Lee Kernaghan

Born in the bush, Corryong Victoria, on the foothills of the Snowy Mountains high country is where Lee’s life began. The son of a truck driver and later multi platinum recording artist Ray Kernaghan, Lee spent his formative years growing up in the Riverina country of Southern NSW. Lee’s Grandfather was a third generation drover of sheep and cattle and his experiences on the road with his Pop ran deep, producing a string of hits that began with the release of his first album the ARIA award winning ‘Outback Club’ in 1992. His first number one hit ‘Boys from the Bush’ became an anthem, a celebration of a way of life that would change the face of Australian country music forever.

Throughout his career Lee Kernaghan has dominated the charts with successive hit albums including ‘Three Chain Road’, ‘1959’, ‘Hat Town’, ‘Electric Rodeo’, ‘The New Bush’ and his most recent #1 album ‘Spirit Of The Bush’. In early 2000 Lee was awarded the title of Hit Maker of the Decade in recognition of the unprecedented chart success he enjoyed during the 90’s. Not only did Lee achieve more number one hits than any other artist during the 90’s he also began creating a new musical landscape in country music along the way. He has done to country music in Australia what Garth Brooks did in the USA.....he blurred the line and took country music out of the box that it had existed in for decades....he added a spectacular live show and along the way has sold over one million albums, won 27 Golden Guitars, 3 Aria Awards, 26 number 1 hits and 9 hit albums.

Lee Kernaghan has become a towering figure in Australian country music and a fine ambassador for his craft. Lee has a passion for his music and his country and brings these together in his support for country communities across Australia. To many people he represents the very essence of the spirit and values of contemporary rural Australia. In the past ten years his ‘Pass the Hat Around’ tours have raised more than a million dollars for communities in need and his participation in the ‘Spirit of the Bush’ tours raises spirits as well as money for farming families doing it tough in the drought.

Lee was named the 2008 Australian of the Year by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Canberra on 25th January. The following day he travelled to Tamworth for the Australian Country Music Awards where he picked up 3 more Golden Guitars for his smash hit song Spirit Of The Bush.

Lee Kernaghan will be doing selective shows during 2008. He will be recording a new album at the end of the year for an early 2009 release. His career is going from strength to strength. His connection to rural Australia grows stronger and stronger and his love and care for this country and its people is one of the reasons he has been recognised as one of Australia’s favourite sons.

Kasey Chambers

Amber Lawrence

The numbers are really starting to stack up for former accountant, turned singer/songwriter, Amber Lawrence. It seems everything is ‘counting down’ to success for this city girl whose heart and music are pure Country!

Amber hit Number 1 on the CMC Top 30 Countdown with her clip ‘Things That Bring Me Down’ (first single from “The Mile”) as well as securing Number 3 on the Country Music Radio Chart with the song. To top off her album, “The Mile” reached Number 4 on the Australian Country ARIA Chart, an amazing achievement for a debut album!

Amber is a young singer/songwriter whose success comes from natural talent and four years of doing the hard yards touring, writing and honing her skills with pen and guitar before unleashing the results in an amazing debut album The Mile, produced by Rod and Jeff McCormack.

All songs on the album are written or co-written by Amber and demonstrate a talent to combine tuneful, original melodies with polished, mature lyrics to produce songs that really connect with audiences.

Talia Whittman

Winner of the 2008 Toyota Star Maker. Talia says she is excited by the prospects that lie ahead. "It's an amazing feeling to be awarded a prize that has started the careers of some of the biggest names in country music. It's a huge opportunity and I intend to make the most of it."

Jetty Road

Lee and Paula Bowman, Julian Sammut and Simon Ross are Jetty Road; delivering their unique style of country in the best way they know how; and it’s definitely striking a chord.

2008 has already seen Jetty Road achieve a Golden Guitar Award finalist nomination, claim the TIARA Award for Best Group as well as the coveted Victorian Album of the Year award for their Dirt Roads ~ City Lights album at the Victorian and National Country Music Awards. With their recent hits I Wanna Go Home, peaking at #3 on the Australian Country Track Charts, and Real Smooth Cowboy, reaching #5 on the Australian CMC Top 30 charts, it’s no wonder Jetty Road are beginning to establish themselves as one of Australia’s premier live acts.

2008 is set to be a huge year for Jetty Road, being confirmed to perform at Canada’s Dauphin’s Countryfest in June this year performing alongside artists such as American Country superstar Alan Jackson, Lonestar, and Emerson Drive.

Jonah's Road

The highly anticipated new album, Counting Down The Days, was released in January 2007 and is expected to repeat the success of the band’s multi-award winning first album Hold On. Jay, John & Rodney spent most of 2006 writing and recording the album. It was recorded and co-produced by Matt Fell at Love Hz Studios and mixed by Robbie Specogna at Main Street Studios. The result is a collection of upbeat songs and soaring ballads highlighting the harmony-driven, country-pop sound for which the band is well known in both their recordings and live shows.

In addition to writing and recording the new album in 2006, Jay, John and Rodney had a busy 12 months performing at major festivals all over the country and taking a trip to Nashville where their contemporary sound was well received. They established great contacts and introduced some key
industry players to the music of Jonah's Road.

Their festival appearances in particular have seen them develop a big fan base which has been strengthened by the radio singles and video clips receiving strong support on radio around the country and on television through the Country Music Channel. The most recent single, Counting
Down The Days has charted in the Top 10 on radio and reached #2 on CMC.

The singles have also been added to mass distribution services such as Satellite Music Australia, Qantas Inflight radio and AIR (radio on Foxtel). In addition, a translated cover version of Getting By Without You was recorded by Slovakian Pop Idol Superstar Martin Kelescenyi and has been
released by Sony/BMG in Europe.

Rob Black

Rob's father used to pick guitar to help him face a day's work in the mines. As he played, his son watched, and soon it was Rob who was picking out tunes. And growing up in the Central Queensland town of Middlemount meant that Rob had little to do but hone his talents on the guitar. He taught himself complicated Chet Atkins solos one note at a time using the pause button on a cassette player. It may not have been an orthodox approach, but it worked. Rob was accepted into the Queensland Conservatorium of Music at the age of 17.

Rob's big break came earlier this year when he entered the Toyota Starmaker competition. "I decided to have a go because it had helped other artists, including Keith Urban," he says. "I didn't win but Graham Thompson, the head of Compass Bros, was one of the judges and he was impressed enough to phone two days later to talk about a deal. It was one of those phone calls that every unsigned artist dreams about. It seemed that all those nights of reading myself Anthony Robbins motivational bed time stories had finally paid off!"

What a year 2007 turned out to be! Rob came home from the Tamworth Festival and began meeting with the Compass Team to create the direction for his album. “My first single ‘Regular Guy’ was actually a track that Graham had up his sleeve from one of his Nashville trips, and was searching for the right artist to record it. It’s as though the song was written for me…..I’m about as regular as a guy gets. This provided the tone for the album, so we now had to find another 11 songs to work in.”

While in Sydney finishing the album, an opportunity arose when Adam Brand was putting a new band together for his 2008 touring schedule. Being on the same label with a new album to promote, Rob jumped at the opportunity to jump aboard the bus, and not only play in Adam’s band but open the shows as well. “This will be a fantastic opportunity to get my music out to the Country Music audiences throughout Australia, and hopefully they’ll relate to the songs like I have”.

Rob Black’s debut album ‘Regular Guy’ was released on Compass Bros records on January 12th 2008.

The McClymonts

The McClymonts debut album “Chaos and Bright Lights” is urban-savvy New Country from heartland Australia, brimmed with panache, music finesse and spectacular harmony. Throughout, Brooke, Samantha and Mollie McClymont realise the potential that has taken them from Grafton on the north coast of NSW to Australia-wide popularity and the threshold of international recognition.

For the past eighteen months, the McClymonts have toured with Lee Kernaghan, wowing reviewers and audiences alike.

Chaos and Bright Lights (the album title describes a typical working day in the life of the sisters) follows the top ranked EP, The McClymonts, and affirms the stellar combination of three notable individual careers.

Brooke McClymont's singer/songwriter career started when 17. She has developed into one of Australia's most prolific and sought-after writers. Credits include the Olivia Newton/Human Nature duet, I Love You Crazy and I Can't Wait for US star Hillary Duff.

Samantha is a Toyota Star Maker Award Winner (2005) and Golden Guitar winner in 2006 for Best New Talent. She topped radio-play and country music charts in 2006 with Heart Of A Man. Meanwhile, youngest sister Mollie, was finishing school and travelling up and down the East Coast doing the talent quest circuit.

"The McClymonts were always meant to be" says Samantha. "We grew up singing unison and working out harmonies. It was just a matter of waiting till Mollie was old enough."

As The McClymonts, they picked up 2 Golden Guitars in January 2007 for Best New Talent and Best Group, to add to their many awards over the years. The girls are multi-instrumentalists. On stage and Chaos and Bright Lights Brooke plays guitar, Samantha bass and Mollie mandolin. On Chaos and Bright Lights, Brooke sings the majority of lead vocals while choruses soar to the sisters' harmonies and seamless unison.

Travis Collins

With the release of his second album No Boundaries, Travis Collins is rapidly becoming one of Australia’s most exciting new talents. The handsome young contemporary country/rock performer is being enthusiastically embraced by a new generation of young fans as well as lovers of great country music alike.

Collins is a former Toyota Starmaker winner and was nominated for two Golden Guitars in 2007, including a nomination for Male Vocalist Of The Year. He also performed at the CMA Festival in Nashville in June – attended by 191,000 people.

The first single from the album, ‘Yeah She Does’, is a rock infused country track written by global superstar Keith Urban and Hugh Murray. The album features 12 new recordings, most written or co-written by Travis himself. New originals include ‘Brand New Day’, ‘Don’t Win Enough’ and ‘Didn’t We Love’, all of which will most certainly please Collins’ existing fans and ultimately bring him a stack of new ones as well.

Travis has performed ‘You Drive Me Crazy’ (track 3) at his live shows for several years now and it’s inclusion on this album will bring much joy to his existing fan base. Other highlights on this album include ‘Empty House’ which was co-written with Blundell; a heartfelt cover of Garth Brook’s original, ‘ A Friend To Me’; and Heart Of Blues (track 8) which also features The Flood’s Kevin Bennett.

Troy Kemp

Based in Newcastle, NSW, Australia, Troy Kemp is an artist on the rise. Country born and bred, Troy has an impressive musical history and an exciting future.

In 1997 Troy released his first solo, independent EP, ‘Scratchin’ In The Dirt’. The EP showcased an acoustically driven swag of country rock songs that caught the attention of both music lovers and the music industry alike.

During this time The Troy Kemp Band were becoming a popular drawcard on the Sydney Music Scene, opening for artist’s such as Daryl Braithwaite, Diesel, Wendy Matthews, Richard Clapton and Jeff Lang to name a few. Troy was a featured guest artist on the TV music program ‘Ground Zero’ and due to his popularity was featured in the popular ladies ‘B Magazine’. Troy also features as guitarist in Lee Kernaghan’s ‘Goondiwindi Moon’ music video.

The ‘Scratchin’ EP earned the band a place in the final rounds of the 1998 ‘Breeding Ground’, Battle of the Bands Competition. From a field of 180 bands, The Troy Kemp Band placed second in the grand final; a huge industry night promoted by The Harbour Agency, Triple M, Jack Daniels and The Hard Rock Café.

In February 2007 Troy was invited to perform and represent ‘Tourism Australia’ at an event held in Canada called ‘G’day Toronto’. He appeared amongst a wealth of Australian celebrities that included Silverchair, The Living End, Keith Urban, Terri and Bindi Irwin and Canadian, Tom Cochran to name a few. June 2007 saw Troy performing at the CMA festival in Nashville. Whilst in Nashville Troy also recorded six new tracks with expat Aussie producer Mark Moffatt.

January 2008 has just seen Troy perform a string of shows with his new band at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, with more festival dates and touring to come later in the year.
Troy is also touring as a member of the “Aussie’s Walk The Line” show, a tribute to Johnny Cash.

8 Ball Aitken

Former banana picker from Far North Queensland, 8 Ball Aitken performs uniquely Australian country, blues & roots anthems -- contemporary honk, stomp, Aussie swamp tunes played on a big slide guitar.

This is a raw sound from the deep north, straight out of the Mareeba Delta. 8 Ball rolls into your personal soundtrack, packing wild wet tropics cowboy songs from the roadside, original roots music with balls.

Crackajak

Since its formation in 1996; Crakajak has delivered some of the most exciting and energetic Country music shows in Australia. This “audience friendly” band is committed to delivering a unique taste of contemporary country music, with a huge emphasis on entertainment, crowd participation and a good time.

An evening with Crakajak is a night to remember, from the very first chord till the last encore. Live music fans will be captivated by the energy, charm and musicianship of this exciting band.

Drew McAlister

2008 looks set to be another big year for Drew McAlister with finalist nominations in the Country Music Awards of Australia and Victorian & National Country Music Awards as well as picking up the TIARA Award for Vocal Collaboration of the Year for “Sometimes You Just Know” with Rose Carleo. He will also continue touring with the Aussie Highwaymen as well as solo original shows to promote his debut album.

Nicki Gillis

An extraordinary vocalist with the ability to capture her audience’s attention and mesmerise them with every note. Her music comes from the heart and brings with it a soulful understanding that draws her audiences near. Originally from Western Australia, her commitment & passion led her to the East Coast.

2005 was a strong year for Nicki, with finalist berths in - Rising Star Female Finalist at the Australian Independent Country Music Awards, TIARA Awards for Songwriting, Top 10 in the Golden Guitar Awards for Best New Talent & Top 10 for Bluegrass & Traditional at the VIC & Nat. CM Awards.

From her first recordings in 1996 with a 4-track single titled Nicki, to the release of her debut EP Bed of Roses in 2002 – Nicki has shown constant talent and incredible writing ability.

Collaborating with Queensland producer Brendan Radford, Nicki released her eagerly awaited single On The Mountain. The irresistible bluegrass tune (co-written with Radford) was one of 4 tracks - all showcasing Nicki’s remarkable voice.

Her single On The Mountain gained wide-spread appeal internationally securing a #2 hit on the European charts and Top 40 on local chart. With the follow-up single Jealousy adding to her solid reputation as a performer hitting Top 40 on the CMC Video charts.

2006 saw Nicki entertain the troops in Iraq with punk-rocker Lee Harding and country artist Stacey Morris, as well as working on her new album Lucy’s Daughter with producer Roger Corbett released late 2006.

Leavin’ You For Myself, co-written with Kevin Bennett, became her first Top 10 hit, with the single Remember Me elevating Nicki to her second Top 10 success on the Top 30 Country Tracks.

2007 saw Nicki named Coopers Golden Saddle Award Winner, named the Open Album Of The Year and Independent Female Vocalist Of The Year at the Inaugural Horsham CM Awards, and 2008 started with finalist nominations in the Aust CM People’s Choice Awards and Victorian & National CM Awards, an appearance on Mornings with Kerri-Ann plus another Forces Tour, this time to the Solomon Islands. 

Craig Morrison