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 "G."
Tracey Gardyne "Kiwi Country Girl" (Music World Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Newton)
Sort of a one-hit wonder from Christchurch, New Zealand... Tracey Gardyne had a down-under hit with her version of the Kenny Rogers song, "A Stranger In My Place" and won a bunch of show-biz awards, circa 1978-80, leading to this album. Like a lot of gal singers of this era, Ms. Gardyne also had a major crush on Emmylou Harris, covering four songs associated with Emmylou's early career: "Beneath Still Water," "Blue Kentucky Girl," "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues," and Dolly Parton's "To Daddy." She's backed by a band called Ovation, which included bass player Peter Hulton and Les Thomas on pedal steel, though sadly the other musicians are not listed by name.
Christina George "Cottage In The Country" (Opal Records, 1993) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Newton)
Christina George "Pages Of My Life" (Opal Records, 199-?) (LP)
(Produced by Lindsay Butler, Dave Byrnes & Darren Howard)
Peg Gilchrist "Queen Of The Country Piano" (LBS Music, 2010) (LP)
(Produced by Lindsay Butler, Shaza Leigh & Greg Williams)
Goldrush "Live At Last" (OZ Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Keith Walker)
A sometimes-bluegrass-y country-rock band from Sydney, Goldrush featured several high-powered musicians, including in its earlier incarnations the Emmanuel Brothers and banjo whiz Mark Collins. The band was founded in 1977, the group broke up in '84, with this album being kind of their capstone, a brisk set including Mark Collins on banjo, guitar and mandolin, Chris Haigh (bass), David Mare (guitar and vocals), and Phil and Tommy Emmanuel on guitar and drums... Though the title makes it sound like a concert album, this seems to have been recorded in a studio environment. It features their signature song, "Sweet Elise," as well as covers of "Duelling Banjos" and "Sweet Home Alabama."
Terry Gordon/Various Artists "MOVIN' OUT WEST" (CM/Country Music Records, 1973) (LP)
This three-artist sampler was the first full LP from CM ("Country Music") Records, an indie label based in Dubbo, New South Wales that was an ancestor of Opal Records. CM started in in 1969 and released a few dozen albums along with numerous singles. All three of the guys on this disc -- Terry Gordon, Alec Saffy and New Zealander Dusty Spittle -- went on to record solo albums, with Mr. Saffy being perhaps the most obscure of the three. The back cover lists three separate studio crews for their various sessions, though it's the same basic set of Tamworth-affiliated pickers, with a few variations -- folks like Norm Bodkin, Lindsay Butler, Hec Davies, and Ken Kitching, as well as a few less well-known musicians, such as pianist Valda Ross and bass player Ralph Tribe.
Grand Junction Country Band "Grand Junction" (RCA Victor Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Vaughan Hillier, Gary King & Doug Rowe)
Although they first formed around 1975, this band of country rockers cut a few singles early on, but didn't record their first full album until '82... It's an auteur-y tour de force, packed with originals written by various members of the band, including multi-instrumentalist Lance Clarke (banjo, fiddle, guitar, and pedal steel), John Fraser (drums), Doug Rowe (guitar), Alan Stewart (keyboards) and Dave Tyne (bass and fiddle). The album's closer, "A Little Bit Crazy," was penned by Australian pop singer Chris Pelcer, though otherwise this was an all in-house repertoire. The group made a fair amount of buzz and toured relentlessly for several years, including gigs opening for or backing various touring country stars from America. They also steadily shed bandmembers, and don't seem to have made much traction in terms of their own fame and fortune, recording only one more album after this...
Grand Junction (Country Band) "Most Wanted" (J&B Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Rich Griner)
Although they shortened the name and shed all credits in the liner notes, this seems to have been the same group as the Grand Junction Country Band above, albeit reduced to cutting a budget-label album of American country music cover songs. As noted above, the band went through a lot of personnel changes and shed more of its core members after this album came out, eventually calling it a day in 1986. Some of the guys just bailed on show business, while others joined other bands, or found work as sidemen... A tale as old as time!
Dave Graney & The White Buffaloes "My Life On The Plains" (Fire Records, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Keith Walker)
An odd intermixture of emotive '80s alt-rock (ala the Waterboys and the Chills, perhaps?) and more brazen cowpunk, with plenty of spasmodic nerdy vocals... The way the pedal steel (Martin Lubran) is mixed in is intriguingly subtle, though I have to confess the album itself didn't do much for me. My college rock days are long past me, I suppose. This band was one of many incarnations taken by singer Dave Graney, a former punk rocker originally from Adelaide, perhaps best known for his stint in the post-punk band The Moodists. This was recorded in Melbourne.
Rusty Greaves "Country Calling!" (Viking Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Barry Coburn)
Rusty Greaves "Three Decades Of Rusty" (Mascot Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Barry Coburn)
Johnny Greenwood "Tibrogargan" (RCA-Australia, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Wills)
Growing up on a cattle ranch in the middle of Queensland, singer-songwriter Johnny Greenwood developed a taste for bush ballads and country music early on. He followed a familiar path, singing at regional events for several years before heading towards the bright city lights -- in this case, to Brisbane, where he worked in local clubs and was booked on various TV shows. Greenwood plugged away for quite a while, releasing a few singles and whatnot, then finally broke through after the major-label RCA signed him in the early 1970s. He was best known for his own original material, including the title track for this album, "Tibrogargan," and the later "Goondiwindi Grey," which refer back to his rural childhood.
Johnny Greenwood "The Goondiwindi Grey" (RCA-Australia, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Wills & Rocky Thomas)
Johnny Greenwood "The Singing Transport Man" (RCA-Australia, 1976) (LP)
Johnny Greenwood "Johnny Greenwood" (Astor Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Garry McDonald & Laurie Stone)
Johnny Greenwood "Big Rigs And Truck Stops" (Colonial Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Lindsay Butler & Ken Cameron)
Ray Griffiths "My Song Dedicated To You" (Opal Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Ross Murphy)
Ray Griffiths "Livin' The Easy Life" (Opal Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Ross Murphy)
Ray Griffiths "Country Touch" (Opal Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Clark, Shad Lyons & Ross Murphy)
Lynette Guest "Be My Guest" (Opal Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Garry Adams, Bob Clark, Shad Lyons & Ross Murphy)
Lynette Guest "Blue Days And Dark Nights" (Opal Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Garry Adams, Bob Clark, Shad Lyons & Ross Murphy)
Lynette Guest "Trail Of Dreams" (LBS Music, 2008) (LP)
(Produced by Lindsay Butler)
