The Bushwackers (band)
Encyclopedia
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.
Originally calling themselves The Original Bushwackers and Bullockies Bush Band the three founding members, guitarist Dave Isom, tea-chest bass player Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky and lagerphonist Bert Kahanoff. They were later joined by various players, including accordionist Mick Slocum, and fiddlers Tony Hunt and Dave Kidd, until 1974 when the band went full-time, 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 as well as drums, the band worked throughout Australia and Europe.
By 1984, and no longer with Isom, Wositzky and Slocum in the line-up, the band moved its home from Melbourne to Sydney. Other members over the years include Roger Corbett, Fred Kuhnl, 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
.
Notable recordings include Faces in the Street, Beneath the Southern Cross, Bushfire, Murrumbidgee and The Shearers Dream – two of which were released through Australian record label Astor Records
. The album And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
was released through EMI
records in 1976 and is regarded as one of their finest recordings.
Many songs were adaptations of poetry written by Australian bush poets including Henry Lawson
and Banjo Paterson
.
In the 90's the band has been reformed with Newton and Corbett appearing in the lineup. The current lineup is Dobe Newton, Roger Corbett, Mark Oats, Clare O'Meara, Michael Vidale, Ben Corbett, and the drummer Adrian Cannon.
Australian country music
Australian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass, to yodelling to folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English folk music, by the traditions of Australian bush balladeers, as well as by popular American...
band or Bush band
Bush band
A bush band is a group of musicians that play traditional Australian folk music or contemporary folk music played in a traditional Australian style...
founded at La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1971.
Originally calling themselves The Original Bushwackers and Bullockies Bush Band the three founding members, guitarist Dave Isom, tea-chest bass player Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky and lagerphonist Bert Kahanoff. They were later joined by various players, including accordionist Mick Slocum, and fiddlers Tony Hunt and Dave Kidd, until 1974 when the band went full-time, and Kahanoff was replaced by lagerphone player, Dobe Newton. With an ever-changing line-up, and adding tin whistle
Tin whistle
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
, harmonica, concertina, 5-string banjo, bodhrán
Bodhrán
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, bones, spoons, electric bass and guitar as well as drums, the band worked throughout Australia and Europe.
By 1984, and no longer with Isom, Wositzky and Slocum in the line-up, the band moved its home from Melbourne to Sydney. Other members over the years include Roger Corbett, Fred Kuhnl, drummer Gregory Martin, Steve Groves, Pete Farndon
Pete Farndon
Pete Farndon was an English bassist and founding member of the rock band The Pretenders. Farndon attended Hereford Cathedral School in his home town of Hereford, before embarking on his musical legacy with The Pretenders...
, Dave Mattacks, Pat Drummond
Pat Drummond
Pat Drummond from Sydney, New South Wales is an Australian Singer/Songwriter based in Leura, New South Wales who emerged from the Sydney Folk scene with his brothers in the 1960s; performed as a solo artist in the 1970s and then in numerous projects in different music genres including as a member...
, Michael Harris, Louis McManus, Eddy van Roosendael, Freddie Strauks (ex Skyhooks), drummer Pete Drummond (currently with Dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
) and world renowned Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel
William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM is an Australian guitarist, best known for his complex fingerpicking style, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named as "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in their...
.
Notable recordings include Faces in the Street, Beneath the Southern Cross, Bushfire, Murrumbidgee and The Shearers Dream – two of which were released through Australian record label Astor Records
Astor Records
Astor Records was an Australian recording company that operated from the 1960s to the early 1980s. Astor was originally a trademark of the consumer electronics industries ltd. Radio Corporation Pty. Ltd., makers of Astor radios and radiograms and a range of electronic companies including gereral...
. The album And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
"And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is a song written by Scottish-born Australian singer-songwriter Eric Bogle in 1971. The song describes war as futile and gruesome, while criticising those who seek to glorify it...
was released through EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
records in 1976 and is regarded as one of their finest recordings.
Many songs were adaptations of poetry written by Australian bush poets including Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
and Banjo Paterson
Banjo Paterson
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, OBE was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood...
.
In the 90's the band has been reformed with Newton and Corbett appearing in the lineup. The current lineup is Dobe Newton, Roger Corbett, Mark Oats, Clare O'Meara, Michael Vidale, Ben Corbett, and the drummer Adrian Cannon.
Discography
- The Shearer's Dream (1974)
- And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda (1975)
- Murrumbidgee (1976)
- Bushfire (1978)
- Dance Album (1980)
- Faces in the Street (1981)
- Beneath the Southern Cross (1981)
- Down There for Dancing (1982)
- Warrigal Morning - music for the film Bush ChristmasBush ChristmasBush Christmas is an Australian drama film released in 1983.It is a remake of a 1947 Australian film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Ralph Smart and Mary Cathcart Borer....
(1983) - Lively (1984)
- Celebration (1988)
- Billy of Tea (1994)
- So Far (1994)
- Bushwacked (1995)
- Jubilee (1996)
- Oz Rock Salute (1997)
- No Nuts 'Til Monday (1998)
- Australian Songbook (2001)
- Indian Pacific & the Orange Blossom Special (2002)
- Ned (2005)
- April 25 EP (2006)
- The Lawson Project
' While The Billy Boils' (2007)