Chapter Thirteen – 2000-2004

There we were at Petersham RSL Club, when the clock clicked over to the year 2000. Despite all the prophesies of technological disasters, very little changed in Australia, unless you tried to use the bus ticket validation machines in South Australia or Tasmania! It was a Friday night and at Petersham things remained the same, so much so, that we were back there the next night for our regular Saturday gig.

My first extracurricular engagement for the year was to fill in for George Harrison while he was getting married. No, not THE George Harrison…the one from Beatnix, who are one of the longest running Beatles tribute shows in the world.  Founded by, and now managed by Tony Dean, I was drafted in for two nights in Sydney to substitute for the regular George. It was great fun and quite demanding. Whereas Lennon – The Musical was all about a theatrical version of the songs to serve the story, here we were recreating The Beatles experience in as much detail as possible. For ‘George’, this included rocking out on Gretsch Country Gentleman and Gibson SG guitars, both of the correct vintage. Playing instruments that I was unfamiliar with, took almost as much negotiating as the wig and costumes. It was a Fab weekend! 

A week later and it was time for the 2000 Tamworth Country Music Festival. As I was now writing a regular column for Capital News magazine, I was also attending lots of functions and album launches as a journalist, on top of my usual gigs. I was also becoming known as CyberBob and I exhibited my ShowNet web activities at the industry showcase. On the performance front, there were several shows with Keith Glass who was promoting his new album Southerly Buster that I had played on, and the Tomkins Guitars Showcase. There were a number of overseas artists in town that year including U.S. country music star Gary Allan, who would become another Tomkins Guitar convert, eventually having his own signature model and owning more of the instruments than Allan Tomkins himself!

Long-time supporter Nick Erby
broadcasting his final show at Radio 2TM,
with well-wishers Karen, Denise and Rosie

Singer-songwriter Kelly Willis was in Tamworth with her husband, singer Bruce Robison, who wrote the Dixie Chicks hit Travelin’ Soldier. American chart-topper Jo Dee Messina was there and so was Dean Miller, son of the legendary Roger Miller. Guitarist/producer John Beland and pianist Earl Poole Ball were touring Australia with The Flying Burrito Brothers. Sydney-born Sherrié Austin came to visit, having made good in the U.S. as an actress and singer.

Reunited Memphis band The Amazing Rhythm Aces were there too and as well as their own show, the band members also accompanied the contestants for the Hohner Harmonica Championship. Keith Glass and I both entered, not wanting to miss an opportunity to play two songs each in such stellar company. Our ruse was spotted by the judges (who included Ross Wilson from Daddy Cool/Mondo Rock) and we were disqualified from the competition, but not before we had had our fun. On a previous tour, The Amazing Rhythm Aces had contributed to Keith’s last album, as they would also do for his next release.

Bob Howe wails on the harp, backed by Amazing Rhythm Aces
L to R: Tony Bowles, Bryan Owings (obscured), Jeff ‘Stick’ Davis and Billy Earheart

Denis McNamara, Frank Jones, Brent Parlane,
at The Pub, Tamworth 2000

Denis McNamara had come to check out the talent in Tamworth in his capacity as Entertainment Manager of Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club in Sydney. Karen and I guided him to our pick of the Festival shows. Two in particular impressed him; Stuie French’s Picker’s Night, an annual get-together of the country’s finest players along with invited guest singers, and a ‘Songwriters In The Round’ afternoon at The Pub, featuring Keith Glass along with Brent Parlane and Frank Jones, with yours truly acting as backup guitarist. Denis was hatching a plan for a regular country music show in Sydney, to begin in May, and at that time we had no idea that it would have such a long-lasting legacy.

Dean Miller plays a Tomkins Guitar at Stuie French’s Picker’s Night, Tamworth 2000

Bob Howe, Frank Jones, Brent Parlane, Keith Glass at The Pub, Tamworth 2000

Back to Sydney: Even though I was born in Rugby, I have no affinity with the game, or any sport as it happens. However, Allan Caswell is a vehement supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and when they were excluded from the National Rugby League premiership at the end of the 1999 season, Allan joined in with the protest rallies. He also recorded a song, Souths Can Stand Alone, which he wrote with Mark Egan. We recorded it at Beez Neez Studio, with Allan’s vocals joined by Mark’s backing vocals, and myself playing all the instruments. It was released as the lead track on a CD E.P. titled The Glory of South Sydney on Stuart Coupe’s Laughing Outlaw Records. A huge concert was held at the club’s home ground, Redfern Oval, featuring Allan, Don Spencer, Troy Cassar-Daley, Little Pattie, Le Club Nerd and rock band You Am I. I played for Allan’s set and the crowd was in great vocal form. Following the protests and an appeal to the Federal Court, the team was eventually readmitted for the 2002 season.

Allan faces the enormous crowd…

…joined by Andrew Denton and Tim Rogers on the right.

On February 26th 2000, there was a giant Prisoner Turns 21 party and reunion bash at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre, in aid of Oz Showbiz Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Cast members from the TV show Prisoner (known in the U.K. as Prisoner: Cell Block H), which still has a huge cult following, regrouped for the event. Allan Caswell’s classic On The Inside, theme song for the show, featured largely in the proceedings. To help contribute to the cause, Michael Vidale and myself created a CD single using our dance version (as FG2H – Frankie Goes To Holloway), combined with my harmonica treatment of the Love Theme from Prisoner, and our own techno romp On The Outside.

The charity provided us with a wonderful illustration by Geoffrey Falk for the cover, and the disc was launched at the Melbourne party as part of the fund-raising drive. It was well received by all reports. Actor’s Equity were also going to use the music on their float in the forthcoming Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. One night after my gig at Petersham, I walked down Oxford Street (the route of the parade), trying to convince nightclub doormen to take a copy of our CD for the club DJs. The following day, I canvassed any retail outlets that might stock the disc. Unfortunately, at the last minute someone at Equity decided to use a different version of the song, so all that effort was to no avail.

Brooke Leal, Keith Glass, Audrey Auld backstage, May 2000

It was time to get serious about the plan by Denis McNamara to develop a country show for Sydney. With the blessing of Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club CEO Craig Fantom and ground support from Debbie Kelso, we set about planning what would become known as Canterbury Country. In keeping with the two shows that Denis particularly liked at Tamworth, we set about amalgamating those ingredients. I hired the Feral Swing Katz band, fronted by Stuie French on guitar and Michel Rose on pedal-steel, and three guest singers; Keith Glass, Audrey Auld and Brooke Leal. We launched the show on Thursday 11th May 2000, and on the night we were joined by surprise guest Brendan Marolla from North Queensland who was in town recording a new album. We all had a great night, not realising how the show would eventually grow and last for 20 years (at which time it only paused because of the 2020 pandemic).

At first I would sing a few songs and host the concerts but soon I would take over the bookings as well. Individually, The Ferals were in big demand with the top touring artists and the full line-up wasn’t always available. By the sixth show, October 2000 featuring Darren Coggan and Peta Caswell (Allan’s niece), none of the main players were available, so I resurrected my Hillbilly Heaven band name and put together a new line-up, the core of which has stayed constant through to the present (as I write). Joining me that night were the brilliant Tomi Graso (steel guitar), Allan Tomkins (bass), Terry Phillpot (drums), Naomi Coggan (piano) and Ray Schloeffel (fiddle). In January of 2001 we made a permanent switch to using the Hillbilly Heaven band for all the shows, with Keith Glass (vocals, guitar, mandolin) replacing the fiddle. 

The Hillbilly Heaven Band 2001 – Naomi Coggan, Terry Phillpot, Bob Howe, Keith Glass, Tomi Graso, Allan Tomkins

Early guests also included a 15-year old Catherine Britt, already destined for stardom,  Brooke McClymont (all three sisters of The McClymonts would eventually appear on the show), Felicity Urquhart, Leslie Avril, Mike Carr, Alby Pool, Don Spencer, Karen Lynne and many, many more. In September we began an annual tradition of celebrating Hank Williams’ birthday with Dwayne Elix and a growing cast.

Another annual event to become associated with Canterbury Country, was the Frank Ifield International Spur Award. From 2001, the March show was devoted to featuring past winners of the award and announcing the new recipients. First up were male and female winners, Mike Carr and Karen O’Shea. The was also a once only special ‘Millennium Award’ which was presented to Wayne Horsburgh, “for exemplary professionalism both on and off stage, and having successfully made a career both in Australia and the United States”. Pictured right, Wayne Horsburgh and Frank Ifield, March 2001. N.B. The complete line-ups of every show for twenty years, with photographs, can be found online at www.shownet.com.au/canterburycountry.html

HOLLYWOOD CALLING: In 2001 I was contacted by the Music Supervisor of a forthcoming American action/comedy movie entitled ‘Getting Hal’. This feature was being directed by Tony Markes and in a flashback scene one of the actors was shown with a girl resembling ‘Heidi’ in a skiing chalet, followed by a tumble down the snowy slopes. Directors will often ‘cut’ a scene with what is known as a ‘temp track’, a piece of music that fits the scene but will theoretically be replaced later. In practice though, this temporary music gets so ingrained in the director’s subconscious, that it becomes the only music that will ultimately do the job. In this case, the film’s Music Supervisor (similar to an A&R – Artists & Repertoire – manager) contacted me to explain that the director had used Frank Ifield’s recording of ‘She Taught Me To Yodel’ for this particular scene.  After contacting EMI, the owner of the recording, they learned that the ‘synchronisation license’ needed to use the original version was beyond their budget. They asked if I could contact Frank to see if there was another version and it transpired that the only other recording Frank had made was on his ‘Live In Japan’ LP, and that was long out of print.

That would have been the end of the story, except I was familiar with a practice commonly used (especially in the advertising jingle business) and I offered them an alternative. A conference call was arranged with the director in Hollywood and the Music Supervisor in Malibu and I explained, “I am currently producing recordings for Australia’s premier male yodeller and we could not only produce a ‘cover version’ that sounds like Frank’s recording, but I could also engineer an edit that fits the scene exactly!” They seemed delighted with this idea, we negotiated a fee to be paid on the movie’s release, and they arranged to send me the edited footage of the scene so I could see and hear how the music needed to fit the action. With yodeller Wayne Horsburgh at the microphone, I soon had a finished recording to send off to Hollywood and wait for the movie to be released. 

I was aware that ‘Getting Hal’ was the first film to be cast and financed via the internet and it was publicised at the 54th Cannes Film Festival Day in 2001 with a media appearance by the director and actors. In fact it was the result of the notorious ‘Who Wants to Be a Movie Star?’ project, in which the film was financed by auctioning off executive producer credits and most acting parts online. It transpired that the Screen Actors Guild was none too happy about this! ‘Getting Hal’ was screened at the 2003 Santa Monica Film Festival, but unfortunately never appeared to receive a commercial or even DVD release. There ends the tale, with no Oscar red carpet in sight! The recording we made went unpaid for and unused until I remixed it for Wayne’s 2012 CD release ‘Yodels and Love Songs’ which became a successful album for him.

While the Y2K bug didn’t bite on 1st January 2000, there was a significant change to business on the 1st July. The Australian Government introduced the Goods and Services Tax (‘GST’), a value added tax of 10% on most goods and services sales. For a steady job like the band at Petersham RSL Club, that meant we were no longer employees and now responsible for our own income tax payments and (after being paid out) not entitled to ‘long-service leave’ or superannuation benefits.

For casual gigs it meant a lot of paperwork; obtaining an ABN (Australia Business Number) from the Taxation Office, deciding whether to become ‘registered for GST’ (effectively charging the tax on gigs or not), invoicing an ’employer’ for every job, filling in a sub-contractor statement for some engagements and submitting the corresponding quarterly and annual returns associated with all of that. Eventually, many venues also insisted that musicians and entertainers purchase their own ‘Public Liability’ insurance. All of this bureaucracy was compounded by the fact that earnings for workers in ‘the arts’ had stagnated at this point and would stay the same (or less) for the next 20 years or more, while the cost-of-living would increase ever upwards.

In June of 2000, I released an instrumental single, She Loves My Banjo, via the NfS sampler CD, Volume 58. My inspiration came directly from seeing an awesome performance by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones at The Basement in Sydney. NfS stood for ‘Not For Sale’ and at the time, was the preferred method of releasing single tracks to country music broadcasters in Australia. Run by Mike and Lee Smith, it was also linked to Nick Erby’s Country Tracks Top 40 Chart. My effort did not make any dent on the charts, but it did gain a nomination in the 2001 TIARA‘s (Tamworth Independent Artists Recognition Awards). I’m not sure if anyone noticed that I had quoted Jimi Hendrix in the fade out of the track!

The 2001 Tamworth Country Music Festival brought more overseas attention with a joint promotional venture that involved both the American CMA (Country Music Association) and our local CMAA (Country Music Association of Australia). It was called Sold On Country and I was drafted to take digital photos of the board with visiting artists David Lee Murphy, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Dean Miller, Shirley Myers and our own Keith Urban and Jamie O’Neal who were both doing well in the USA. I also played a few shows during the festival, including the Tomkins Guitars Showcase and some with Dale Juner and the Feed-O-Matics (pictured here with wonderful steel player Warren Nielsen and Dale Juner at the front).

Issue 23 of Country Update magazine featured a two-page spread of my photos from the 2001 Tamworth Festival

Trevor Smith, Shirley Myers, Gil Robert, Keith Urban, Jamie O’Neal, David Lee Murphy, Rob Potts

Relaxing at The Longyard after the Golden Guitar Awards, Jan 2001.
L to R: Keith Urban, Ron Adsett (Country Music Store), Denise Torenbeek (Country Update Magazine),
Rosie Adsett (Country Music Store), Nick Erby, Bob Howe (photo by Karen)

Having fun with Catherine Britt at the 2001 Royal Easter Show

Opening for Billy Washington’s DRIFTERS, August 2001

The Canterbury Country shows were gaining momentum, none more so than our annual Hank Williams Birthday Bash in September, a birthday shared with our own Keith Glass. 

Pictured above: Audrey Auld models my Hank poster

Pictured above, L to R: Tomi Graso (steel), Dwayne Elix, Josh Canning, Catherine Britt, Merril Perera, Brooke Leal, Sweeney~Killeen, Karen O’Shea, Murray Hill, Kim Cheshire, Mary Heard.

Rivalling the ‘Hank’ nights in terms of guest artists, as well as audience members, Canterbury Country also began an annual presentation of the Tomkins Guitars Showcase in Sydney.
Pictured (kneeling L to R):
Lyn Bowtell, Keith Glass, Jack Pledge,
(Standing L to R) Dwayne Elix, Geoff Mack, Alby Pool, Joel Oakhill, Allan Tomkins, Duncan Toombs, Paul Lines, Allan Caswell, Bob Howe, Mike Moore, Lee Forster.

At the 2002 Tomkins Guitars Showcase in Tamworth – L to R: Jason McCoy (Canada), Allan Tomkins, Bob Howe, Jedd Hughes

As well as the usual diversions at the 2002 Tamworth Country Music Festival, I enjoyed two consecutive gigs playing bass at The Pub. First up was the De Gruchy Guitars Showcase. Bryan de Gruchy was a master luthier based in Adelaide and his acoustic instruments are highly coveted. Many country artists appeared on his showcase, playing his beautiful creations. This was followed by the Bill Chambers Session and another array of guest artists, including Bill’s daughter Kasey. Well-pleased, Bill commented to me that I “played bass like a ‘proper’ bassist and not like a guitarist”.

In the photo on the left, Kasey is just launching her latest single, Not Pretty Enough, which would catapult her from the top of the Country charts to the top of the Pop charts and worldwide acclaim. In the photo below, Bill is on the left and Mark Molyneux on the right, playing dobro. I’m playing my short-scale Tomkins electric bass that has served me well for many years and was ironically, originally earmarked for Kasey’s mum to play, before the family band broke up.

Top L to R: Wayne Horsburgh, Ralph P. White (horns), Judy Anne Barnes (vocals),
Bottom L to R: Marcus Holden (violin, viola), Tomi Graso (pedal steel guitar), Michael Vidale (bass).
Not pictured: Bob (guitars), Greg Hooper (keyboards)

 

Back in Sydney, Canterbury Country reached its 2nd birthday and Mick Hamilton happened to be in town. I booked him to sing some country songs on the show, but couldn’t resist getting the 1987 model Mighty Guys back together, so I got Leon Isackson to join us for some rockabilly fun.

 

In June 2002, the Hats Off to Country Festival weekend was staged for the third time in Tamworth – a much smaller and cooler version of the annual January event. The main concert was to be themed as Hats Of to the Outback and staged at West Tamworth League Club. Laing Entertainment (on behalf of the Country Music Association of Australia) hired me to provide a backing band for those artists who didn’t have their own musicians. I brought together Ian Lees (bass), Mitch Farmer (drums), Ian Hildebrand (guitar) and Naomi Coggan (keyboards). Together, we provided the accompaniment for Brendon Walmsley, Sara Storer, Darren Coggan, Arthur Blanch and (partly) Michael Fix and then the whole cast sang and played True Blue with John Williamson for the closing number. It was an interesting weekend, at a much slower pace than the January commotion, and fortunately the winter weather didn’t bite as hard as we expected.

Ian Lees, Mitch Farmer, Sara Storer, Ian Hildebrand, Bob Howe – Tamworth, June 2002

At the end of September, Petersham RSL Club introduced budget cuts that included reducing The Trojans band from a quartet to a trio. Many clubs had done this already and the most workable three-piece line-up for a band that accompanied singers and other artists is piano, bass and drums. For the next thirteen months, apart from a couple of ‘external’ gigs, I would have a break from the band until such time as I would return in the guise of their bass player.

This year’s Sydney Tomkins show was enhanced by the launch of a CD compilation, Tomkins Showcase – Volume One, that included 24 tracks by users of Tomkins Guitars. They included Dale Watson (a duet with Audrey), Phil Emmanuel, Wylie & The Wild West Show and The Bondi Cigars. It was also the first release of my track Diamondtina Yodel, named after my Tomkins ‘Diamondtina II’ model guitar, that became a theme tune for the showcase concerts and was nominated for several awards. The headstock of my guitar featured on the CD cover, back-lit by the Bondi Beach sun and Julie Doel created a wonderful montage of around 70 (seventy!) Tomkins players for the fold-out artwork.

Bob, Geoff Mack, and Keith, at Geoff’s place, August 2002

I compiled the release with Keith Glass and we also wrote a song about Allan Tomkins for Hillbilly Heaven to perform, called The Original Tomkins. To date, this is the only studio recording of the band. We also commissioned Geoff ‘Tangletongue’ Mack to write yet another variation of his big hit song, this time called I’ve Played Everything! which we recorded in Geoff’s living room. It describes all the different brands of guitars he has played, but ends with the declaration that ‘…Tomkins is the best”. Geoff was 79 years old at the time and did a cracking good job!

In November 2002, I started a new journey, literally, into the world of cruising, beginning with Holland America’s MS Prinsendam. Over the next thirteen years, I would perform on 50 cruises as a ‘Guest Headliner’ and would travel around the globe multiple times. It was quite a feat to fit many of the trips into my schedule, while still maintaining regular gigs and other guest spots back in Australia. I have chosen to devote Appendix A solely to my time at sea (2002-2015), making only passing references to the cruises in the other chronological chapters. I hope it makes for better reading this way.

 

As well as writing for Capital News, I contributed occasionally to other publications such as Metro Magazine – Australia’s oldest, continuously published film and media magazine. Issue 134 included my 1500-word combined review of Clinton Walker’s book Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music (Pluto Press), the movie Buried Country (Andy Nehl, Film Australia) and the CD Buried Country: Original Film Soundtrack (Larrikin, 2000). 

 

On the airwaves I was interviewed by John Nutting for Saturday Night Country, on ABC Radio in December 2002. Johnno and I had become friends in Tamworth and shared tastes in music, ventriloquists and old school English humour. Michael Vidale and I had recorded a country version of 2001 – A Space Odyssey, especially for his first show of that year. Another time, Johnno was presenting at the A.C.E. Awards in Sydney and I slipped the orchestra the music charts I had written so that they could play him on to the stage with Greg Champion’s See You Again Sometime, the closing theme song for Saturday Night Country.

 

Johnno cleverly hosted his radio show without revealing his whereabouts, adding to the local feel of the program. In actual fact he was based in Townsville, North Queensland, so most of my interviews with him were done over the phone, unless he was broadcasting from a regional festival. If there was an album launch or event in Sydney, he would often fly down and conduct his four-hour show (10pm to 2am) from the ABC Studios in Ultimo. That’s where he was when I arrived, having just finished my live show (this night, pictured) opening for Judy Stone, still dressed in my dinner suit. A few hours later I would fly out to meet the Norwegian Crown cruise ship in Hawaii. John finished our interview by playing my track Diamondtina Yodel, which became quite a favourite on the show.

 

January 2003 and it was off to the Tamworth Country Music Festival again. My tune Diamondtina Yodel was a Top 10 finalist track in the Toyota Golden Guitar Awards (and also Top 5 in the Victorian & National Country Music Awards). At the same time, my instrumental version of Frank Ifield’s I Listen To My Heart was a Top 5 finalist in the TIARA Awards (Tamworth Independent Artists Recognition Awards)…but none were winners! However, it was great to see Frank elevated to the Roll of Renown – Australia’s highest country music honour. I played bass again for the De Gruchy Guitars Showcase with Bill Chambers, Trev Warner and Jedd Hughes, and of course, guitar at the Tomkins Guitars Showcase and for other artists.

Trev Warner, Bob Howe, Jedd Hughes – De Gruchy Showcase, Tamworth 2003

Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club’s Debbie Kelso and
Denis McNamara present the show’s host Bob Howe
with a genuine imitation gold commemorative watch to
celebrate three years of Canterbury Country shows!

Canterbury Country was gaining more ground now and becoming an asset for independent country artists who had few opportunities to appear in the city of Sydney. Acts from other states began to ask me if they could appear as they passed through on tour and some performers chose to use our show as a platform to launch their new albums. There were often record industry executives and radio presenters in the audience.

 

Our third birthday show featured Bill Chambers, Audrey Auld and also Bryen Willems, a native of Louisiana, who would become a regular and important part of the show. The highlight of the night for me was singing a duet vocal with Audrey on Harmony, as song she had recently recorded with Kieran Kane.

 

Also in May 2003, I began a new regular radio spot for Saturday Night Country on ABC Radio. Johnno asked me if I would present a national country music ‘Gig Guide’ each week, just before the 11pm news. For the next seven years, every week I would collate the dates of shows and tours by Australian country acts and fit as many as I could into the allotted time. Around 10.50pm, Johnno would cross to Big Bob from Bondi as he called me, and always began by asking me from where I was answering. Most of the time I would be at a Saturday night gig somewhere, trying to make sure I had a break at the exact time he would call. There would be hilarity if I was in the middle of a concert, perhaps waiting to go back on and take a bow at the end of a multi-artist show, such as the time an ‘Elvis’ was running overtime and you could hear him in the background. Johnno could always pick the sound of bathroom echo if I found that it was the only quiet place at a venue where I could answer the phone. “Are you in the dunny again, Big Bobby?” he would ask on-air. I was now being heard regularly on three different radio programs…

Barbara Morison from 2SER-FM with Lee Kernaghan, June 2002

John Nutting, Big Bob from Bondi, Pat Drummond in the ABC Green Room, November 2000

Belinda Miller from 4AAA-FM, Murri Country 2003

Since December 1997 I had chatted on-air each month to Belinda Miller from 4AAA-FM, Murri Country in Brisbane about country music on the internet and such. That station was also part of the National Indigenous Radio Service. Since May 2001, I also spoke monthly to Barbara Morison on 2SER-FM (107.3 in Sydney) on her All Kinds of Country show, discussing the contents of each month’s Cowboys in Cyberspace column and who would be appearing on Canterbury Country the following week. Barbara’s show began at 5am on a Saturday morning and Johnno’s show began at 10pm and finished at 2am. Therefore, I would pre-record my spot with Barbara the day before. The only time I came undone was when singer Lee Forster woke me on the phone very early one morning, saying he knew I was awake because he just heard me on Barbara’s show. Saturday Night Country was relayed across 60 stations nationally, also via the Web and Radio Australia, and for many years I would get a glimmer of recognition from audiences all across the land, when they realised I was Big Bob from Bondi. The show was also a favourite of musicians, usually driving home after a gig. 

 

Another singer who was becoming a regular on Canterbury Country was Donna Boyd who, having already made a name for herself internationally at a young age as Donna Watson, was now entering the world of country music. We first met her in April 2001 and in March 2003 she won the Frank Ifield International Spur Award. Shortly afterwards she headed to the UK to tour with Frank and some of my old Barbary Coast band-mates. On her return I would play an increasing number of gigs with Donna, eventually joining her band and co-producing her next album.

 

Pictured right: Donna Boyd, surprised to learn she has won the Frank Ifield International Spur Award.

 

In June of 2003, Normie Rowe asked me if I would travel to Wagga Wagga with him for a one-off “Unplugged” performance. I asked if there was a spare seat in the bus so that my wife could tag along. As a teenager, Karen had snuck out of boarding school to see Normie sing in Dalby, QLD. It was a performance that she had enjoyed, up until the point that security escorted her back to the school.

Pictured here:  Normie Rowe and the Playpersons “Unplugged”, L to R: Bob, Normie, Jennifer Foote (vocals), Roger Montgomery (keyboards).

 

By now I was proud to have played on over nine albums by celebrated children’s entertainer Don Spencer. On July 1st, Don launched his Australian Children’s Music Foundation with a fundraising gala dinner. In attendance were his daughter Danielle Spencer and (then husband) Russell Crowe, musicians Billy Thorpe, Garry Gary Beers (INXS), Terry Murray, Allan Caswell, John Kane, boxer Joe Bugner and many other personalities. The ACMF is a not-for-profit organisation and over the years it has grown to be a major force in inspiring creativity and imagination by providing weekly music education classes and instruments to disadvantaged children and youth at risk throughout Australia. Pictured here: Don Spencer and myself at the launch.  

 

Earlier, in March of 2003, I had sailed from India to the Seychelles and flew home via London (!), unsuccessfully trying to break the journey in order to visit my family. For that reason, I booked a trip back to England, under my own steam, for July. Unfortunately a month before I got there, my Dad (Jon) passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully. The trip became an extensive and poignant visit to as many family members as I could manage in two weeks.

 

Nous sommes arrivés! The Steve Haggard Touring Party arrives at Réalmont. (L to R:) Gail Lloyd, Steve Haggard, ‘Bugsy’ Moloney,
Cozy Dixon, Chris Senna, Trevor Ryley and Bob Howe.

While I was in the UK, Cozy and Bugsy from the Barbary Coast band and tour driver Trevor Ryley, told me they were heading to the South of France for a concert with American singer Steve Haggard (no relation to Merle, but they weren’t 100% sure the French realised that fact). They had Gail Lloyd (from US band Gail & The Tricksters) on-board, and pedal steeler Chris Senna, but they needed a lead guitarist. Sure, that sounds like fun, I thought.

20 sweaty hours in mini-bus with no air-conditioning later, we arrived in the township of Réalmont near Toulouse. Our  accommodation was a deserted school dormitory, but no time to sleep, we were due on stage very soon. The main street of town was closed off for the  RE’AL CROCHE Festival de Musique Nord-Américaine (Americana Festival), with the stage at one end and the sidewalks lined with stalls and displays of American cars and memorabilia. 

Finally we made it to the stage, but Chris had a problem with the voltage of the power supply to his amplifier, so he had to use the amp we had brought for me to use. I then used a dodgy Vox combo that was the only other available amplification. The tone was rough and apparently (I never heard the tape) my playing was equally aggressive, but in a good way. The show was successful, if not something of an anti-climax, considering the length of the journey to get there. The next day, the organiser made up for the odd accommodation by taking us to his brother’s restaurant where everything was on-the-house. We then set off on a sightseeing jaunt to nearby Carcassonne, a French fortified city that was outstanding to see. We drove back via Paris as Steve and Gail were leaving us to head off to Germany, and then we continued on to the ferry from Calais to Dover.

Why name a wine after a teetotaller?

Cité de Carcassonne, the medieval fortress!

Au revoir Steve et Gail…

 

Back in Australia, Saturday Night Country on August 23rd was a special night at the ABC 702 Studios in Sydney. As well as presenting the Gig Guide, I played live in the studio behind the magical voice of Jimmy Little. Afterwards I chatted with Johnno throughout the final two hours of the show. Uncle Jimmy sang smooth and sweet, so relaxed, and we played unrehearsed. A moment I will never forget…

Bob Howe and Jimmy Little, Radio ABC Sydney, August 2003

Bob, Uncle Jimmy, Johnno and Graham “Buzz” Bidstrup

In September 2003 a long weekend of country music was promoted under the banner of “Country Storms The City”. It began on Thursday 11th at Canterbury Country with our Hank Williams Birthday Bash featuring a multitude of guests that included Leslie Avril, Dale Juner, Dwayne Elix, Donna Boyd, actor/musician Andy Anderson, Mark Lucas, Bryen Willems, Merrilyn Steele, The Murray Hillbillies, Craig Byrne, Kim MacKenzie and more.

 

Continuing the next day, the Galston Country Music Festival began with (Friday) Meet the Artists at Glenorie RSL Club, (Saturday) The Galston Club Country Music Spectacular and finally, (Sunday) the main concert at Fagan Park in Galston with Troy Cassar-Daley, Darren Coggan, Wallis and Matilda, The Borderers and many more.

 

On the Monday, back at Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club, the CMAA Australian Country Music Achiever Awards were held – “…a star studded spectacular night of entertainment and awards, paying tribute to the industry achievers”. 

 

With the growing success of Canterbury Country, entertainment manager Denis McNamara asked me to imagine a similar show at Rooty Hill RSL Club, to be held each month, on the Thursday night a week after our flagship show (and a mere three days after the giant weekend of country music). On September 18th 2003, the less than imaginatively titled Rooty Hill Country, began a series of concerts. With similar themes and the same band. The two shows were differentiated by not having the same guests in the same month. The first concert featured the trio Anam Cara (Kate Ballantyne, Karen O’Shea and Lyn Bowtell) soon to be renamed Bella, and from Melbourne, Leslie Avril and surprise guest Billy Bridge.

 

We followed that up with a Tomkins Guitars Showcase (making it two for Sydney that year) that included Steve Forde & The Flange and New Zealander Eddie Low. In November the show included Dave Gleeson, vocalist for hard rock band The Screaming Jets and at that time featured on TV’s The Footy Show, promoting his roots-country flavoured solo album Wanted Man.

At Rooty Hill Country, November 2003 
Left: Dave Gleeson in the middle of Carter & Carter.       Right: Sara Storer cheers on her buddies Sweeney~Killeen

 

In November 2003, I returned to The Trojans band at Petersham RSL Club as the bass player. My skill of sight-reading the bass clef was going to need some brushing up, so I avoided re-joining the band on the day the accordionist Ross Maio was scheduled to be the guest artist. He his phenomenally fast technique and tricky charts were just too daunting for a first outing. Happily, by the next time he came to the club, I was up to speed.

The Trojans (2004) – Bob on bass, Peter Kenny (keyboards), Graham Simpson (drums)

 

Also that month, I was reunited with my old bandmates from The Mighty Guys for a couple of shows, including the 5th National Aboriginal Dance Conference Dinner held at Sydney University. Pictured left:  drummer Leon Isackson, host of the event and legendary vocalist Vic Simms, bassist Alan Freeman and me.

 

The 2004 Tamworth Country Music Festival was always going to be a busy time for me, but it turned out even more hectic than I could have imagined. To start with I had a full range of gigs booked: four shows with the Donna Boyd Band, one with Arthur Blanch, The Webb Brothers, Karen Lynne and the latest ‘Roll of Renown’ inductee Kenny Kitching, the Tomkins Guitars Showcase, the Murray Hillbillies, and a version of Hillbilly Heaven fronted by Lee Forster and Briana Lee.

 

Jessica Mauboy and Bob Howe, Tamworth 2004

The Allied Artists agency had also hired me as Music Director for a brand new talent quest, to be called the Telstra Road To Tamworth. Heats had been held all around the nation and on Monday January 19th, the finals were held at West Tamworth League Club. My job was to rehearse and then play acoustic guitar on two songs for any of the singers who couldn’t provide their own accompaniment.

 

At the end of the day, compere Jim Haynes announced the Grand Finalists: Aaron Bolton, Amber Lawrence, Leah Briggs, Jessica Mauboy and Josh Canning. That meant that the next night, they would return to play three songs backed by my full Hillbilly Heaven band (Tomi Graso, Naomi Coggan, Allan Tomkins, Terry Phillpot). It was an excellent showing from all of these youngsters, but on Tuesday 20th January 2004, after blitzing the audience with a version of Leanne Rimes’ hit Blue, 14-year-old Jessica Mauboy from Darwin became the first winner of Telstra Road To Tamworth. 

 

That’s when things got really busy for me! Jessica was one of the singers who needed me to play for her, and part of her prize was to do the opening spot for two concerts by visiting Canadian star Terri Clark.

Terri Clark and Jessica Mauboy, Tamworth 2004 (photo by Bob Howe)

Jessica had no sheet music and we had to quickly expand her repertoire to fill twenty minutes. Karen and I had managed to connect our laptop to the internet via a very rudimentary dial-up link at our motel, and the three of us set about finding chords and lyrics for songs that Jessica knew. Eventually we came up with a set that included some classics and a couple of Shania Twain tunes. With just Jessica and myself on stage before a sold-out audience, it must have been daunting for her, but she took it all in her stride and wowed the crowd.

Jessica Mauboy and Bob Howe onstage in Tamworth 2004, opening the show for Terri Clark (photo by KVee)

March 2004: Performing on the Central Coast of NSW with legendary Australian vocalist LITTLE PATTIE

April 2004: Honoured to receive a Community Service award from The Rotary Club of Galston for my involvement and contribution towards the success of the Galston Country Music Festival. L to R: Festival Director, Lady Vikki, Bob, Karen, Tony Page.

Canterbury Country staged a Patsy Cline tribute night on 11th March 2004 and there were many surprise guests. One of those, introduced to us by Bryen Willems, was Nicki Gillis, a fabulous vocalist with an engaging personality, who had just moved to Sydney from Perth in Western Australia. Over the next few months, Nicki would become a regular guest of the show and eventually joined the family as our permanent co-host. Over the next few years, Nicki and I would perform and tour together, write songs and and produce recordings, including a critically acclaimed duet album.

Hillbilly Heaven 2004; Naomi Coggan, Terry Phillpot, Bob Howe, Allan Tomkins, Tomi Graso

 

At the end of May, I was honoured to be the recipient of The Charlie Lamb Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism in the Lifetime Achievement Category 2004. The invitation was to attend the International Country Music Conference at Belmont University in Nashville (pictured right) and not only accept the award, but to also give a presentation on Australian Country Music. Mr Charlie Lamb was a Nashville music industry stalwart and was known as the ‘Mayor of Music Row’. He had been an entertainer, manager, journalist, executive and actor amongst other roles, and he is credited with creating the ‘bullet’ that denotes a fast-rising record on the charts. The International Country Music Conference had introduced the award in his honour three years earlier.

In Nashville I was humbled to be in the presence of so many academics and literary experts on the field of country music. Many papers were presented that ranged from intricate historic explorations of artists and topics, to a mathematical inspection of the lyrics of Hank Williams by Japanese students of the English language! When it came time for the actual award ceremony, there was another surprise in store for me…the presentation was made by Country Music Hall of Fame member, ‘Little Miss Dynamite’ – Brenda Lee!

 

Bob Howe and Miss Brenda Lee, Nashville 2004

The Charlie Lamb For Excellence In Country Music Journalism

L to R: Dr. James E. Akenson (ICMC), Bob Howe (Charlie Lamb Award winner), Peggy & Gary Walker (award founders),
Miss Brenda Lee (presenter), Craig Havighurst (contemporary category winner), Mr Charlie Lamb, Dr. Don Cusic (Belmont University)

 

 

 

The esteemed Professor James Akenson, co-chair of the conference, had asked if I could make my luncheon talk on the theme of ‘Australian Country Music in the post-Slim Dusty Era’ (Slim had sadly passed away eight months earlier at the age of 76). My multimedia presentation began with the origins of Australian country music and the bush ballad style, followed by the current torch-bearers, modern media methods, Indigenous country artists, the new breed, and finally Aussies touring the world. Looking back at the contents of my talk now, even I couldn’t have predicted the phenomenal rise of Keith Urban, that young Jessica Mauboy would one day collaborate with Snoop Dogg, that Audrey Auld-Mezera would become the darling of the Americana set, recording with the likes of  Kieran Kane, Fred Eaglesmith and Mary Gauthier, and that Catherine Britt would record one of her own songs as a duet with Sir Elton John!

 

Many of the conference attendees took a field trip to the Saturday night Grand Ole Opry show. It was a classic line-up with Porter Wagoner, Jimmy C. Newman, Jean Shepard, Billy Walker and the one-and-only George Jones. I still refer to that night whenever I sing He Stopped Loving Her Today. I always tell my audience that “…I saw George Jones sing this song at the Opry and it made me cry. Now it’s your turn…”

Centre stage – the man that all the other famous guitarists wanted to meet! The LES PAUL Quintet with Australian bassist Nicki Parrott.

Bob Howe and Albert Lee, Baltimore June 2004

Thanks to Sedonia Martin, Manager of Public Relations for Arts and Culture at Towson University, I was granted a private interview with my guitar hero…Albert Lee. We spoke of many things, including Concert For George, the George Harrison tribute at the Royal Albert Hall in London, in which Albert had been part of the band. I also asked about a recent session he had done in the UK and he asked how I knew about that. I told him some of my band-mates from my time of being M.D. for Frank Ifield, had also worked on that recording session.

 

Afterwards, Sedonia said she was surprised that I was a guitarist, journalist and a Medical Doctor. I had forgotten that in America the abbreviation M.D. was commonly used for Medical Doctor and not Musical Director! It was great to have a chat with Albert and part of the interview would be used in my next International report for Saturday Night Country on ABC Radio, following the previous call made from Nashville.

 

Luke O’Shea, Dianna Corcoran, Bill Chambers, Kim MacKenzie

Back in Australia, at Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club we began another show on 24th June, called Songwriters: Up Close & Personal.  This was an acoustic ‘songwriters in the round’ showcase for original songs and the stories behind them. I designed a logo for the advertisements and set about booking the best of the local talent, sometimes outside of the country music mainstream. The shows would include Luke O’Shea, Dianna Corcoran, Bill Chambers and Kim MacKenzie on the first night and later such artists as Felicity Urquhart, Tamara Stewart, Mike Carr, Fisk & Cristian, Roger Corbett, Kim Cheshire and Drew McAllister. The series lasted for six months and at that time we had shows running on three consecutive Thursdays each month – Canterbury Country, Rooty Hill Country and Songwriters: Up Close & Personal.

A full list of the line-ups and photos from all of our Songwriter shows can be found here: www.shownet.com.au/songwriters

 

Later I travelled to the 2004 Mildura Country Music Festival to play guitar for Donna Boyd. From 24th September, we performed 22 shows in 10 days and are pictured left, onstage at the Coomealla Club. The Mildura festival was made up completely of ‘independent’ acts (i.e. not signed to a major record label) and most shows would consist of one act hosting a multi-artist line-up. Artists would then move to one or more other venues each day and appear with a different combination of acts. Each venue had a resident band that would back all the shows at that club. There would also be an opening show (in the Mall) and a closing show (in the Park) where every artist would sing a song.

 

As well as available registered club in the surrounding district being used as a venue, there was also a stage built alongside the Murray River, providing a magnificent backdrop to the music. All of the shows were free for the audiences, except for the Southern Stars – The Australian Independent Country Music Awards of Australia, held on the final Saturday night. My dear friends Fisk & Cristian scored a hat-trick that year, winning Independent Country Music Single of the Year, Independent Album of the Year and Independent Artist of the Year. After the ceremony, I headed to the ABC Radio Sunraysia (as it was called then) studio, to join John Nutting and co-host the four-hour Saturday Night Country broadcast that featured interviews with many of the night’s winners. The next day I was delighted to play a song onstage with Donna Fisk in the park.

Bob Howe, Michael Cristian, Donna Fisk, John Nutting – Mildura 2004

Bob and Donna – Mildura 2004 (photo by Allen Moore)

 

 

On Tuesday October 12th I flew to Inverell, a town on the western slopes of the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. Little Pattie sang that night at the Inverell Town Hall for their annual Sapphire City Festival. Pictured here are the touring party – L to R: Justin DiLeo (bass), Little Pattie, Ray Alldridge (piano), Lawrie Thompson (drums) and Bob Howe (guitar/backing vocals). We are sporting our Still Stompin’ t-shirts, a reference to Little Pattie’s 1963 debut hit single, the double A-sided, He’s My Blonde Headed, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Boy / Stompin’ at Maroubra. It was recorded when she was just 14 and the surf dance craze that was known as ‘The Stomp’ was at its peak. The popularity of the dance may have faded, but the songs are still a key part of Little Pattie’s performances to this day.

 

On the Sunday of that week, following my afternoon guitar gig, I headed out to the Sydney Superdome where the 18th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (the ARIAs) were being staged. I had my journalist hat on and camera at the ready to snap the likes of John Butler, Missy Higgins, Delta Goodrem, Jet, HI-5, John Butler Trio, Guy Sebastian and more. Pictured below are Kasey Chambers who won Best Female Artist and Best Country Album with Wayward Angel, and Hall of Fame inductees Little River Band (David Briggs, Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock, George McArdle, Derek Pellicci).

Kasey Chambers, 2004 ARIA Awards (photo by Bob Howe)

Little River Band, 2004 ARIA Awards (photo by Bob Howe)

Back in Sydney, Rooty Hill Country had failed to draw large crowds like our other shows, despite some stellar acts and performances. After 13 concerts, it ended in October 2004 with another Tomkins Guitars Showcase, making it two for Sydney again that year. Allan Tomkins is pictured here with some of his instruments and singer Briana Lee from Shepparton.
A full list of the line-ups and photos from all of our Rooty Hill Country shows can be found here: www.shownet.com.au/rootyhill

 

Two years earlier, my friend Raddy Ferreira had made news when he finished a record 21-year stint playing the piano in the Sydney Hilton Hotel’s San Francisco Grill. The run had only come to an end when the hotel had closed for refurbishment. In recognition, the management gave a Raddy a parting gift – the black baby grand piano that had served him (and them) so well. Raddy continued to play elsewhere with his Big Band and also his smaller ensemble, Mind, Body & Soul, pictured here on 30th October 2004 in Sydney at a wedding anniversary party. (Pictured below, L to R: Gavin Pitt-Ware, Bob Howe, Milan Troha (seated) and the man himself, Raddy Ferriera.)

 

Raddy had a great sense of what music suited any particular moment at a function, whether it was a simple private party or a glamorous society ball. When the time came for dancing, he would often kick things off with a long medley that he had devised for me to sing. It contained several well-known classic pop songs all in the same tempo, and ended with Manfred Mann’s Do Wah Diddy Diddy which was always a crowd pleaser. It gave rise to running gag that Gavin and I shared. I might express admiration for a great guitar player such as Carlos Santana, to which Gavin would say, as if to cheer me on, “Well yes he’s a good guitar player, but can he sing Do Wah Diddy Diddy?”

 

At the end of the year, my favourite music shop Bondi Intermusic, created an album titled BBC 2004 (Bondi Band Compilation) that featured 16 artists from the Bondi area. Released in December, I was delighted that my track Last Cowboy Waltz, a Morricone-esque instrumental, was included on the disc.

 

It was a hectic time, but Karen and I took a breather at the Gold Coast for five nights leading up to Christmas. Then it all began again…

 

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