The Bushwackers | |
|---|---|
 The Bushwackers at the 2010 National Celtic Festival, Portarlington, Victoria, Australia | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Bush band, Australian country |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Labels | Astor Records, EMI |
| Members | Dobe Newton Roger Corbett Mark Oats Clare O'Meara Michael Vidale Ben Corbett Andy Gatus Liam Kennedy - Clark Gabi Louise |
| Website | The Bushwackers |
The Bushwackers Band, often simply the Bushwackers, is an Australian folk and country music band or Bush band founded at La Trobe University in Melbourne in 1971.
Band history
Originally calling themselves The Original Bushwhackers and Bullockies Bush Band (later changed to "Bushwackers"), the band was conceived at La Trobe University in Melbourne after Dave Isom who had started the L.U. Uni Folk Club in 1969 went to see a concert by "The Wild Colonial Boys" at The Assembly Hall, Melbourne, with Bert Kahanoff. He was so inspired by the concert he decided to form a band, lifting the name from a record featuring Martyn Wyndham Read, Peter Dickie, Jim Buchanan and others entitled "Bullockies, Bushwhackers and Booze". The first gigs were in October 1971 as a trio with Dave Isom on guitar and banjo, Jan Wositzky on bush bass, bones and harmonica, Bert Kahanoff on lagerphone with all singing. They were later joined by various players, including accordion and concertina player Mick Slocum, and fiddlers Tony Hunt and Dave Kidd. In 1974 the band went full-time with their first tour to the British Isles, and Kahanoff was replaced by lagerphone player Dobe Newton. With an ever-changing line-up, and adding tin whistle, harmonica, concertina, 5-string banjo, bodhrán, bones, spoons, electric bass and guitar and drums the band worked throughout Australia and Europe.
Roger Corbett joined the band in 1980 and remains the principal songwriter, producer and manager of the band. Other members have included Fred Kuhnl, David Brannigan (The Colinails), drummer Gregory Martin, Steve Groves, Pete Farndon, Dave Mattacks, Pat Drummond, Michael Harris, Louis McManus, Eddy van Roosendael, Freddie Strauks (ex Skyhooks) drummer Pete Drummond (currently with Dragon) and world-renowned Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel.
In August 2023, members Dobe Newton and Roger Corbett performed a rendition of "I Am Australian", which Newton co-wrote, in their audition on the twelfth season of The Voice Australia, in which they received a four-chair turn before securing a place on coach Jessica Mauboy's team.[1]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [2] | ||
| The Shearer's Dream |
|
- |
| And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda |
|
- |
| Murrumbidgee |
|
- |
| Bushfire |
|
37 |
| Dance Album |
|
35 |
| Faces in the Street |
|
54 |
| Beneath the Southern Cross |
|
57 |
| Down There for Dancing |
|
97 |
| Warrigal Morning |
|
- |
| Billy of Tea |
|
- |
| Oz Rock Salutes |
|
- |
| No Nuts 'Til Monday |
|
- |
| Australian Songbook 30th Anniversary Edition |
|
- |
| Ned |
|
- |
| Australian Songbook Volume 2 |
|
- |
| The Official Dance Album |
|
- |
| Australian Songbook Volume 3 |
|
- |
| The Lawson Project (with Dobe Newton) |
|
- |
| The Hungry Mile |
|
- |
| Dyed the Wool |
|
- |
Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [2] | ||
| Lively! |
|
94 |
| Jubilee 25th Anniversary Concert |
|
- |
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [2] | ||
| The Bushwackers Collection |
|
- |
| Waltzing Matilda |
|
43 |
| Celebration |
|
- |
| The Very Best of Redgum & The Bushwackers Band (with Redgum) |
|
61 |
| So Far... 1974-1994 |
|
- |
| The Great Bushwackers Band |
|
- |
| The Very Best of the Bushwackers |
|
- |
| Australian Songbook Collection |
|
- |
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Original T.V. Themes (with Brian May and The ABC Showband) |
|
| Shores of Botany Bay |
|
| Bushwacked |
|
| April 25 |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [2] | |||
| 1973 | "When the Rain Tumbles Down in July"/"instrumental | - | |
| 1979 | "Annie"/"Fanny Bay" | - | Bushfire |
| 1980 | "Flying Pieman"/"The Kangaroo Hop" | - | The Dance Album |
| "Waves of Bondi"/"Flying Pieman" | - | ||
| 1981 | "Les Darcy"/"Weevils in the Flour" | - | Faces in the Street |
| "Marijuana Australia"/"Ned Kelly's Tunes" | 77 | ||
| 1982 | "Waltzing Matilda"/"Beneath the Southern Cross" | - | Beneath The Southern Cross |
| "1234"/"Coney Island" | - | Down There for Dancing | |
| 1983 | "Warrigal Morning" (Theme from Bush Christmas)/"Goanna Stew" | - | Warrigal Morning |
| "When Britannia Ruled the Waves"/"Hanging Rock" | - | Lively! | |
| 1984 | "Lime Juice Tub"/"Marijunana Australia" | - | |
| 1989 | "Shoalhaven Man"/"The Butterfly" | - | non-album single |
| 1996 | "Battler's Ballad" (with Broderick Smith) | - | non-album single |
| 2016 | "Leave it in the Ground"[10] | - | The Hungry Mile |
| 2017 | "Another Trip to Bunnings"[11] | - | |
| 2018 | "Oh How Memories Have Flown"[12] | - | non-album single |
| 2019 | "Stroke the Government's Pen" (with James Stewart Keene)[13] | - | non-album single |
| "Marijuana Australiana Rehashed"[14] | - | Dyed the Wool | |
Awards and nominations
Country Music Awards of Australia
The Country Music Awards of Australia (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards and originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. The Bushwackers have won three awards (wins only).[15]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Flying Pieman" | Instrumental of the Year | Won |
| 2010 | "The Road to Thargomindah" (written by Colin Buchanan) | Bush Ballad of the Year | Won |
| 2012 | "I Am Australian" | Heritage Track of the Year | Won |
| 2022[16] | The Bushwackers | Australian Roll of Renown | inducted |
Mo Awards
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. The Bushwackers have won three awards (wins only).[17]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Themselves | Best Country Group | Won |
| 1986 | Themselves | Best Country Group | Won |
| 1988 | Themselves | Best Country Group | Won |
References
- ↑ Knox, David (22 August 2023). "The Bushwackers compete on The Voice". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 50. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Ned (DD)". Apple Music. March 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Australian Songbook Volume 2(DD)". Apple Music. 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Australian Songbook Volume 3 (DD)". Apple Music. January 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "The Lawson Project (DD)". Apple Music. March 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "The Hungry Mile (DD)". Apple Music. March 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Dyed the Wool (DD)". Apple Music. January 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Australian Songbook Collection (DD)". Apple Music. 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Leave it in the Ground (DD)". Apple Music. July 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Another Trip to Bunnings (DD)". Apple Music. January 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Oh How Memories Have Flown (DD)". Apple Music. July 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Stroke the Government's Pen (DD)". Apple Music. 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Marijuana Australiana Rehashed (DD)". Apple Music. December 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "CMAA Winners". Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "2021 ROLL OF RENOWN ANNOUNCED". www.country.com.au. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ↑ "MO Award Winners". moawards. Retrieved 16 September 2020.