Q: Where were you born and where did you grow up?
A: I was born in Gympie and grew up around south east Qld.
Q: Was there anyone in particular who played an influential part in shaping your career?
A: Slim Dusty
Q: It’s been awhile now since you first got started in the industry?
A: I started writing full time in 1991, released our first album in 1998, and have been living “on the road” taking my music around the country for the past six years.
Q: You’ve been a pretty prolific song writer, do you get much time for anything else, or do the songs just keep coming to you?
A: Writing has always been a passion with me. When I get the chance to write, I go in boots and all and concentrate solely on that one task. I need to keep in that frame of mind and I can’t do other tasks as well. Yes ideas come to me al the time and I wish I could just sit down and start to write, but these days I’m pretty busy with other things, although I’m over half way through writing a song at the moment.
Q: There’s quite a list of impressive names who have recorded your material, want to tell me about them?
A: Yes. It all started in the early 90’s with a phone call from the late Slim Dusty, asking if he could record a song I’d sent him on a tape. The song ‘You Can’t Take Australia From Me’ was recorded and released on the album ‘Ringer From The Top End’. The second artist to record my songs was bush balladeer Dean Perrett, following Dean came Tom Maxwell, Bob Easter, Jeff Brown, Brian Letton, Nathan Charlton, Brad Lee, Melissa Bajric, Charmaine Pout and Laura Downing.
Q: What year did you do your first recording?
A: 1998, The album was called ‘Steering Wheel Drovers’
Q: What was it that made you decide to go into the recording industry?
A: Although I loved writing, I yearned to be back on the stage performing. I believed in myself and my music, so I took the punt and rang Lindsay Butler who as it happened was looking for a new artist to record on hi sthen bush ballad series of cds. The rest is history as they say.
Q: You weren’t always a Bush Balladeer, what did you do for a living before you became a recording artist?
A: I was an ambulance officer in Brisbane.
Q: In total, how many cds have you recorded?
A: I have recorded seven cds and three dvds
Q: Your new album, “The Fire Within Me” has some great tracks on it. At the bottom of the interview there is room for you to comment about any or all of them if you wish
A: Thank you. I feel that this album is the closest to what I have been aiming for over the past ten years. I think all of the tracks have some special significance. “A Saddle For A Throne” has already taken out “The National Songwriting Contest Of Australia” 2008
Q: “Battle Of Long Tan” created a lot of interest, there was talk of it being used in a movie, did they end up using it in the movie?
A: Yes there is hope that the song will be included in a major film about Long Tan. Negotiations have been underway for 18 months now, with the song being presented to the film company and advisers to the movie, who happen to be several of the commanders who actually took part in the battle. We have re recorded the song with a small change in lyrics, and added some more music to make it more movie friendly. We are now in the waiting process on the final outcome.
Q: Any other tracks / albums you’d specifically like to mention?
A: The album “A Gypsy’s Life” hold special memories a sit was the first album that Deidre and I worked on together and had a fair bit of input into the final product.
Q: You also have a couple of DVD’s as well, how are they going?
A: The dvds are continuing to sell in increasing numbers. Images as well as the music seems to be the future in recording, although cd’s will always continue to be in demand
Q: Your most memorable occasion?
A: Singing “The Battle Of Long Tan” live to television at he 2007 Golden Guitar Awards
Q: Your most embarrassing moment?
A: Singing on stage at the Widgee balladeers festival when I wasn’t supposed to be up there, and the other artists whispering to me “what are you doing up here this is only for the people who sang at the first festival”. Everyone knew I’d made a mistake, but it was too late to walk off so I joined in and tried to cover my embarrassment as best I could.
Q: You have been awarded some pretty special awards & special recognitions, would you like to tell me about them.
A: Yes, I have managed to pick up thirty major awards in country music, with fifteen of them being TSA songwriter awards. Others include ‘The Gordon Parsons Memorial Award’ two TIARA Awards, The award for heritage song of the year in the Australian Independent Country Awards at Mildura.
Q: You are “on the road” a lot, and Deidre seems to play a role in that?
A: Yes to both parts of the question. We spend most of the year on the road, and in fact spent only four and a half weeks home during the whole of 2007. Deidre is with me most times and keeps me on the straight and narrow so to speak. I myself would like to spend more time at home, Deidre handles life on the road better than I do
Q: You are pretty busy traveling this big country of ours, no chance of you retiring from “life on the road” any time soon?
A: Not as yet. We have to keep on traveling this big country of ours, no chance of retiring from “life on the road” any time soon.
Q: Is there anything you would like to add that we haven’t already mentioned?
A: We work hard at what we do, but so do a lot of other cm artists. Our aim is to keep on furthering my career in every way possible. We have won just about every award except the golden guitar, although we’ve been in the finals five times. Our aim is to win the gold, it will give us a great boost career wise, and help us to hopefully go on to even greater things.
The Fire Within Me
1) A Saddle For A Throne - The opening track was modeled around Deidre’s father. He was a bushman of the old school, and fitted the subject of the song perfectly. Deidre also helped with her input and the end product.
2) Manabadgerrie Run
3) Carra Barra Wirra Canna - Carra Barra Wirra Canna is a beautiful duet with the lovely Jeantte Wormald
4) Diamantina - is the story of a man’s love for the famous outback river.
5) Pack Saddle Drover
6) The Land Of Ringer Trumby
7) Rough Country Ringer
8) Water From The Devil
9) She’s My Rig
10) The Kin Kin Hotel - tells the story of the legendary tough Grady family, who lived near the small town outside of Gympie when I was very young
11) Give This Hug To Daddy - is based on a true event that happened recently in Melbourne Airport, when a young girl ran up to a group of soldiers waiting to board a plane to Afghanistan as well
12) The Battle Of Coral - written and recorded especially for the Vietnam Vets. This famous battle took place in Vietnam in 1968, two years after Long Tan, and was a significant victory for Australia. I was privileged to have performed the song at the 40th reunion in Townsville recently, with a large number of the audience being the men who actually fought in the battle.
13) You Can’t Take Australia From Me
This is the back ground to some of the tracks but they all hold meaning
Available from:
http://www.grahamrodger.com.au
http://www.joysmusicworld.com/Artists/GrahamRodger.html |
