Sunday 30 August 2015

Playlist week of August 29, 2015

2015-08-29

29th August 2015 – BBC Playlist

Aaron Watson - Getaway Truck | Album: The Underdog CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com New Single
Teea Goans - Stranger Things Have Happened | Album: Memories To Burn MP3UK iTunes - Amazon.com  (Aug 23) BIRTHDAY
Shawn Camp - Little Bit of Love | Album: Shawn Camp MP3 (Aug 29, 1966) BIRTHDAY
The Waifs - Black Dirt Track | Album: Beautiful You New MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com - Compass Records
Gord Bamford - When Your Lips Are So Close | Album: Country Junkie (2013) CD - MP3 New Single
Don Henley & Dolly Parton - When I Stop Dreaming | Album: Cass Country (out Sept 25, 2015)  UK iTunes New Single
Blackheart - Any Shade of Blue | Album: Songs from a Satellite (Oct 2013) MP3
Legends of Country - Talk About Country | Album: Talk About Country CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Bandcamp (Jof Owen; August 28) BIRTHDAY
Kitty Wells & Red Foley - As Long As I Live | Album: Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley MP3 (Kitty Wells; Aug 30, 1919; died July 16, 2012 (aged 92))  BIRTHDATE
Amanda Watkins & Jamey Johnson - If I Was Over You | Album: New Single (released April 23, 2015) MP3 Amazon.com
The Lonesome River Band - Missed It By A Mile | Album: Window Of Time (2005) MP3
Melonie Cannon - Whiskey Lullabye | Album: Melonie Cannon (2004) CD
Boxcar Willie - Divorce Me C.O.D | Album: Boxcar Willie, the Very Best Of MP3 / Coming Soon: Truckers, Kickers, Cowboy Angels Volume 5, 6, 7 boxset (Bear Family Records)
Dianna Corcoran - God Did Good New Single
Will Hoge - Middle Of America | Album: Small Town Dreams CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Daughters of Bluegrass - Leaving Here For Nashville | Album: Bluegrass Bouquet (2008) CD
Conway Twitty - She Needs Someone To Hold Her When She Cries | Album: Conway Twitty at His Best MP3 (Sept 1, 1933 died June 5, 1993 (aged 59) BIRTHDATE 
Rebecca Hosking - No Reason | Album: A Few Broken Pieces CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com Hotdisc #200 August Single
Kip Moore - Girl Of The Summer | Album: Wild Ones CD - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Rosanne Cash - The Winding Stream | Album: The Winding Stream - Original Soundtrack Website
Hank Thompson - Hangover Tavern | Album: (Sept 1, 1931; died April 12, 1999 (aged 67) BIRTHDATE
Brandy Clark – Hungover | Album: 12 Stories CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com   
Alan Jackson - Mexico Tequila & Me | Album: Angels and Alcohol CD - MP3 - Amazon.com
Joni Harms - Belle Starr | Album: Cowgirl Dreams MP3
Jimmy Lafave - Journey Through The Past | Album: The Night Tribe CD - MP3 - Amazon.com
Ashley Monroe - I’m Good At Leavin’| Album: The Blade CD - Amazon.com  

New on The Show

Legends of Country
“Talk About Country” – “Really nice feel to it , for fans of Johnny Cash, that to me sounds like a good conversation and Tanya Tucker got a mention as well..lovely little album” -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Home Town: Muswell Hill
Legends Of Country are an English Alt-country band formed by Jof Owen from indiepop group The Boy Least Likely To with longtime friends Adam Chetwood and Rob Jones. Inspired by a long standing love of country music and memories of growing up watching Pebble Mill and listening to Johnny Cash and George Hamilton IV, their songs combine a classic old country sound with an honest and unmistakeable English indiepop charm.

TALK ABOUT COUNTRY is the debut album from Legends Of Country, an English Alt-country band formed by Jof Owen from The Boy Least Likely To with Adam Chetwood and Rob Jones. Inspired by a long standing love of country music and memories of growing up watching Pebble Mill and listening to Johnny Cash and George Hamilton IV, their songs combine a classic old country sound with an honest and unmistakeable English indiepop charm. Heartfelt and uplifting with a truckload of chicken pickin' and country swagger thrown in.

The ironically understated and reflective lyrics take on the absurdities of modern life and middle age, the depressing reality of ageing and the frustrating responsibilities of adulthood. Colloquial and quintessentially English - full of references to A roads and seaside towns, little chefs and Benson and Hedges - it's an album about small town success and the failure that sometimes follows, about finding love late in life and looking back on what might have been.

The album was produced and mixed by Rob Jones (Sweet Baboo, The School, Rozi Plain) and includes the singles Talk About Country, It's A Long Way Back From A Dream and Jelly And Jam. With Duane Eddy style guitar, pedal steel and mariachi trumpets blasting away, the title track is a role call of "country" icons from Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings and Loretta Lynn to darts player Jocky Wilson and the beat writer Carolyn Cassady. It features Liz from The School on vocals. From the playful Tex-Mex of As Country As They Come to the zydeco infused shuffle of If I Knew What I Was Doing I'd Be Dangerous, the album passionately embraces a host of country styles peppering them with a hint of jangly C86 derived indiepop. The stark Americana of The Saturday Dads is a poignant reflection on absent fathers and rainy afternoons in the park.


Aside from the tongue-in-cheek band name, the only real hint of irony here derives from the fact that one of the most exciting country records of the year has come out of North London, not Nashville.

They played the Maverick Festival 2015  at Easton Farm Park in Suffolk.
(Left)
Their track "Talk About Country" is included on the Sept/Oct Maverick Magazine FREE sampler CD Vol 17 Issue 134.
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Amanda Watkins 
“If I Was Over You” - Brand new name to me really like her voice..I like it because I’d call it stone-cold country, just as I like it….that’s my kind of country,....just great, really great music you can hear every word and they sing it like they mean it” -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Home Town: Huntington, WVA and Tampa Bay, FLA
Meet Amanda Watkins; born in the wild and wonderful state of West Virginia, and raised in sunny Florida.Amanda is the quintessential “American Woman” who holds dear a deep-rooted love of family:

Singing, songwriting, cooking, eating amazing food, fighting for this great country we live in, and an All American Woman is who I am. I believe in working hard and playing hard” she shared.

When she’s not writing songs or touring, you’ll find Amanda partaking of her other passions - cooking and eating down home cuisine.
She was drawn to music at an early age, and it’s been a major part of her life ever since. From singing in church at the age of five, to standing on the hallowed stage before a packed house in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Amanda has always delivered powerful performances with her strong voice and gifted melodies and lyrics. One of the proudest moments of her young career was when she became the first unsigned artist to ever play network late night TV, and then share co-write honors on a major Big & Rich single at country radio.
Performing LIVE for audiences is Amanda’s first love. She’s been privileged to open for major artists like Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Jamey Johnson and Frankie Ballard, and to perform at major music festivals like BamaJam and WEfest, as well as earning the distinction by American Songwriter magazine as delivering one of the top 5 best performances at Bonnaroo.
Amanda has just finished recording a new full length album in Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A that includes the single “If I Was Over You," featuring Jamey Johnson and co-written by her with Rivers Rutherford. The new album and single is slated for release in 2015. The single was sent to country radio on August 17, 2015 with an Impact date of September 8, 2015.

Miss Willie Brown
Amanda (L)
When Amanda Watkins, former member of the country duo Miss Willie Brown, set out on her solo career, she struck up a friendship with Jamey Johnson, who took her on tour as his opening act. During her nightly performance of her song "If I Was Over You," Johnson would often amble onstage to harmonize on the chorus. 
The pair captured the heartbreaking song in the studio — as a duet. The idea was all Johnson's, according to Watkins, who says the independent Alabama singer tinkered with her finished track after hours in the studio, adding his unmistakable baritone.

After receiving a late night text to come to RCA Studio A, where she recorded her upcoming debut album and where Johnson has his Nashville office, Watkins says she was surprised with the finished song. "Jamey said, 'I did some changes. I hope you are OK with them.' They took the band out of the first two verses, so it is just acoustic guitar. When Jamey came in, I realized he had made it a duet and I started crying," Watkins said in a statement.
Written by Watkins and Rivers Rutherford, "If I Was Over You" begins with a single guitar and Watkins' dusky voice, before Johnson comes in with a verse of his own: " Read more: Rollingstone.com

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Sunday 23 August 2015

Playlist week of August 22, 2015

2015-08-22

22nd August 2015 – BBC Playlist

Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire Show playlist August 22, 2015
Brand new music from Carrie Underwood, Jewel and Will Hoge and classics from The Stanley Brothers.

Holly Dunn – Cornerstone | Album: CD (Aug 22, 1957) BIRTHDAY
Collin Raye - Little Rock | Album: Extremes MP3 (Aug 22, 1960) BIRTHDAY
Sara Evans - Suds In The Bucket | Album: Greatest Hits CD (For Roy Frost)
Mila Mason - Run Like A Girl Single Hotdisc #197 May Single (Aug 22, 1963) BIRTHDAY
Grey Delisle & Murry Hammond - Lord I’m In Your Care | Album: The Winding Stream - Original Soundtrack Website
Canaan Smith – Bronco | Album: Bronco CD - UK iTunes - Amazon.com (Aug 24, 1982) BIRTHDAY
Roo Arcus - Cowboys & Sunsets | Album: Cowboys and Sunsets UK iTunes 
Aidan Quinn - A Friend Of Mine | Album: Aidan Quinn (EP) Hotdisc #200 August Single
Claire Lynch – Highway | Album: Whatcha Gonna Do MP3
Will Hoge - Better Than You | Album: Small Town Dreams CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Jewel & Dolly Parton - My Father’s Daughter | Album: Picking Up the Pieces (Out Sept 11)  New Single
Billy Ray Cyrus - Hey Elvis | Album: Southern Rain (2000) MP3 (Aug 25, 1961) BIRTHDAY
Jo Dee Messina - He’d Never Seen Julie Cry | Album: (Aug 25, 1970) BIRTHDAY
The Bellamy Brothers - Old Hippie | Album: Best Of The Best (For Yvonne & Jim) MP3
Carrie Underwood - Smoke Break | Album: Storyteller (out Oct 25) New Single
The Stanley Brothers - Love Me Darling | Album: MP3 The Great Stanley Brothers Collection, Vol. 7 (Carter Stanley Aug 27, 1925; died Dec 1, 1966 (aged 41)) BIRTHDATE
The Waifs - Blindly Believing | Album: Beautiful You New MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com - Compass Records
Jake Owen - Real Life New Single (Aug 28, 1981) BIRTHDAY
Sherrie Austin - That’s No Way To Break A Heart | Album: (Aug 28, 1970) BIRTHDAY
David Bradley - This Ain’t Just A Song To Me | Album: Old School Country Song
Shania Twain - That Don’t Impress Me Much | Album: Come On Over MP3 (Aug 28, 1965) BIRTHDAY
Rob McNurlin - That old Guitar | Album: Blue Nashville Guitar (Feb 2015) CD  - CD BABY - Amazon.com
LeAnn Rimes - Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way | Album: This Woman MP3
Ward Davis - Nobody’s looking | Album: 15 Years in a 10 Year Town New Ward Davis Music - Shop
Watkins Family Hour - Steal Your Heart Away | Album: Watkins Family Hour NEW CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Joey & Rory - Teaching Me How To Love You | Album: His and Hers MP3
Annie Gallup - West Memphis Arkansas | Album: Ghost NEW  MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

New on The Show

The Waifs
“Blindly Believing” -  “On the fringes, lots of styles, really is a great song” -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire


Formed: 1992 in Albany, Australia
Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Josh Cunningham Waif  (Guitar Vocals, Songwriter), Vikki Thorn Waif (Guitar Harmonica, Vocals Songwriter), Donna Simpson Waif (Guitar vocals, Songwriter), Ben Franz (Bass), David Ross Macdonald (Drums)
Home Town: Albany Western Australia

Beloved Australian folk rock band
A trip that began in a van in 1992, with the three troubadours playing gigs anywhere in Australia that would have them, has led The Waifs to multiple ARIA awards, platinum albums in Australia and successful tours across the world, including opening for Bob Dylan in North America and Australia in 2003.

The Waifs released BEAUTIFUL YOU on August 14th. Produced by Nick DiDia (Bruce Springsteen, Peal Jam, Powderfinger), the album was written between the USA and Australia by The Waifs’ songwriting trifecta of Donna Simpson, Vikki Thorn and Josh Cunningham.

The resulting 12-song collection merges the three separate songwriters into a cohesive, roots-rock musical feast. Along with bassist Ben Franz and drummer David Ross Macdonald, the five-piece outfit created an album that echoes with both wisdom and pop appeal.
True to form, BEAUTIFUL YOU features their trademark sound: “a bit of Blues and Roots, a bit of Country, a bit of Jazz, anything really.”
Review: Beautiful You is generally unfussy and organic-sounding with enough rock muscle to keep it moving along at a decent clip. Opener "Black Dirt Track" is a gently urgent, slow-building rocker from Vikki, who looks wistfully back on the rural Australia of her childhood. Addiction still looms in Donna's consciousness on the title cut, but this time she's on the other side, observing someone else's struggle.
“Unflinchingly honest and musically exploratory.” —Billboard
“Intimate, heartfelt songs that move at the speed of a road trip.” —RollingStone.com
“The Waifs are a truly rare combination of extremely talented songwriters and musicians that continue to quietly build their legacy one masterpiece at a time.” —Examiner.com
Jasmine Rae: All time favourite artist/band: Dolly Parton and The Waifs

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Annie Gallup
“West Memphis Arkansas”

Singer/songwriter Annie Gallup specializes in the contemporary folk genre. Hailing from Seattle, WA, Gallup taught herself how to play guitar as a teenager, influenced by the likes of Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, and Dave Van Ronk, as she honed her fingerpicking playing style. She soon began penning her own compositions, equally influenced by musicians (Paul Simon), as well as authors (Margaret Atwood, Joan Didion), as she began performing locally in front of crowds in 1988. 

The first songs of Gallup's to appear on CD were on such multi-artist compilations as Whirled Records' Acoustic Sampler and Victory Music's A Victory for Kids in the early '90s. Beginning in 1994, Gallup issued full-length solo recordings on a regular basis, including 1994's Cause and Effect on her own label, Flying Hair, before signing with the 1-800 Prime label in New York, and issuing 1996's Backbone, 1998's Courage My Love, 1999's Steady Steady Yes, and 2001's Swerve. Gallup tours constantly (sometimes spending up to ten months on the road), and has received several songwriting awards over the years, including the Telluride Troubadour Contest (Telluride, CO, 1994), was a finalist at the Columbia Music Festival (Spokane, WA, 1992), and earned an honorable mention at the Napa Valley Music Festival (Napa, CA, 1993).
Released May 2015 GHOST (Gallway Bay Music, 2015), Annie's tenth solo recording, features A-listers Gabe Witcher (Paul Simon, Eric Clapton) on fiddle, and David West (Cache Valley Drifters, Kate Wolf) on dobro and mandolin. Produced by Gallup and Peter Gallway, recorded at Gallway Bay, Santa Barbara, CA it pairs Annie's award-winning songwriting with a string band sound.
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Sunday 16 August 2015

Playlist week of August 15, 2015

2015-08-15

15h August 2015 – BBC Playlist

Brand new music from Mo Pitney & Jason Isbell and Classics from The O'Kanes, Justin Tubb and Jim Reeves
Tribute to Audrey Auld who died earlier in the week.
















Down where the grassroots grow there’s a soul named Beth the fairy
She flies through the garbage dumps picking up what she can carry
And her long arms reach down and give a little shove
Lord knows we could all use a little help from above..  .(
Rita Hosking, BMI)

Homegrown Band - She Loves To Ride | Album: Summer Song (June 2015) NEW Single MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com 
Rose Maddox - Heart Of A Country Song | Album: Reckless Love and Bold Adventure CD (1975) (August 15, 1925; died April 15, 1998 (aged 72)) BIRTHDATE
Mo Pitney - Boy & Girl Thing NEW Single
Dixie Chicks - You Were Mine | Album: The Essential Dixie Chicks CD  (Emily Erwin Aug 16, 1972) BIRTHDAY
Billy Joe Shaver - Sunbeam Special | Album: - Long In The Tooth (Aug 2014) CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com  (Aug 16, 1939) BIRTHDAY
The Stray Birds - Might Rain | Album: Best Medicine (Oct 2014) CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Sarabeth - Do What You Say You’re Gonna Do | Album: SaraBeth (EP; 14 April 2015) MP3 - UK iTunes
Lainey West - Southern Streamline | Album: At Last  
O’Kanes - Can’t Stop My Heart From Loving You | Album: O'Kanes (1987) CD (James O'Hara August 8, 1950 (age 65)/ Kevin Welch (August 17, 1955) co-founders of the Dead Reckoning Records with fellow musicians Kieran Kane) BIRTHDAYS
Joey & Rory - Waiting On Someone | Album: His and Hers (2012) CD 
Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road with Eddy Raven - I Got Mexico  | Album: Common Man  CD - MP3 - Amazon.com  (Eddy Raven; Aug 19, 1934; Lafayette, Louisiana) BIRTHDAY
Tammy Jones Robinette & The Drive - To Be A Kid Again NEW Single
Clay Waker Heartache Highway | Album: If I Could Make A Living (1994) CD  (Aug 19, 1969) BIRTHDAY
Rita Hosking - Where The Grassroots Grow | Album: MP3UK iTunesCD Baby
Jason Isbell - 24 Frames | Album: Something More Than Free CD - MP3 - Amazon.com 
Lee Ann Womack - The Last Time | Album: There's More Where That Came From (2005) CD  (Aug 19, 1966) BIRTHDAY
Justin Tubb – Lodi | Album: Masters Of The Last Century: Best of Justin Tubb MP3 (August 20, 1935; died Jan 24, 1998 (aged 62)) BIRTHDATE
Callie Twisselman - Hung Me On The Line (Single; July 2014) MP3
Gatlin Brothers - Texas Is What Life Is All About | Album: Partners CD (Rudy Gatlin, Aug 20, 1952) BIRTHDAY
Trick Pony - Stand In The Middle of Texas | Album: R.I.D.E. (2005) CD
Audrey Auld – Tree | Album: Come Find Me (2012) CD Obituary Tribute Blog
Jim Reeves - Don’t Tell Me | Album: The Great Jim Reeves Box Set 8CD (H&H Records) (Aug 20, 1924; died July 31, 1964 (aged 40)) BIRTHDATE For more information visit www.jim-reeves.com/greatjimreeves
Watkins Family Hour - Feelin’ Good Again | Album: Watkins Family Hour NEW CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Vogts Sisters - Better Off Alone | Album: My Own Dixie (March 2015) MP3 - UK iTunes - CD Baby - Amazon.com
Kenny Rogers - Tomb Of The Unknown Love | Album: The Heart of the Matter MP3 - Amazon.com
Solitaire Miles - Love Is A Lingering Thing | Album: Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas NEW MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com 
Beth Hart - St Teresa | Album: Better Than Home CD (May 2015) NEW

New on The Show

Homegrown Band

“She Loves To Ride” = Some songs are just great for summer and driving” -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Band Members: Craig Brannon, Kevin Brannon, Jason Cole, Nick Ivey & Megan Blair
Home Town: Carrollton, Georgia
Influences: Jesus

The band's down-home image and songs about life as they know it enjoyed success from the start. In early 2012, HB released their first album, a self-titled EP recorded at Skaggs Family Studios in Nashville, TN and produced by Homegrown Band and Jason Singleton of Red Hill Entertainment.

After touring for months in West and South Georgia, metro Atlanta, and East Alabama and opening for artists like Corey Smith and Ashton Shepherd in support of the EP, the band recorded, produced, and released its second single, "Enjoy The Ride," in late 2013.

Since forming in 2013, the band has toured extensively and released two albums: their self-titled EP, Homegrown Band, and 2015s debut full-length, Summer Song. She Loves To Ride is the band's second single from Summer Song. 

Featuring lyrics about a summer evening drive with a sweetheart over a muscular four-on-the-floor groove, this fast-paced country joy ride will have you rocking wherever the road takes you!
Homegrown Band released a second album tentatively titled SUMMER SONG on 30th June 2015. The record features new songs that the band has been writing and performing over the course of their 2013 tour schedule.
On Monday, July 27th 2015, Homegrown Band released their second single "She Loves to Ride" (Jerry Duncan Promotions / Homegrown Entertainment) to Country Radio.
Check out the >> Lyric Video
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Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas

“Love Is A Lingering Thing” -  “Some western swing I do think this group do it particularly well, a lovely album…it’s a great track” - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Jazz & Swing Members: Neal Alger, Stu Rosenberg, TC Furlong (slide) , Eric Schneider
Genre: Western Swing & Country-Jazz - Celebrating America's original music in the 21st Century
Lead singer Solitaire Miles whose birth name is Solitaire was named after her French great grandmother. Her parents we're hippies and came up with the "groovy name". Her relatives we're of Russian and Polish descent and her great grandmother on that side didn't speak much English so Solitaire was like a tongue-twister so they started calling her Suzy as a nickname. Breaking away from Jazz genre to Swing she then changed her name to Blue.

Solitaire Miles (aka Suzy Blue) has always loved singing Swing tunes. 
Her grandmother, a singer with a big band in the late 1930s, exposed her to the music as a child.  Several members of her family were  musicians and she grew up hearing Swing and Retro Country at Sunday afternoon  family concerts.   She performed as a teenager in the late 1980's with well known Jazz saxophonist Bruce Johnstone in the NW Pennsylvania area where she is originally from. Solitaire originally planned to be an opera singer, but while attending DePaul University in Chicago, she met the legendary Swing violinist Johnny Frigo who encouraged her to sing Swing. 
After college in the early 1990's she began working in Chicago with Sax Maestro Von Freeman, and pianist Willie Pickens, who also played on her self-titled release in 2006.
 "I was lucky to have their guidance because they were playing  with the greats in their day.”  During the late 90's while living in New York City, she performed with the great trumpeter Doc Cheatham, learning lots more Swing tunes.  From these venerable bandleaders, she learned more about phrasing.  Since then, she has since been an important part of the Chicago music scene performing with pianist Willie Pickens and leading her own groups.
Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas may be regarded as a surprise by some of Solitaire Miles’ swing fans, but it is a logical step in her evolution. “Looking for ways to enhance my vocal agility,  I took a job with a with local Retro Country & Western Swing group. For her first Western Swing recording, Solitaire used most of the musicians from her regular  band. “They all did a great job of adapting to this music. Neal Alger, who wrote most of the arrangements, is one of my favorite guitarists in Chicago” she shared.

Interview with Scott Wikle of Fish Creek Radio about our new CD, first aired on "My Kind of Country" June 22, 2015.



The new album "Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas" has gained the #1 Top New Release on the Country Western Swing Chart with "I'm a Fool to Care" holds a top ten single at #6.

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Tuesday 11 August 2015

Singer-songwriter Audrey Auld dies at 51

Australian singer-songwriter Audrey Auld has sadly died at 51

Press Photo

Tracks previously played on Marie Crichton’s Country Show and presenter Quotes:

Nov 2, 2013:
Nashville No.2 CD: Tonk "Old school country at its best...really nice mix of music...showing just how wonderful Australian country music is

Nov 9, 2013:
Siren Song CD: TONK “I think she's terrific, old school with contemporary, Carlene Carter sound to it, wonderful artist

May 10, 2014: Broken Hearted Woman” Album: TONK (Sept 2013)

Paying  Repects:

Audrey Auld-Mezera (née Audrey Auld; January 14, 1964 - August 9, 2015)
Audrey Auld lost her battle with cancer and was taken away too early.
Styles: Contemporary Country/ Alt-Country/ Alternative/Indie Rock/ Country-Folk

She (Mrs Daniel Mezera) died aged 51 on August 9, 2015 in Stinson Beach, California, USA.
She was an Australian American country music touring singer–songwriter and jewelry maker.

She had released eleven albums and three EPs on her own Reckless Records label, and had recorded with numerous musicians including Bill Chambers, Kieran Kane, Fred Eaglesmith, Mary Gauthier, Dale Watson, Kasey Chambers, and Carrie Rodriguez.
Her music was featured on television shows including “Justified” and “Longmire,” and Texas country singer Sunny Sweeney recorded Auld's "Next Big Nothing" (>> Audio) from the 2007 album "Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame".

About Audrey Auld:
  • Born Audrey Auld (née Audrey Auld) on January 14, 1964 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. 
  • She grew up listening to a variety of musical styles from classical to punk, and then fell in love with country music.
  • She formed a few bands — the Cowbelles and Audrey & The Rhythm Wranglers among them — and then, in the mid-1990s, she met musician Bill Chambers. He produced her debut EP, AUDREY, in 1997. Two years later, the two released LOOKING BACK TO SEE, an album of duets inspired by classic country recordings by artists such as the Louvin Brothers and Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton.
If you're in the mood for some serious country music, look no further than the current Australian release "Looking Back To See" by Bill & Audrey on Reckless Records.... Together, they create the classic country duet sound that just isn't heard anymore. The title cut and "We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning" are especially compelling."
~ the late Chet Flippo, 1999
·   
The following year, Ms. Auld released her first full-length solo album, THE FALLEN in 2000. When it found American distribution, she toured the U.S. in 2001.
In 2003 Ms. Auld and her husband moved to California and she released her second solo album, LOSING FAITH, in 2003. Four years later, they relocated to East Nashville, where she quickly became a beloved part of the local music scene.

TEXAS, the first release from Audrey Auld-Mezera since becoming a U.S. resident and adopting her married name, came out in 2005. It was also an ARIA Best Country Album nominee in Auld's homeland. It was recorded live in Texas with Gabe Rhodes, a gifted musician, producer and son of legendary artist Kimmie Rhodes. It included Texan greats Carrie Rodriguez, Kimmie Rhodes and Darcie Deaville, along with Will Landin (bass) and Wally Doggett (percussion) and Audrey’s Aussie mate Bill Chambers.
"her cracked-earth vocals that gleam here and there like broken glass." ~ No Depression

Her fan-funded project 2011 album COME FIND ME (Reckless Records (12) ‎– RECK011) received a 5-star review in the UK’s most popular country magazine Country Music People: “Audrey Auld is an amazing talent. Like a special flower in your garden. Her songs are a kind of beacon of hope, from a woman who cares, in this deeply cynical world we are all stranded in. You need to relax more, play this album.” ~ Paul Riley

JUST LOVE: Regarding the lovely track 2 Audrey shared: 
A beautiful love song, being my husband Mez's first co-write. He sent me a very romantic email one Valentine's Day, thus the first verse was created. I say "just love" to my rescued dog, Gypsy, and stroke her to calm her when she's fearful or aggressive. I think it helps her trust in love. I think it's helped me too as I never used to write love songs!

© Audrey Auld (lyrics/melody) & Mez Mezera (lyrics) March 4, 2009 
(Audrey Mezera Music/APRA/ASCAP)

photo by: 
Joseph Anthony Baker
I wrote your name in the sky
But the wind blew it away
I drew your name in the sand
And the sea washed it away
I hold your name in my heart
There it shall remain
Forever and always

Just love
Is all I have for you
Just love
Innocent and true
All that I am
I give it all to you
Just love




"Anyone doubting that Audrey Auld is one of the world's best songwriters should give "Resurrection Moon" a listen." ~ Paul Riley, Country Music People, UK (April 2012)

The 14 track TONK originally released January 1, 2013 was recorded in the late Jim Reeves' studio in Nashville and produced by George Bradfute and Kenny Vaughan. Kenny invited his Fabulous Superlative mates Harry Stinson and Paul Martin along with Chris Scruggs, Andy Leftwich (Ricky Skaggs) and Gary Carter (Connie Smith). Music City was built by great musicians like these, playing together live in the studio, and Tonk was made the same way. No isolation booths, no compiling, no 'phoned-in' tracks. Every track on Tonk captured the fun and ease of the sessions. Audrey and the Tonk band recorded 16 songs in 2 days. Audrey wore her love for old-school country on her sleeve. But this is no retro devotional. Audrey a self-actualized woman sang out all her love, loneliness and laughter, with a fabulous band playing a swinging beat.
Released digitally to radio Tonk reached #7 on the AirPlayDirect Country/Alt chart for July 2013 (published Sept 2013). 



She toured the UK in May 2014 playing 15 dates starting on Fri 2 May 2014 at the Beverly Folk Club taking in Liverpool, Grateful Fred’s At The Café D’art (Tue 13 May 2014), Warwickshire, Osca Centre (Sat 17 May 2014) and ending on Tue 27 May 2014 at Edinburgh's Leith Folk Club.

Hard truths, sad memories and profound realizations
Upon receiving Ms. Auld's cancer diagnosis in 2014, the couple moved from Nashville to Stinson Beach, Calif., so that she could spend her final days in one of her favorite locations on the planet.
For several years, Ms. Auld conducted songwriting workshops with inmates at San Quentin State Prison as part of her involvement with the nonprofit organization Bread and Roses.
Even as she battled her illness, Ms. Auld was using her voice to help others: Before she left Nashville for California, she recorded her final album. HEY WARDEN, which was released earlier this year, is a collection of eight songs that Ms. Auld wrote with inmates and released through her own label, Reckless Records that shed light on life on the inside.

"This album encompasses a number of musical genres but does so very successfully.... The spirit of country music is upheld in the lyrics themselves. The title track borders on being a country classic. This short but fascinating album gives a valuable insight to [the incarcerated life] and is well worth adding to your collection." - Chris Smith, Country Music People Magazine, UK 4.5 stars


The Board of the Country Music Association of Australia were shocked and saddened with the news of the passing of Audrey Auld.
Board Chairman Dobe Newton said “Hard to believe we'll never her that laugh or see that wonderful smile again. Our huge music family here has lost one of its most loved. Our thoughts are with dear Mez (Mezera) and her adopted family over there, along with Audrey’s family in Tasmania”. Audrey is a much loved and admired singer songwriter, known for her honesty and wit, and personality as big as her heart. She has spent the past few years living in the US with her beloved “Nashville’s best plumber” and soulmate Mez, writing, recording, and performing with some of the best in the industry. Audrey spent quite some time with inmates of San Quentin prison over the past 8 years or so, conducting songwriting workshops and performing. She has recorded some of the resulting songs on her album “Hey Warden”, taking the total of her releases to 11 albums on her own label, Reckless Records.
Audrey performed on the opening concert of the 2014 Tamworth Country Music Festival, an honour she described as being one of her “most wonderful moments”.

Watch "I'd Leave Me Too" Filmed and directed by Cori Hopper and Worm Werchon at Woy Woy Bay, NSW, Australia. Track taken from Audrey Auld's "The Fallen" (2000) album,



Ms. Auld was the loved daughter of Frederick and Audrey, and sister of Lynne, Warwick, Nukee and Fred, and step-daughter of Dorothy.
Ms. Auld is survived by her husband, Mez Mezera. Funeral arrangements are unknown at this time.

Sadly missed by many in the Country Music world. R.I.P

Listen to her music and remember her:
www.audreyauld.com – Lots of album details, lyrics


Obituaries / Sources:
Facebook -  AudreyAuldMezera