On the Street at Tamworth 2003 In late January every year the otherwise serene town of Tamworth is transformed by a bustling Country music event. Our Roving Country correspondent Chuck C made the pilgrimage to the yee haaa ! mecca of Australia. To follow the action here’s Chuck !

It‘s a long drive to Tamworth from the Tweed, (650 plus kms) and hot. The dryness of the land is plain to see once you get over the mountains, nothing but brown bare paddocks as far as you can see. We arrived late Sunday and got straight into setting up camp and then hit the main street,(Peel St.)to check out the buskers who take up every space to entertain the passing parade.
The next day we hit the City Tavern in town, couldn’t resist a band called Wanita, (yes with a W) and the Honky Tonk Bar Dwellers. She has a clear sweet voice touched with a real growl on the rockier numbers. Songs from Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette and Wanda Jackson set the day off well with great backing from the band which consisted of bass, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and some very tasty steel guitar.
Then it was back out on to the street and into the heat and up to the Imperial Hotel to catch a true legend of aussie rock & roll, Ray Hoff.
Ray is a pioneer of real rock & roll in this country and some people may remember his early band Ray Hoff and the Hoffbeats. Ray and his band belted out all of the classics from Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Reed. Ray is 61 years old but likes his music RAW and LOUD, perfect for a few beers on a hot afternoon.
Next day and the temperature rises even higher (40 +) so we fronted to see some friends of ours at the air- conditioned Family Hotel.
Hillbilly Lovechild don’t let us down and we get a good dose of bluegrassy country with great three part harmonies. Mandolin, bass, fiddle and guitar take us through a song list from Steve Earle to some very good original songs. There was even some yodeling from bass player Karen which a lot of the crowd really apreciated. Yodelling is not dead. Little old lady-dee-ooo.
40 plus again today and it was the courtyard of the Imperial Hotel which is a huge marquis covering an outdoor area of the pub. A good place to sit, have a beer and try to catch a breeze. Today it was a three piece band called THE FUELERS who play all original material in a rockabilly swing country kind of way. Double bass, drums and electric guitar give this band a trad look but with a sound all their own. A lot of good songs stirred up with a very funny and entertaining stage show. The chocolate wheel and the famous beer cactus, where prizes of beers and old lp’s, Ray Kernaghan among them, were presented to some lucky punters. THE FUELERS, see them if you can.
Later that evening it’s off to a venue called simply, The Pub, where we saw, for me, was the highlight of the week. First up was LESLIE AVRIL, a woman who has done some livin’ and relates it all in great songs and a big girls voice . She is sassy and confident and lets all the girls know who should be in charge. She is backed by some of the stalwarts of the Tamworth music ‘mafia’ and these guys know dynamics. Their playing is totally precise yet with a feel and an ear for what is going on around them, i.e. listening to each other, that makes it a real pleasure to sit there and let this band wash over you. Straight up after Leslie was an outfit that consists of piano, electric guitar, fiddle, pedal steel, bass and drums.
On top of this was a young lady singer who sang western swing like she was born for it. They are the FERAL SWING CATS. This band goes from trad country to western swing to, dare I say it, jazz with a musicianship that beggars belief. The playing of unison lines between the electric guitar, fiddle and pedal steel was a real pleasure to take in. These lines were played exactly together and very fast. A very talented band and one to look out for.
It’s 2.30AM. by the time the Swing Cats finish so it’s back to camp for a cuppa and a few hours sleep before it all starts again. Fantastic!!! Well down Peel St. again the next day, another hot one, and somewhere amongst the noise of all the Slim and Lee clones we hear a single guitar that sounds very Chet like.
We stroll over and see a guy playing an old Gibson f-holed guitar through a Vox amp. Turns out his name is Pat Ward and he hails from Brisbane. His playing was great, and we watched as he picked out San Antonio Rose with melody line, bass and even a percussive drum sound on the bottom strings. He was one of a few buskers that made me want to sit down and watch for a while. He has a CD. Out (everyone in Tamworth has product) so watch for Pat Ward if you like Chet Atkins style finger picking guitar.
Back down to the City Tavern to catch a band called THE RE-MAINS which served up some solid Nimbin style country rock with a nod towards what they called “hick-hop.” A rap in a countryish style. These guys are living on the North Coast and perform their own songs, one favourite being “She never done nobody harm”(mary-jane) if you get the drift.
That evening it’s off to the Tudor Hotel, upstairs,to grab a couple of sets from Leslie Avril again. It was worth it, tight playing and rich vocals makes her a Tamworth fav. One not to miss. One surprise in her set was a performance by an aboriginal man(I didn’t catch his name I’m sorry to say) who sang two country classics, Just Because and Almost Persuaded in a smooth tenor voice. A nice surprise.
Getting late now so it’s down the street to what we labelled the Tamworth honky-tonks, concrete floors, more beer and loud bluesy boogie. Who else but JOHNNY GREEN’S BLUES COWBOYS, a band that contains home town boy John Gray. Three electric guitars and Greeny’s acoustic, drums and bass make for a huge sound and one of the reasons why they were voted best pub band in Tamworth. Everything from country to rockabilly to full on boogie with a few surf instrumentals thrown in for fun. The ONLY way to wind down our time in Tamworth.
Rolled out of the pub at about 2.00AM. with people, and a few buskers still around. This festival is huge and I’ve only covered a slice of it, no Kasey, no Troy, no Lee,no Beccy, but they are all there and more, if that’s what you like. So until next year, keep pickin’ and a playing.

Your reporter Chuck, so long.

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