve seen and heard him in so many diverse places as an actor in TV shows and cult films such as Cosi, Jack Irish, Blue Heelers, Raw Silk, Bourke & Wills, Heaven’s Burning, The Wild, Brian, A Million Little Things and a number of episodes of Scrubs, in which he performed acoustic versions of Men At Work’s Overkill and Down Under and Beautiful World. Hay’s music has been frequently used by actor and director, Zach Braff, in his work, which it is said helped a career re-birth in the mid-2000s. In 2004, he contributed to the Garden State soundtrack with his song, I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You. In 2015, he joined the Last Summer On Earth tour with Violent Femmes and The Barenaked Ladies. And then, of course, Ringo Starr came calling and Colin Hay became an essential component of his eighth, tenth and thirteenth All Star Band. In August 2015, the documentary film, Colin Hay Waiting For My Real Life, debuted at the Melbourne International Film Festival. It can tell you more about tonight’s inductee that I can in this brief summary and is worth seeking out. In 2017, Colin released the first single, A Thousand Million Reasons from his album, Fierce Mercy. He toured in support of that album throughout the US, UK and Australia. It was full of the enigmatic songs that the world has loved for forty-odd years now. He has worked with Compass Records out of Nashville since 2003 and his latest album, Now And The Evermore is scheduled for August release. The brilliantly talented, witty and enigmatic 2020 Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Colin Hay.
Colin Hay’s Acceptance Speech Well, thank you Glenn A Baker. You are yourself an institution. Thanks very much to the ASA for this award. I appreciate it more than you know. Firstly, I’d like to say how devastating it is for our music community to have lost Michael Gudinsky. As many of you know, he was a completely unique man. Nobody like him anywhere in the world. To say that he was a driving force for the advancement of Australian music is an understatement. A monumental loss for us all, especially his family. So, deep condolences from over here across the water. We lost Greedy too not so long ago. He was the loveliest of men and a dear friend of mine. Terrible thing. Regarding this award, I would like to thank my old band, Men At Work, for being such a great vehicle and for the songs back then, forty years ago. You’d write a song on a Tuesday, you’d rehearse it that day and you could play it that night. Incredible. I send my love to my dear departed friend, Greg Ham, who I miss every day. And my parents who gave me so much growing up. Songs provide many things to many people. To some people, a song is just something you whistle on a building site or when you’re drying your hair. But some other people devour songs and bestow all kinds of great meaning upon them. But they are mysterious things I think, songs. Some arrive fully formed almost and some you have to wrestle to the ground. I love writing songs and recording them and going out and playing them for other human beings. Once you hear a song or take it to heart, they stay with you and give you great nourishment sometimes, when other things do not. They’re like a sound current. You know, when you first go out and play a song for an audience, you throw
it out there like a line of electricity and if you feel the energy comes back, you’re
plugged in, connected. That’s the best feeling. You want that, again and again.
I became very famous for a minute or two and when that all disappeared, all that
was left was the songs that I had written and the songs to come and an audience to
play them to, which I’m eternally grateful for. Over the last forty years or so, my
audience of people, who I love dearly, give me great support.
I’ll play you a bit of a song, the first song you maybe ever heard from me. You would
have heard the saxophone, but originally it was on guitar.
(Colin performs excerpt of Who Can It Be Now on acoustic guitar).
Thanks again, very much. Lots of love. Take care of yourselves. See ya!
-0-Wax Lyrical Roundup ASA Hobart TAS, 7 February 2021, Fern Tree Tavern
ASA Ballarat/Goldfields VIC, 18 February 2021, Volta – Arts & Culture
ASA Canberra ACT, 28 February 2021, Boardwalk Bar
ASA Newcastle NSW, 24 February 2021, Carrington Bowling Club
ASA Cairns QLD, 27 February 2021, Screen Culture Club
ASA Central Coast NSW, 22 February 2021, Magenta Shores Resort
ASA Northern Rivers NSW, 13/3/21, Dunoon Sports Club
ASA Sunbury VIC, 4 February 2021, Sound System Studios Bar
ASA Yarra Valley VIC, 18 March 2021, Symphony 36, Warburton
ASA Hobart TAS, 4 April 2021, Fern Tree Tavern
ASA Hobart TAS, 2 May 2021, Fern Tree Tavern
ASA Northern Rivers NSW, 2 May 2021, Dunoon Sports Club
Sponsors Profiles:
1. Major Sponsor: Wests Ashfield Leagues Club
Thanks to major sponsor, the Wests Ashfield Club.
A premier entertainment and dining venue, and home of Wests Tigers and Wests
Magpies Rugby League teams, Wests Ashfield is an excellent place to visit in
Sydney’s inner west.
Not only supporting a host of local sporting and youth-related activities, the Club lifts
itself above the rest by also being a “Patron of the Arts”, as demonstrated by its
incredible ongoing sponsorship of the ASA.
All music lovers are encouraged to return the favour by becoming members of Wests
Ashfield and, at very least, indulging yourself by enjoying some of the culinary
delights the Club has on offer.
The Club is located in Sydney’s inner west, at 115 Liverpool Road Ashfield, and
provides great dining restaurants, great coffee, and regular community activities for
members and friends. Check out the website at www.westsashfield.com.au.
COME IN! WE ARE OPEN!
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
In the very best interest of staff, members, guests, community and in response to
NSW Public Health advice the following Conditions of Entry apply:
▪ Upon entering the Club, Patrons are to sanitize their hands
▪ Temperature checks will be taken. Entry will be denied to anyone with a
temperature greater than 37.5 degrees
▪ Your Membership Card or Driver’s License (in the case of a Visitor) will be
swiped
▪ If you reside in a Hotspot area, you will be asked a series of questions. We
reserve the right to deny entry to any patron wishing to enter.
▪ Members are required to swipe their Membership Card upon exiting the Club.
Visitors are required to surrender their Visitor slip which includes a valid
contact phone number.
▪ Upon leaving the Club, Patrons are to sanitize their hands
The club reserves the right to deny entry to any patron wishing to enter.2. Major Sponsor: APRA AMCOS
APRA AMCOS is a major
sponsor of the ASA, and
provides generous support,
including prize money of
$3,000 annually to the
APRA/ASA Songwriter of the
Year, which this year, was
Tony King.
The ASA would like to thank
APRA AMCOS for its continuing
support, to assist make ASA
activities, such as the
Australian Songwriting Contest
and the National Songwriting
Awards possible each year.
We are so excited to be teaming up again with Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
for the second edition of Express Yourself – Queer Discovery.
Alex the Astronaut will be headlining the night of incredible live music, alongside four
emerging LGBTQI+ musicians...
• Sydney-based rapper and producer Bernie Van Tiel
• Brisbane alternative pop-rocker Hope D
• Melbourne electro-pop artist NIK NAVY
• Sydney singer/songwriter duo No Frills Twins
• Hosted by Faustina Agolley - FUZZY
Express Yourself-Queer Discovery is part of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras'
Pride Month launch of their new event, Mardi Gras Pride Weekender, taking place
over Friday 18 - Saturday 19 June 2021 at iconic Sydney venue The Metro Theatre.
It is a part of Destination NSW's Sydney Solstice initiative, Mardi Gras Pride
Weekender supports the return of live entertainment, dance parties and large
gatherings after a year hiatus post-COVID.
Grab your tickets:
When: Friday 18 June 2021, 7 pm to 9 pm
Where: Metro Theatre, Sydney
Tickets: $49. Mardi Gras Members, Volunteers $393. Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has
been a major force in Australian drama
since its establishment in 1978. The
Company presents an annual season of
diverse productions at its own venues at
The Wharf and nearby Roslyn Packer
Theatre at Walsh Bay, and as the
resident theatre company of the Sydney Opera House. The current Artistic Director is
Kip Williams, who was appointed in 2016.
STC offers audiences an eclectic program of Australian plays, interpretations of the
classic repertoire and the best of new international writing. It seeks to produce
theatre of the highest standard that consistently illuminates, entertains and
challenges. It is committed to the engagement between the imagination of its artists
and its audiences and the development of the theatrical art-form.
Go to www.sydneytheatre.com.au for more information.
4. Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo
Taronga Western Plains Zoo, formerly known
as (and still commonly referred to as) Western
Plains Zoo and commonly known as Dubbo Zoo,
is a large zoo near Dubbo, New South Wales.
The zoo is run by the Taronga Conservation
Society (formerly Zoological Parks Board of New
South Wales), along with Taronga Zoo Sydney.
Western Plains Zoo is located on the Newell
Highway in west Dubbo about 4 km from the city.
For further information, go https://taronga.org.au/dubbo-zoo.
5. The Code
Katcha Live Studio has been operating for
ten years in the Sydney suburb of West Ryde,
since 2009. It is run by husband and wife
team, Cha Samaraweera and Kat Ferguson.
“We opened and dedicated to teach for one
reason and one reason only: "To get you
performing live. Whether it’s in front of your
family, friends or other audiences we want to
see you perform in confidence. The bottom line
is to be able to perform in front of many with
confidence and entertainment skills. It does
not matter how old or young you are, you
need to be able to do this if you want to learn
an instrument.” For more information, go to
www.katchamusic.com.6. Vagabond Cruises
With over three decades experience,
Vagabond Cruises is one of Sydney
Harbour's longest established cruise
companies!
“As a family run business, we deliver a
wide range of convenient and all-inclusive
packages including live entertainment lunch
and dinner cruises, private functions for any
personal or formal occasion such as weddings,
receptions, corporate events, harbour transfers, school formals, university parties
and formals, birthdays, hens and bucks parties and much, much more!”
Further information may be found on www.vagabond.com.au.
7. PaintballBookingOffice.Com
Love paintball? Then look no further than Paintball Booking Office.
Paintball Booking Office is an international organization for paint ballers, with 22
locations around Australia.
For further information, go to www.paintballbookingoffice.com.
8. James North Productions, Brisbane QLD
James North is an award-winning
Australian musician, producer,
recording and mix engineer who works
with local, national and international
acts in his boutique studio environment
in Brisbane.
James also contributes to recordings
when required as a session grade
guitarist, bass player, piano/keyboard
player and drummer. He is also a
professional songwriter, arranger and composer and these skills are used
daily in the production process.
For further information, visit www.jamesnorthproductions.com.au.9. Magesongs
Magesongs School of Songwriting
has mentored over a thousand
songwriters since 2002 some of whom
have achieved various successes and
opportunities, staffing for record labels,
APRA, signed to labels, music
publishers, while others forming
successful bands enjoying a solo performing career.
Many of Magesongs students have made the top 10 finalists at the ASA Awards,
some have been first prizes winners, and three (3) of them have taken home the
prestigious APRA/ASA Songwriter of the Year Award besides Jacques Gentil himself,
their mentor.
Jacques has run workshops around major Australian cities mentoring thousands of
songwriters as well as via his Magesongs live web-conferencing portal. His
songwriting philosophy is based on applying the tools and techniques that’s proven
to have worked for successful songwriters over the past decades. With an eye and
ear for detail, Jacques knows what can make or break a song. His own songwriting
talent has given him the opportunity to collaborate with hit songwriters such as Joe
Dolce, Grammy award winners Diane Warren and Joey Kibble (Take 6) amongst
others.
His webinar classes of 20 sessions cover both the songwriting and business aspect of
a songwriter’s career, including homework while writing one song throughout the
entire course under Jacques guidance, to finally be produced in studio. If your song
has never brought you any success, why not also join the ranks of Magesongs
achievers and make a difference.
New live webinar classes starting soon.
Book now: 0417 585 767 admin@magesongs.com
Website: www.magesongs.com
P.O. Box 239, Hampton Park, VIC, 3976, Australia
10. Maton Guitars
Maton has been a premier Australian musical
instrument maker since 1946.
Maton manufactures acoustic guitars, electric
guitars, ukuleles and accessories. All Maton
instruments are hand crafted in Australia from
sustainably sourced Australian timbers.
Maton is a sponsor of the ASA, and each year,
it presents one of its beautiful acoustic guitars
as the prize for the winner of the Rudy
Brandsma Award For Songwriting Excellence.
For more information: www.maton.com.au.11. Vocal Art Studios
Established in 2003, VAS is Australia's
Award Singing & Music School and the only
Australian Partners of The Institute of
Contemporary Music Performance in Europe
as well as the leading trainers and exam
centre for Rockschool in Australia.
All Levels and Ages from Beginners to
Professionals; Children, Teens and Adults.
For more information: www.vocalartstudios.com.
12. Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium
Queensland Conservatorium is one of Australia’s leading music and performing arts
schools, offering a wide variety of specialist degrees, from classical music, jazz,
opera, popular music to musical theatre, acting and music education.
Study music and performing arts at Griffith, and you’ll learn in an environment that
will enable you to flourish. Our award-winning teachers are dedicated to producing
polished music professionals of the highest calibre. Relevant, cutting-edge courses
allow students to tailor their studies to suit their interests and aspirations.
Contact the University at www.griffith.edu.au.
13.Kix Country
If you’re a country music fan, The KIX
Country radio network is the one for you.
Broadcasting throughout Regional Australia,
KIX gives you an exceptional music choice
that you can listen to at work, at home, or
heading down the highway. So, keep it
country and turn on to KIX. For more
information, go to www.kixcountry.com.au.
14. Hal Leonard Australia
Hal Leonard Australia is part of the Hal
Leonard Corporation, which is known
internationally as the world leader in the
print music industry. Hal Leonard sells some
of the best-known music from some of the
best known Australian and International
artists. www.halleonard.com.au.15. QMusic
QMusic is Queensland's music industry
development association and has been
transforming music industry careers since
1995.
Best known internationally for our signature event, BIGSOUND, QMusic also offers
an extensive and free professional development program throughout Queensland,
and a grants program funded by Arts Queensland.
QMusic also stages the annual Queensland Music Awards to celebrate everything
that makes Queensland music great. QMusic works closely with government at all
levels, to ensure a thriving Australian music industry, and sustains partnerships with
corporate and philanthropic partners who want to support the future of Australian
music.
16. Christian Fox Accountants
Christian Fox Accountants undertake all
types of accountancy work, including
Income Tax Return preparation.
They are located at 8 Ingleburn Road
Ingleburn NSW 2565 and can be contacted
on (02) 9829 3111.
So, if you need assistance with accounting,
please contact Christian Fox Accountants.
www.
17. Ashton
Ashton musical instruments are designed in
Australia for Australian musicians.
Products include acoustic guitars, classical
guitars, electric guitars, drums, ukuleles
and accessories.
With over twenty years of experience,
Ashton’s aim is to design reliable, quality
equipment at affordable prices, in
conjunction with industry experts.
For further information go to the web site:
www.ashtonmusic.com.18. Black Pearl Studios
Black Pearl Studios offers its clients a
truly unique recording experience in a
state-of-the-art environment. The studio
was designed with the help of world-class
theoretical acousticians and environmental
sound specialists and constructed in
Melbourne by qualified Victorian builders.
The project was completed in January 2012,
and since has steadily carved a reputation
as a studio of the highest calibre, with a
gear list that would attract the envy of the
famous Abbey Road.
The fully equipped turnkey recording studio boasts two large acoustically designed
studio rooms, providing clients with an exceptional creative space and a chance to
record with an unrivalled collection of top quality gear. The services available include
live recording, mixing and production, with access to on-site services including the
legendary Black Pearl mobile studio van.
Black Pearl Studios
9/21 Capella Crescent, Moorabbin, VIC, 3189
Contact: (03) 9939 7209; 0417 356 026
Website: www.blackpearlstudios.com.au
19. IndieCentral.com
Thanks to IndieCentral.com for co-hosting this year’s Australian Songwriting Contest.
For more information on the services offered by IndieCentral.com, visit their website
at www.indiecentral.com.
20. SongCentral.net.au
Thanks to SongCentral for co-hosting this year’s
Australian Songwriting Contest.
For more information on the services offered by
SongCentral, visit their website at
www.songcentral.net.au.21. I Heart Songwriting Club
Do you suffer from writer’s block? Do you
struggle to find time to write songs in your
busy schedule? Do want to be a better
songwriter?
I Heart Songwriting Club is a totally online
songwriting club for all songwriters. Yes,
this club is about writing songs, it’s about
getting unstuck, it’s about becoming
creatively free, but it’s even more than
that. This is a global community of
songwriters supporting each other to keep
creating, to share music and to be totally
creatively satisfied. And the result of all this
is amazing songs that can change your life.
And thanks to the amazing support of the major global organisations we've
partnered with, such as APRA AMCOS (AUS/NZ), IMRO (IRE), UBC (BR), Ivors
Academy (UK), we get to work further and wider now supporting over 850
songwriters from over 22 countries to live their wildest creative dreams by writing
well over 10,000 songs! Some of those songs have been nominated for ARIA Awards,
have been played on major international radio stations, and on festival stages, but
some of those songs are debut singles!
This is bigger than just writing great songs. This is about becoming a better
songwriter.
Imagine how it would feel to be writing songs every week, sharing them with peers,
getting feedback and being a part of something bigger.
Don’t do this alone. Do this with us.
When you join I Heart Songwriting Club, you'll be part of an ongoing and online 10-
week songwriting adventure designed to help you become a more resilient,
productive and confident songwriter. Through our structured challenges and
guidelines, and peer community cheering you on your journey, we support you to
write songs fast (in 1 hour) and with a greater sense of creative freedom than you've
probably had since you were 8 years old!
A big part of the success of our community is sharing your new creations (ie songs)
within your privately assigned groups and giving feedback and encouragement to
one another. And before you start to overthink this, we show you how you can give
feedback effectively without the fear of having to be a critic. In fact, no one expects
perfection in just 1 hour of songwriting, so you can leave your critic at the door.
We love to offer other bonuses to our members, such as trainings, shout outs,
showcases, features and more. Members will be emailed about such awesomeness!
And we encourage our members to contact us too! www.iheartsongwritingclub.com.Members News and Information 1. Lindy Morrison Retires From Support Act Limited Support Act National Welfare Coordinator, and great friend of the ASA, Lindy Morrison OAM (pictured above left), has announced her retirement from Support Act. She will finish up with the organisation on 21 April. “It's been the most worthwhile experience and satisfying job for me for 22.5 years,” said Lindy. “I have been fortunate to see this charity grow into what it has become.” Lindy first joined Support Act in 1998 and was the organisation’s only paid worker for many years and was the only Social Worker until 2018. She established and managed the process for assessing crisis relief applications throughout that period and earned the admiration and appreciation of services users and the Board and staff for her ability to engage compassionately and honestly with services users to ensure they received the crisis relief they needed. Lindy has always demonstrated an amazing work ethic and has prided herself on her ability to respond to all requests quickly and thoroughly. In the past 12 months, Lindy has been responsible for managing a team of 7 casual Social Workers and 4 admin assistants, who were recruited to meet the dramatic increase in demand resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. She and the team have assessed close to 2,000 applications for crisis relief, resulting in the distribution of more than $5m in crisis relief grants. In doing so, she has played a critical role in keeping artists, crew and music workers housed, connected and healthy during this challenging time. "Our music community has been deeply affected by COVID," Lindy said. “Not only have we had a 3000% increase in applications in the past 12 months, but we made
the transition from managing our data on a spreadsheet to a suitable client management system. I always said I wouldn’t leave until that was achieved. "I will miss meeting our extraordinary crew, musicians, and workers coming to Support Act. I thank everyone who has supported this charity throughout the years.” Lindy will be succeeded by Anne Jacobs (pictured above right), who is the current Deputy National Welfare Coordinator, based in Melbourne. Anne has a Masters of Social Work and brings over 10 years of experience to this role. She has worked across crisis support, community health, housing support and homelessness, mental health and drug and alcohol services, and has a special interest in trauma informed care. She is also a great fan of music and is a member of girl group the Rebelles. “Support Act just won’t be the same without Lindy,” said Sally Howland, Chairperson. “She has always been a pioneer in this industry, whether as drummer for the Go Betweens, Artist Director on the PPCA Board, or one of the first musicians with a degree in Social Work, which made her perfectly and uniquely suited to this role. We will all greatly miss her passion, commitment and experience.” “This is truly the end of an era,” said Clive Miller, CEO. “We thank Lindy for her incredible contribution to the organisation over the past 2 decades and wish her all the best for the future.” 2. Support Act Limited: Musickeeper and Crewkeeper Crisis Grant Relief In response to the additional funding announced by the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts on 25 March 2021, Support Act has announced a new category of crisis relief funding called Musickeeper and Crewkeeper. As the name suggests, these one-off cash grants of $2,000 ($2,700 for families with dependent children) are intended to cushion the blow for artists, crew and music workers from all genres who have been receiving Jobkeeper and Jobseeker payments and who remain largely unable to earn an income due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. Application forms are available on the Support Act website at www. supportact.org.au.
3. Michelle Parsons, New Regional Co-Ordinator for Sunbury VIC
Michelle Parsons has been appointed as the new
Regional Co-Ordinator for Sunbury VIC.
Michelle has been a regular Waxer in Sunbury and
takes over from Brian Henderson Ward, for whom we
thank for his great contribution.
Michelle is holding Wax Lyricals on the first Thursday
of each month, 7.00 pm to 11.00 pm at Sound
System Studios, 1/111 McDougall Road, Sunbury VIC
3429.
Please contact Michelle on 0407 182 694 if you would
like to perform.
4. New Venue For ASA Wax Lyricals Yarra Valley VIC
ASA Yarra Valley VIC Wax Lyricals have a new home
at Symphony 36, 3305 Warburton Highway
Warburton VIC 3799.
Our Regional Co-Ordinator, Wendy Barnes, is holding
Wax Lyricals on the third Thursday of each month,
7.00 pm to 9.30 pm.
Please contact Wendy on 0424 448 713 if you would
like to perform.
5. Cold Chisel Lane, Adelaide SA
Adelaide City has named one of its laneways after
iconic Australian band, Cold Chisel, which was formed
in Adelaide in 1973, before moving to Sydney.
Cold Chisel front man, Jimmy Barnes, was on hand
for the naming of Cold Chisel Lane. The lane is off
Burnett Street, between Hindley and Currie Streets.
Adelaide has a history of acknowledging some of its
great musicians and bands.
Lindes Lane, off Rundle Mall, has been re-named No Fixed Address Lane after
Aboriginal reggae band No Fixe Address, which formed in Adelaide in 1979.
Sia Furler Lane has recently been re-named and Paul Kelly and The Angels will also
have Adelaide lanes named in their honour as part of a planned City of Music
Laneways Trail.2020 Rudy Brandsma Award Nominees The Rudy Brandsma Award is presented annually by the Directors of the ASA in recognition of songwriting excellence by an ASA member during the previous 12 months. The award honours the memory of the late Rudy Brandsma, one of the founders of the ASA back in 1979. 2020 marks the 37th annual presentation of the award. For 2020, the ASA Directors selected nine nominees for the award: Cathy Dobson Robbie Bostock Jade Goodge Frances Madden Damien Hosken Tony Bogan Christopher Mustica Abbey Grace Antonio Corea
Cathy Dobson: 2020 Winner Of The Rudy Brandsma Award
And the winner is ……… Cathy Dobson.
Cathy Dobson is a singer/songwriter from Victoria.
The ASA Directors have been very impressed with
Cathy’s songwriting over the years and have
selected her as the 2020 winner of The Rudy
Brandsma Award. Congratulations, Cathy.
In recent years, she has released some very
impressive and well-received albums and singles.
We’ll be featuring an interview with Cathy in an
upcoming edition of the magazine.
Tony King: APRA/ASA Songwriter of the Year
Tony King was a dual Category winner in 2020,
with top places in the Lyrics and Comedy/Novelty
Categories.
He also received other Top 10 places in the Ballad
and Lyrics Categories.
Tony was also the APRA/ASA Songwriter of the Year
back in 2009.
We’ll be featuring an interview with Tony in an
upcoming edition of the magazine.
Ana Key: 2020 ASA Regional Co-Ordinator Of The Year
The ASA has many hard-working Regional Co-
Ordinators around Australia, and each year, one of
those Regional Co-Ordinators, who exhibits
excellence in the role, is selected as the ASA
Regional Co-Ordinator of the Year.
For 2020, Ana Key, is the ASA Regional Co-
Ordinator of the Year.
Anna represents the ASA in Canberra ACT and has
been honoured for her great job throughout 2020 in
the role.2020 In Memoriam
John Meyer
6 Nov 1952- 31 Aug 2020
Born and raised in Three Springs,
Western Australia, Meyer discovered his
passion for music in his early teenage
years, sparked by his dad giving him a
drum kit. But in the end his guitar
playing skills where what won him a
spot in Rose Tattoo.
Together with frontman Angry
Anderson, he co-wrote many of the
songs that appeared on Rose Tattoo's
1984 album 'Southern Stars', including
its title track, 'I Wish', 'Saturday's
Rage', 'Freedom's Flame' and more.
Meyer also co-wrote serval tracks on the
band's fifth studio album, 1986's 'Beats
from a Single Drum'.
Meyer also played with Saracen and Swanee, and enjoyed the style change
demanded by joining blues band, Chain.
By 1992, Meyer had decided to record his own instrumental album, which scored him
West Australian music industry’s Outstanding Album of the Year Award.
He was inducted into WA’s Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2003.
John Meyer passed away aged 67 years old, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Helen Reddy
25 Oct 1941- 29 Sept 2020
Actress, singer, songwriter, author and
activist Helen Reedy expressed her
interest entertaining and music from the
young age of four on the Australian
vaudeville circuit, being the only child of a
showbiz family.
Reddy won the 1966 singing competition
“Bandstand”, which offered the prize of a
trip to New York and a record company
audition (which was rejected!).
She persisted however, and at the end of
1972 (a good six months after it wasreleased — with individual call-in requests helping to build radio play) “I Am Woman”
reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
This song, which Reddy had co-written with Ray Burton, became an anthem for
second-wave feminism and had significant impact on popular culture. The words “I
am woman/ Hear me roar/ In numbers too big to ignore,” sung by a 5-foot-3
soprano — made some men at the time claim it was angry, man-hating, dangerous
or all three!
“That simply underlined the many things women needed liberating from,” said
Dennis Harvey of Variety in 2019. “Nobody called Sinatra a menace when he sang
‘My Way,’ a no-less-straightforward hymn to self-determination.”
She was the first Australian artist to win a Grammy, to make the Billboard Hot 100
chart and to host a weekly primetime variety show on an American network.
Reddy lived for decades with Addison’s disease (she had a kidney removed when she
was 17) and had suffered from Dementia for the last 5 years of her life but died at
age 78 years. She is missed by a loving family and fans from all around the world.
Mike Noga
25 April 1978- 27 Aug 2020
Tasmanian born, Noga was an
esteemed solo artist, lyricist and
multi-instrumentalist. He was the
drummer for Australian rock bands
Legends Of Motorsport and The
Drones, whom he played with for a
decade.
His solo career showed his skill and
ambition as a songwriter, and
offered insights into the high regard
in which he was held.
KING was produced by Something For Kate's Paul Dempsey and featured actor Noah
Taylor, while past efforts saw artists like Davey Lane, Pat Bourke and more help
bring his rich songs to life. Noga made his fourth solo album, Open Fire, with Low
founder Alan Sparhawk late in last year. It was scheduled for release early in 2021.
In recent years, Noga was a regular contributor to ABC Hobart, offering insights on
music to the local audience.
Remembered by family and friends a loving son, uncle and dear friend, Noga
apparently suffered with mental health issues that lead to his sad departure from the
world at the age of just 43 years.Mick Hart
8 May 1970 - 25 Aug 2020
A well-loved singer/songwriter and guitar
player, Hart was admired by fans and critics
alike for his beautiful and unique songs,
which were so whole-hearted and
meaningful.
He toured all across the globe, for 20 years.
He appeared at festivals all over Australia,
France, Belgium, Holland, Germany,
Switzerland, Denmark, United Kingdom,
Japan and the USA.
He performed support slots for the likes of
Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Sting, Van Morrison,
The Pretenders, Paul Kelly and John Butler Trio.
Hart released his debut album ‘Still The Flowers Bloom’ in 2001, produced by Jim
Moginie of Midnight Oil. His second album arrived a year later with ‘Upside Down In
The Full Face Of Optimism’, which in 2002 saw him nominated for an ARIA Award for
Best Blues & Roots Album.
Hart’s other albums included ‘No Compromise’ (2004), ‘Finding Home’ (2007), ‘What
Lies Beneath’ (2009), ‘Side By Side’ (2012) and ‘Under A Vacant Sky’ (2014). Just
last year saw Hart release his first new album in five years, ‘Awake’.
It was shocking news to hear of his death at 50 years of age. Cause of death has not
been released.
Paul McCarthy (ASA Member)
1958 – 3 Oct 2020
Highly respected in the Perth music scene,
McCarthy had been part of that city’s first
waves of live rock music with The Boys in
the late 70s and early 80s. More recently
he played in Circus. McCarthy also founded
Groove, The Western Australian Music
Magazine, where he acted as editor and
publisher from 2002 to 2007.
He was an active songwriter and performer
right to the end. In a Facebook post on 12
September 12, he revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer. “Dear friends… It’s
all been very fast. Prior to the 30th of August, my health seemed fine…[then] I lost
all my strength, for instance, if I squatted down to open my guitar case I found that
I couldn’t get back up under my own steam…My apologies also to all who havebought tickets to the Lyric Lane gig, unfortunately, Circus have to pull out of the gig
which is really disappointing, I’ve written a whole new body of work that I think is
the best I’ve done in many years and I was looking forward to debuting a complete
new repertoire.”
By October McCarthy had passed away, taken by cancer at 62 years of age.
Bob Browne
7 June 1945 – 28 Aug 2020
A dab hand on the slide-guitar,
songwriter, producer, radio host and
poet, “Country Bob Browne” was
described as a brilliant writer of
Australiana and bush history. A great
supporter of up-and-coming new talent,
Bob featured a wealth of Aussie singers
and songwriters on his weekly radio
show Country On which aired on Radio
2GLF.
Bob was also the founder of bush-rock
band, "Kelly's Heroes". Failing health
related to heart issues ironically contributed in the end to the loss of one of our
biggest hearted people in the music scene, aged 75 yo.
This well-known and respected country music singer had a personal connection with
the ASA as well, when following his passing, Indie Country Music Australia
announced an annual award called the Country Bob Browne Memorial Award for Most
Popular Country Community Radio Announcer. As it turned out, they named our ASA
Vice-Chairman Alan Gilmour as the inaugural winner in 2021 – a great honour
indeed.
Max Merritt
30 April 1941 - 24 Sept 2020
Merritt was born in Christchurch but
moved to Sydney in 1964, where he
formed Max Merritt and the Meteors.
His first TV appearance in Australia was
on Johnny O'Keefe's Song Sing Sing
show when he performed Zip-A-Dee-
Doo-Dah.
In February 1966, Max Merritt and the
Meteors were the support act for The
Rolling Stones.
The band had hits with Try A LittleTenderness and Western Union Man before Merritt's original song Slipping Away took
the band to new heights. The song reached No.2 in Australia and No.5 in New
Zealand. Max Merritt moved to live in the USA in 1977.
In 2007 he was suffered from kidney failure and has needed dialysis three days
every week ever since. Such was the respect he commanded, the entertainment
industry rallied in response to lend a hand, and a concert raised more than $200,000
for him.
In 2008 Merritt was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. He has been acknowledged
as one of the best local performers of the 60s and 70s, and he had a significant
influence on soul music, R&B and rock in New Zealand and Australia.
His rare auto-immune disease, Goodpastures Syndrome, got the better of Merritt in
the end, and he finally passed away at age 79 years.
Ronnie Peel
9 Aug 1946 – 1 Nov 2020
Peel began his career in music in the
early 1960s as bassist for the Port
Macquarie surf band The Mystics, before
joining proto-punk band The Missing
Links in Sydney in 1964. The band was
known for its long unruly hair, and
pioneered the use of audio feedback
and reverse tape effects in Australia.
He left them to join Brisbane group The
Pleazers, but when they disbanded in
1967, Peel adopted the name Rockwell
T. James. He carried the title through a
group called The Rhythm Aces before
joining The La De Das in 1972.
After the album ‘Rock & Roll Sandwich’, Peel joined the John Paul Young Allstars to
tour and record from 1975 to 1979. As Rockwell T. James, Peel scored a surprise top
40 hit with ‘Roxanne’, co-written by Peel with Garth Porter and Tony Mitchell from
Sherbet. It would appear on his only solo album, ‘A Shot of Rhythm & Blues’, a year
later.
A dedicated musician, Peel played in many other groups, including Ray Brown & the
Whispers, Stevie Wright Band, Scattered Aces and Slightly Shadey.
In 2013, he re-emerged as The Rockwells with guitarist Bobby Fletcher, playing and
recording country rock covers. ‘Cover Story’, their 2015 debut album, was Peel’s last
release.
Peel passed away at the age of 74 after a series of health problems, but the
universal opinion of him was expressed by Daryl Braithwate, who said he was “a kind
lovely soul”.You can also read
