1901 "An Old Fashioned Way Of Country Singing" (Nationwide Records, 1979) (LP)
One of a select few country acts on the Nationwide label, which was in existence basically through the 1970s, and is perhaps more notable was the birthplace of Raven Records, one of Australia's finest reissue labels. 1901 were apparently named after the year of Australia's belated full sovereignty, which amazingly enough was not made official until January 1, 1901. Anyway, I discovered this bluegrassy stringband band from their appearance on the Wandong festival compilation -- the group consisted of steel player John Bertram, Robert Edge (bass), Graeme Howie (keyboards), John Howie (drums), and Mike Riley on guitar and harmonica... The Howie Brothers later set off on a long career as rustic/comedic duo, also know for their collaborations with Smoky Dawson. This album is mainly packed with Australian content, with a few originals, some new arrangements of traditional tunes, a brief nod towards Slim Dusty and a few covers of American artists, including Bob Dylan, Bill Monroe, and perhaps most surprising, bluegrass superpicker Tony Rice. They've got my attention!

1901 "Memories" (Bullet Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bruce Adderly & Doug Surman)

1901 "A Tribute To Smoky Dawson" (Omega Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bruce Adderly)
The band's final album was an homage to old-school country icon Smoky Dawson, a tribute that apparently led to the Howie Brothers' longterm collaboration with Dawson throughout in the decade. Dawson, as it turned out, was less averse to updating his sound and adding in fuller, more modern country arrangements, frequently helped by 1901 alums Graeme and John Howie.

Acuff's Rose "Never Coming Down" (Torn And Frayed Records, 1992)
(Produced by David McCluney, Graeme Thomas, Jeff Williams, & Julian Wu)
An eclectic, playful Melbourne twangband with a sound that would fall midway between what Americans would consider "commercial" country and "Americana," with unusual but super-twangy arrangements. As with many in the US alt-country scene, many of the musicians had backgrounds or parallel paths in various rock bands, including members of The Divinyls, Black Eyed Susans, and above all the Triffids, which contributed several members to this side band after that band broke up in 1989. The lineup on this album included bass player Jack Coleman (bass), Mark C, Halstead (mandolin), James Hurst (drums), Graham Lee (pedal steel), Martin Lewis (guitar), Robert McComb (fiddle), Charlie Owen (dobro and steel guitar), Kaye-Louise Patterson (piano and vocals), Jeff Williams (lead vocals and guitar), and a few others. The group formed around 1991 and broke up by decade's end, leaving two albums and an earlier EP as their legacy. Definitely worth a spin!

Acuff's Rose "Son Of The North Wind" (Last Call Records, 1995)
(Produced by Conway Savage & Julian Wu)

Garry Adams & Clelia Adams "Angel Band" (Last Call Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Russell Hammond & Shad Lyons)
A country gospel album, featuring guitarist Garry Adams, a session picker with frequently worked with fiddler Paul Jenkins and steel player Laurie Minson, who are both on this album, along with some other studio stalwarts. Adams's wife, Clelia Adams, was born in Italy but emigrated to Australia in 1974 and over the years became one of the nation's most ubiquitous backup singers. I think this was her first album as a headliner, though years later she recored a string of albums, many of them self-released on her own label. This early set is packed with religious standards, familiar hymns and gospel oldies like "I'll Fly Away" and newer songs such as "I Like The Christian Life," "God Loves Country Music" and the album's closer, "I'm Not Religious." If you dig country gospel, this taps into some mighty rich veins of material.

Auriel Andrew "Just For You" (Nationwide Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by John Crossing & Graham Morphett)
The first album by aboriginal country singer Auriel Andrew (1947-2017) a gal who was in the heart of the Tamworth twang scene. With this album as her calling card, Ms. Andrew went on to perform on the Tamworth Town Hall show and to tour with stars such as Col Hardy, Reg Lindsay and Brian Young, as well as numerous TV appearances. She's backed here by John Bermingham (bass), John Hall (lead guitar), Bob Hardy (rhythm guitar), Dennis Siddall (pedal steel), Brian Smith (drums), with backing vocals by a group called the Viscounts. Not sure what happened to Ms. Andrew during the rest of the decade -- her next album didn't come out until over a decade later. Was she performing the whole time, or did she retire for a while?

Auriel Andrew "Chocolate Princess" (Opal Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Geoff Clapson and Ross Murphy)
This also was recorded years later, in two sessions from 1981 and '82, with a whole host of Aussie session players, including Norm Bodkin and Pee Wee Clark on steel guitar, guitarists Garry Adams, Garry Brown and Lindsay Butler, Chris Carmichael on drums, Geoff Clapson (bass), Chris Jones (piano), and Peter Richardson on Mellotron. The songs are mostly newer compositions, including five written by Australian songsmiths, about a third of the album. Remarkably, this was Andrew's second album in a dozen years, and as far as I can tell, her last.

Johnny Ashcroft "Songs Of The Western Trail" (Philips Records, 1956) (LP)
Hailing from North Sydney, singer John Lewis Ashcroft (1927-2021) started his professional career during World War Two, working in his teens as a performer in the Australian vaudeville circuit. Though seen as a country performer, Ashcroft tried his hand at many styles, notably the folk-influenced skiffle sounds, as well as forays into jazz and mainstream pop vocals. Though Ashcroft had been recording singles for a few years, dating back to 1946, this was his first full album, and was a distinctly country affair, with several songs credited to Ashcroft himself, as well as four by songwriter George Dasey, who over the years wrote hits for several country stars, including Ashcroft, Reg Lindsay and Reg Poole. This album is notable for the relative absence of bush ballads and the type of regionally-themed material that dominated early Australian twang. Also of interest is the album's closing number, "Highway 31," which is said to have been the first trucker song recorded in Australia. Alas, no information was given about the "orchestral accompaniment," or the album's producer.

Johnny Ashcroft "Little Boy Lost" (Columbia Records, 1966-?) (LP)

Johnny Ashcroft "One More Time Around" (EMI/Columbia Records, 1966) (LP)

Johnny Ashcroft "Johnny Ashcroft Now! Sixteen Big Hits" (EMI/Columbia Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Eric Dunn)
A remarkably bland set of country covers by a goateed crooner from Sydney... Actually, "crooner" is a term that implies a level of commitment and intensity that seems almost entirely absent here, as Ashcroft plods his way through one inert performance after another, with his band sounding equally blase and unengaged. (Indeed, the band can barely be heard behind Ashcroft's sub-Burl Ives-ish vocals; there's a pedal steel in the credits, but it only comes to the fore for a few seconds, total. The band included guitars by Dave Bridge, Lennie Hutchinson and Kevin King; Ron Martin on bass; Ken Kitching playing pedal steel; some piano and organ by Bryce Rhode or Mike Tseng... and a couple of drummers who I'm ignoring. Sorry, mates!) Anyway, this is a very low-energy set, with hits by Don Gibson, Ned Miller, Merle Kilgore and other early-to-mid-'60s standards. A few more-contemporary numbers help date this disc somewhere perhaps around 1968 or '69, notably Tom T. Hall's "Harper Valley PTA" (a hit for Jeannie C. Reilly in '68), "Gentle On My Mind," and "Little Green Apples," which was also a hit in '68. There are two originals credited to Johnny Ashcroft (co-composed with Joe Halford): "I Can't Get Her Out Of My Mind" and "I'm Gonna Have To Get Used To Losing You Again." He sounds slightly more alive singing his own material, but only slightly.

Johnny Ashcroft "Johnny Ashcroft Unlimited" (Columbia Records, 1970) (LP)

Johnny Ashcroft "They All Died Game" (Music For Pleasure, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Barclay & John Taylor)
A set of historical ballads about the Australian bandits known as "bushrangers" (aka Outback highwaymen) of whom the best known is the notorious Ned Kelly. All the songs on this album were co-written with Joe Halford, though as far as I can tell, Halford was not one of the performers. The backing band included drummer Mark Bowden, Dave Donovan (guitar), Jan Gold (guitar), Valda Hammick (guitar), Ken Kitching (dobro and steel guitar), Ron Martin (bass), Bryce Rohde (piano and organ), Tommy Spencer (drums), and Al Tomkins on banjo... [Note: This set was reissued, track for track, the following year under the somewhat less evocative title Johnny Ashcroft Country: Songs Based On Authentic Stories Of Australian Bushrangers.]

Johnny Ashcroft & Kathleen McCormack "You And I -- Country Style" (Columbia Records, 1971-?) (LP)
A set of duets with Australian singer-actress Kathleen McCormack, who had an extensive recording career of her own, mostly covering nostalgic oldies as well as Irish and Scottish folk songs and Australian-themed material. She also recorded at least one album of children's music using her kiddie persona, "Auntie Kathy." The gimmick on this album was that McCormack and Ashcroft traded off dueling version of country hits, strung together as medleys of sorts -- i.e. "He'll Have To Go" paired with "He'll Have To Stay" or "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" with "By The Time You Get To Phoenix" -- and various themed medleys: songs about roses, songs about waltzes, songs with German motifs, etc. A little bit corny, if you ask me.

Johnny Ashcroft "Requests" (Axis Records, 1972) (LP)

Johnny Ashcroft & Gay Kahler "Faces Of Love" (Columbia Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Rod Coe & Martin Benge)
This was the first album featuring duets with singer Gay Kayler (nee Kahler) a former child musical star who joined Johnny Ashcroft's touring show in 1972, and married him soon after they released this album. Her solo career ran parallel to their work together; she charted numerous hits, both as a solo and duet artist. This initial album does appear to have been a declaration of their mutual devotion and is, unfortunately less of a country record and more a collection of a gooey soft-pop ballads... We're talking some really sappy stuff, here, songs like "If" by David Gates, Paul McCartney's "I Will," Don McLean's "And I Love You So," a couple of early 'Seventies Mac Davis hits, "I'll Paint You A Song" and (of course) "I Believe In Music," and others of similar ilk, mostly from American pop music. There's one Johnny Ashcroft original, "Devotion," which is in keeping with the rest of the record. Perhaps not an essential album for country fans?

Johnny Ashcroft "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (RCA Records, 1977) (LP)

Johnny Ashcroft "Streetsinger" (RCA Records, 1981) (LP)

Johnny Ashcroft/Various Artists "The Cross Of The Five Silver Stars" (Jade Records, 1989) (LP)

Johnny Ashcroft "Live At Wentworthville Leagues Club" EMI Records, 19--?) (LP)

Sherrie Austin "Words" (Arista Records, 1997)
At first glance, the chirpy, vivacious, Australian-born Sherrie Austin seems like a breath of fresh air, but the thrill doesn't last. Her debut album opens with a twisting, Tanya Tucker-ish rebel-rock snarl ("Lucky In Love"), a mood that's somewhat sustained on the next track... And then it all goes to pot when the overly-obvious, issue-y, femme-oriented ballads kick in. Too many of those, and too many useless, distracting production touches slathered atop the uptempo tunes, which is where Austin may be at her best. Of her albums, this is probably the best, but still there's nothing on here that I'd need to come back to.

Sherrie Austin "Love In The Real World" (Arista Records, 1999)
Austin has a reedy, thin voice, which I guess could pass for a young Tanya Tucker or Rachel Sweet, if it weren't for her lack of ooompf in the clinch, and the generic sexy/come-on quality of the lyrics. The phony virginal lure of "Never Been Kissed" is kinda icky (and the song is really just teenieboppish bubblegum pop, worthy of Debbie Gibson, Pebbles and their ilk... ) Even a song like "Little Bird," which starts off with a promising Texas shuffle backbeat, devolves into hackneyed, blaring rock guitar riffs. And then those damn power ballads kick in! (Including one recycled from the last album... yeesh.) Austin's marginally cute, but definitely a second stringer.

Sherrie Austin "Followin' A Feelin' " (Madacy Records, 2001)
(Produced by Will Rambeaux)
This disc opens with a bland cover of Dolly Parton's classic, "Jolene," then slides sideways from there. When Austin just sings, it's okay, but as soon as the songs get high-concept or take on an overly-obvious "common touch" (playing up to the harried, late-for-the-bus, working class hero inside us all...) things get kinda yawnsville. For the most part, this album just seems overly intellectualized, overly calculated and tres formulaic. Songs like "In Our Own Sweet Time" and "Back Where I Belong" function okay as glitzy '80s-ish pop, but as country...? Nope. I can't think of a single song on here, really, that caught my sincere interest.

Sherrie Austin "Streets Of Heaven" (Broken Bow Records, 2003)
The title track -- a shameless weeper about a little girl dying and going to heaven -- is the album's highlight. The rest of this album is pretty vapid... Embarrassingly so, actually. It's like hearing the daily diary of some would-be poet in junior high put to music, with appallingly blunt, simplistic lyrics and lame turns of phrase that I'm sure she thought were the bee's knees when she first wrote 'em. And, yes, Austin (co)wrote all but one of the songs on here. So she's prolific... good for her. Too bad she's not also a little more skillful. Poppy, formulaic rock-drenched Nashville nothingness.

Hick Music Index