This is a look at Australian country music, from bush ballads and yodeling oldies to country-rock and outlaw twang, and even some more modern Top Forty artists. This includes artists from both Australian and New Zealand, though there's a separate Kiwi Country section which has a lot of overlap. There's a ton of twang Down Under, and I'm pretty sure I'm only scratching the surface, so I welcome any recommendations, additions or corrections.
This page covers the letter "C."
Brian Cadd "Moonshine" (Fable/Chelsea Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Brian Cadd & Roger Savage)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Looking Back" (Columbia Records, 196-?) (LP)
A classic country duo from New South Wales, the Careys started performing together back in the early 1950s, cutting their first singles as "the Sliprail Swingsters," a name they used briefly before settling on the simpler, more direct "Rick & Thel." In a departure from the habitual Australian fixations of bush ballads and western tunes, the Careys concentrated on straight-up American-style sentimental heartsongs along with novelty numbers such as "Looking Back To See," a peppy, poppy hit from The Browns that was one of their first singles. This was in keeping with their later records, which place them in the same continuum as classic country duos such as Pearl and Carl Butler, Rose Lee and Joe Maphis, or the Mosbys. This is definitely one of the country acts whose records I wish were easier to find outside of Australian waters -- this stuff hardly ever pops up in America. Alas.
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Songs Of The Carter Family" (Columbia Records, 1963) (LP)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Just Between The Two Of Us" (Columbia Records, 1965) (LP)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Family Favorites Country Style" (Columbia Records, 196-?) (LP)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Lovin' And Fightin' " (Columbia Records, 1967) (LP)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Mr. And Mrs. Country" (Columbia Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by Eric Dunn)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "It Keeps Me Movin' On" (Columbia Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Eric Dunn)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Best Of Buddies" (Columbia-EMI, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Eddie Dunn)
This album was a tribute to Australian country singer Buddy Williams...
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Anniversary Album" (EMI Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Eric Scott & Norm Bodkin)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Doing Things Together" (EMI-Drum Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Eric W. Scott)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Special On My Mind" (EMI Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Rod Coe)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Mr. & Mrs Country Music" (Hadley Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Eric W. Scott)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "On Tour: The Rick And Thel Show" (Hadley Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Eric W. Scott)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "On Our Selection" (Hadley Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Eric W. Scott)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "You're Terrific" (Hadley Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Bruce Emery, Eric Scott & Craig Thomas)
Rick Carey & Thel Carey "Regal Zonophone And Beyond" (EMI Records, 2000) (CD)
If anyone was looking for something to send me for Christmas, this would be a nice, thoughtful choice. This archival 3-CD set gives an expansive overview of their career, spanning early tributes to Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers, heartsongs galore, covers of the Louvin Brothers and other classic artists, and even some regionally-themed Aussie material which was relatively atypical for their catalogue. Looks pretty sweet!
Ian Castles "Mansion On The Hill" (Bullet Records, 1983) (CD)
(Produced by Don Fraser & Graeme Howie)
Allan Caswell "Loco Friday Night" (7 Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Bywaters, Allan Caswell & Chris Gilbey)
Allan Caswell "What Happened To Love?" (Country Man Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Bywaters, Allan Caswell, Stuart Cowell & Tommy Emmanuel)
Kasey Chambers - see artist discography
Johnny Chester "For The World's Greatest Mum" (Fable Records, 1974) (LP)
A pioneer of Australia's first wave of rock'n'rollers, singer Johnny Chester fronted a couple of well-regarded early '60s rock bands, and was on deck when the British Invasion occured, opening for the Beatles when they toured down under. He "went country" in the 'Seventies, and crisscrossed between soft-twang and soft-pop in the decades that followed. I'm not sure if this was his first country album, but it's certainly one of the earlier ones.
Johnny Chester "Greensborough Music" (Fable Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Chester & Ross Cockle)
Johnny Chester "...Into Country" (Bullet Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Howard Gable, Ian McKenzie & Cecil B. DeMack)
Johnny Chester "Johnny Chester" (Image Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Chester & Barry Roy)
Johnny Chester "Country Salute" (RCA Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Owen Doyle, Alan Gilmore & Geoff Wilkes)
Johnny Chester & Hotspur "Johnny Chester & Hotspur" (WEA Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Chester, John French, Robin Gray & Chris Napper)
Johnny Chester & Hotspur "Love In The Mean Time" (WEA Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Brien Fisher, Robin Gray & Mike Wilson)
A pretty tepid, sleepy set which on its best tracks can perhaps be compared to Don Williams, though Don Williams is much, much better. This was clearly a conscious effort to break into a softer, mellower market, and in all honesty, some of the songs are really, really awful, while several others are okay, in a bland kind of way. One song, "You Bring Out The Devil In Me," is a mildly uptempo tune which seems to be an attempt to sound like Bobby Bare, though Chester barely summons any momentum, nor does his band. The backing band features a few familiar faces: Danny Arnott (drums), Rex Harris (bass), Ray Hasler (steel guitar), Bob Howe (guitar and mandolin) and Marshall Parker on keyboards. American bluegrasser Randy Scruggs and the Cates Sisters are also in the credits, along with a handful of Nashville studio pros: the album was recorded in Melbourne and remixed in Nashville, so I think the Yanks were just dubbed in.
Johnny Chester "From Under The Influence" (WEA Records, 1983) (LP)
His albums continue through the '80s and '90s... There are also several albums and reissue collections of his earlier rock'n'roll recordings.
Bob Clark "The Three Bells" (Country Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Russ Hammond, Eric Scott & Craig Thomas)
A well-regarded session picker known for his "smooth" style, guitarist Bob Clark helms his own solo album, playing bass and guitar with usual-suspects backing by Norm Bodkin (dobro and pedal steel), Lindsay Butler (electric guitar), Lou Farina (drums), and Garry Steel on piano... The album kicks off with a Bob Clark original, "Since You've Gone Away," and closes with an Aussie-themed medley of "Road To Gundagai/Waltzing Matilda," but is dominated by covers of American country hits, mostly older stuff. Clark also cut several singles in the 'Sixties and backed a yodeling cowgal named Shirley Thoms his band The Oxley Ramblers, back in the early 'Seventies. I'm not sure how much of that earlier work has been anthologized, or if he made any other solo albums...
The Cobbers "All For Me Grog" (Bushland Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by John McDiarmid)
A lively, rollicking, cheerfully ribald set of regionally-themed Australian "bush ballads," interspersed with quite a bit of Irish and American folk tunes, including chestnuts such as "Black Velvet Band," "Paddy On The Railway" and "Soldier's Joy." Indeed, this high-octane live performance may have more in common with blistering bluegrass, jugband music and Celtic trad than with straight "country" music, per se, although I found it compelling enough to include here. The group included Chris Armstrong on guitar, John Armstrong on banjo, fiddle, and thirteen other instruments(!), Mark Brown (bass), Christy Cooney (banjo, dulcimer and spoons), and Maitland Swallow on accordion. The group went on to make several other albums, though I think this was their first. This kind of folkloric stuff may have limited appeal, but those who are willing to get on the right wavelength, this is a pretty rewarding record. Definitely worth a spin.
The Cobbers "Cobbers" (Elektra Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by John McDiarmid)
By the way, since this album is self-titled and all, perhaps now is a good time to mention that in Australian slang, "cobber" means roughly the same as "mate" in England, or "pal," in the United States. Now we all know!
The Cobbers "Australia: From Celts To Cobbers" (Bushland Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by John McDiarmid)
The Cobbers "Listen To The Band!" (John Bye Productions, 1978) (LP)
The Cobbers "Bushland Dreaming: Cobbers In Concert" (Festival Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Barton & Mick Letho)
The Cobbers "Portraits Of Australian Women" (Bushland Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Clow & The Cobbers)
Lee Conway - see artist discography
Lester V. Coombs "Country Singalong" (M7 Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Halford)
Lester V. Coombs "I'm Fine Thank You" (M7 Records, 1975) (LP)
Lester V. Coombs "More Country Singalong" (M7 Records, 1976) (LP)
Lester V. Coombs "Lester Live" (1977) (LP)
Stan Coster "This Big Old Land" (EMI/Nulla Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Rod Coe)
Well-produced bush country, with a sleek, modern-day sound, although with the same plunking rhythm and static lyrical form. Stan Coster (1930-1997) was best known as a highly prolific composer, specifically as one of Slim Dusty's go-to songwriters. All but two of the songs on this album are Coster's solo compositions, augmented with two tracks that were co-written with other Australian artists. Unfortunately the side musicians aren't identified, but it's a pretty solid, professional presentation. I have to confess, I zoned out on a lot of the lyrics, though one highlight is a tune called "Who Is Civilised?," about a big-city fella giving an "old man" from the Outback a tour of Sydney, which starts out seeming all shiny and new with the Opera House and all, but starts looking kind of shady after a while.
Tracy Coster "From The Heart" (Gidgee Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Rod Coe)
The daughter of fabled bush-ballad songwriter Stan Coster, Tracy Coster pursued a more modern style of country, though she also recorded a tribute album of her dad's work, later in her career. She's made at least four albums that I know of, mainly working with producer Lindsay Butler, another Aussie country old-timer.
Tracy Coster "Play The Game" (Gidgee Records, 1993) (LP)
Tracy Coster "Bush Baby" (LBS Records, 2000) (LP)
(Produced by Lindsay Butler)
Tracy Coster "Coster Country: A Tribute To My Dad" (Acmec Records, ??)
The Country Playboys "Take My Heart" (RCA Victor, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Weston Baker & Rocky Thomas)
Best known as the backing band for Nev Nicholls, the Country Playboys had a shifting lineup which in this edition included pianist Tony Ansell, Gary Brown (lead guitar), Steve Hopes (drums), Ken Kitching (steel guitar), Tim Partridge (bass), Milton Saunders (piano), Alan Tomkins (bass) and of course Nev Nicholls on rhythm guitar. An all-instrumental set which includes their single, "Nashville Express," which a winner at the Tamworth Country Music Awards in '77.
Country Sound "Travellin' On" (Focus Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Goodfellow & Ron Patton)
A bluegrass gospel set by a group from Sydney, Australia who performed on something called the Christian Television Association. The group seems to have doubled as a house band of sorts for the country-ish Focus label, which produced a strictly Christian line of artists, with various members doing session work for Focus labelmates such as Rick Anderson, Tiiu Withington, and others. The main trio of Charley Boyter (lead guitar), Alan James (banjo and bass), Bruce O'Hara (rhythm guitar) worked on several albums together, supported by a sizeable group of musicians, including several country pickers who also worked with secular bands.
Country Sound "Coming Home" (Focus Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Malcolm Abel)
There was some shifting of the band's lineup between the first two albums (noted on this LP's back cover), but the central trio of Charley Boyter, Alan James and Bruce O'Hara remained, along with fiddler Sue Chapman, steel player Ken Kitching, and mandolin picker John Hardy, who had also done session work on a number of secular Aussie country albums in the 'Seventies.
Country Sound & Rick Anderson "In Concert: Live At The Sydney Opera House" (Focus Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Max Harding & Paul Rich)
A sprawling, 2-LP concert set packed with tons of old-school gospel songs, and a definite country bent. Rick Anderson recorded at least one other album on the Focus label, in 1976, though I'm not sure if the Country Sound guys backed him on that album as well.
Country Sound "Telling The World" (Focus Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Vaughan Hillier, Peter Richardson & Paul Trenwith)
The band soldiered on after a change in lineup... Bruce O'Hara seems to have been the sole founding member left, with newcomers including drummer Alby Chamberlain, Joe Clark on mandolin, multi-instrumentalist Mark Moulynox on banjo, guitar and pedal steel, and Steve Lyne on bass. I suspect that fiddler Sue Craggs was the same gal as Sue Chapman, who played on their earlier albums, but don't quote me on it. I'm not sure what Boyter and James did immediately after leaving this band, though Charley Boyter went on to record several solo albums a couple of decades later in the digital era...
Country Way "I Don't Deserve A Mansion" (Focus Records, 1978) (LP)
Country Way "The Good Fight" (Trinity Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Davies, Ross Farquar, Janet Shanahan & Laurie Stone)
Country Way & Jim Muir "Let Me Live" (Unison Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Davies, Janet Shanahan & Laurie Stone)
The Cross Country Singers "Cross Country Singers" (Unison Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Malcolm J. Abel & Laurie Napier)
John Crossing "Goes Country" (EMS/Nationwide Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Peter Brook)
Pianist John Crossing was the longtime bandleader for country star Reg Lindsay, who contributes liner notes where he says he spent a few years cajoling Crossing into recording this first solo album, which is packed with instrumental version of a slew of American country hits. The list includes 'Seventies standards such as "Sundown," "The Most Beautiful Girl," "Rhinestone Cowboy," "For The Good Times," "Me And Bobby McGee," a couple of John Rostilli tunes ("Please Mr. Please" and "If You Love Me, Let Me Know") and others, including a few pop tunes. Accompanying Mr. Crossing on acoustic guitar is Harry J. Walters... This appears to have been Crossing's only solo album, though he also went into record producing himself, and doubtless played on a bazillion sessions.
