Tuesday, August 24, 2010


This 'post card' is from Tamworth, several hundred clicks north-north-west of Newcastle, in the heart of country and western music and the hugh associated annual festival late January.
From at least fifty years ago, the yodelling hill billy, soloist, plus acustic guitar, recorded on a scratchy 78 filled the air waves of station 2TM, Tamworth.
The music has developed into a vast diverse and popular class (of which I know very little).  ABC radio (and on the WWW) specialises in the music on Saturday nights round midnight and currently features the Gympie Muster. The Gympie (Queensland ) Muster is another must-see event on the country music calendar.
At least one academic from Oklahoma has been researching the music and was spending another couple of weeks of his summer busy in the archives in wintry Tamworth.  Distincitve characteristics are found in the Australian music he said.

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