Australia's John Williamson

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: GUEST,Percy
Date: 08 Jan 05 - 01:16 AM

Don't be fooled by Williamson's heavy "blokey" accent. He actually comes from the rural middle-class and spent his secondary education as a boarder at Melbourne's exclusive Scotch College.
Percy

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 09:58 PM

I first became acquainted with Williamson's music from a tape sent to us from friends in Australia. Ive come close to wearing it out. I was very disappointed that I did not get to hear him when he was in this part of the country. I particularly like "Send Down the Rain", "Only A Dog", "Diggers of the ANZAC", "Granda Plan For Landa" (though I have no idea what it is about), "The Christmas Photo", and "Salisbury Street".   I would probably list more if exposure to Williamson's music was not so limited.

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: Beer
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 08:25 PM

Love the guy's music. Have three of his tapes but not close to all he has out there. Has a great web site as well. He was in Ottawa Canada a few years back. I heard about his concert a few weeks later. Hope there will be a next time.
Beer from Montreal

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: Joybell
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 07:43 PM

Also Big Jim, My American husband often compares old Australian rural songs to those from the South-West USA. Both places were settled, (the rural areas anyway) by large groups of men, and only a few women.
Your comment about similarities with the singing style from the Appalatians would have puzzled me a year or so ago. However, I came across a singer on a field recording from Eastern Victoria (Aus) who sang "Barb'ry Allen" in a strikingly similar way. I've never heard it before. I found out that her style came from her Scottish Grandmother. The lady herself was born here. So there you go. Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: Joybell
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 06:28 PM

Big Jim, I'd like to nominate our friend Alan Musgrove. He sings Australian songs he finds in the archives at the National library. Also a fiddler friend who plays old dance tunes from here. I'll be in touch.
Just by the way True-Love was born in Missouri. We'll be visiting in a few months. Would be fun if we could catch your program as we drive by. How can we find it? Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: Big Jim from Jackson
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 08:34 PM

As a co-host of a folk music program on a public radio station in the middle of the USA (Missouri)I try to have a bit of background on the people I feature on my segment of the show. John is one of my favorites to play. Once I played a couple of songs and heard from a local couple who had been driving in their car and happened to catch the songs on their radio. They were astonished to hear him; it seems they had just returned from an extended tour of Australia, and the bus driver had played John Williamson tapes on much of the tour, and here he was on their radio back home!
I have quite a few recordings of Australians, including several albums of Slim Dusty, the Bushwackers, Stanly Costa, Chad Morgan, and the material of "honorary" Aussies Martyn Wyndham-Read and Eric Bogle. I really like the stuff I've heard. It reminds me very much of some of the early music from the Appalatian and Ozark Mountains and our Western states. If there are any performers in your area who would like to get a little air play in the USA, have them contact me through the 'Cat and I'll be glad to work something out with them.
Thanks to all who have responded so far; I look forward to hearing from any others who would like to comment.

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: Joybell
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 06:40 PM

He's a brave and valuable performer alright. I don't know if I'd be brave enough to perform in one of those "timber towns" with even a hint of my "green attitudes" showing. He's a good man. Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: cobber
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 06:24 PM

We worked with John several times way back but one that sticks in my mind was at the Orbost Trucks and Country Music Festival. For anyone outside Victoria, Orbost is the central town in the battle between loggers (we have to cut this old growth down because there isn't much left) and conservationists (we have to preserve this old growth because there isn't much left). John had recorded a song, "Rip Rip, Woodchip" and I think they invited him so that they could get him in their sights. He looked very lonely up there on his own but he won the audience over. A great performer.

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: JennieG
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 04:45 PM

And of course John Williamson sounds like an Aussie!!! not a poor imitation of an American, which even Slim Dusty often did at times.

Cheers
JennieG....Aussie to the bootstraps, convict ancestry and all

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 04:38 PM

G'day Jim,

There is an Aussie Glossary up in Mudcat's Quick Links. It was an initiative of "John in Brisbane" ... and I contributed, or elaborated, a number of entries.

You might find that it focuses better on the sorts of references that might turn up in Australian songs. (Although, John Williamson's songs aren't likely to be as quirky, or obscurely Aussie, as some you might find posted on Mudcat!)

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: Big Jim from Jackson
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 12:16 PM

I admire his commitment to his country becoming a more separate entity from Great Britain. He seems very commited to improved race relations with the Aborigines, the environment, and changing the Aussie flag. I think being honest to your beliefs and being unafraid to advance them (without falling into the trap of cramming them down the audiences' throats) is admirable.
Here in the USA I have to listen to him with an Aussie dictionary in my hand. Some of the expressions are a bit baffeling! I find him loads of fun to listen to, plus the fact that he sings very well and has a nice hand on the guitar.
I hope to hear from more of you who are familiar with his work, both pro and con.........

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: Gurney
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 01:24 AM

My wife and son love him, and have 4 of his CDs, so I hear him a lot. These recordings are mostly live, and the audience are right with him. Some of his stuff has an element of Aussie nationalism, he comes over as a proud Aussie. Wish we had someone like him here in NZ.

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: JennieG
Date: 06 Jan 05 - 12:09 AM

JW has written many good songs although not many people seem to sing them in the folk scene - I think he is seen as being commercially "country". I met him many years ago when his daughter was a student at the school where I worked at the time, she was planning to study opera.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Australia's John Williamson
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 09:36 PM

G'day Big Jim,

It's years since I actually went off to a John Williamson concert, but what he does floats in the space between "Folk" and the deep commercial recesses of "Country" ... and he surely delivers 100% performance. There are a lot of his songs I do like and I can agree with his point of view - and enjoy his singing.

What else can be said?

Regards,

Bob

Subject: Australia's John Williamson
From: Big Jim from Jackson
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 08:29 PM

I know that there are any number of Aussies on the 'Cat, and I have a question mainly for them: Just what is the general opinion reguarding JW? I have had the pleasure of meeting him when he was over in the USA last February. He put on a very nice concert and was received very well by the American audience. Unfortunately, there weren't many in attendance because he is an unknown on this side of the pond. I know he isn't folk, although there are strong elements of folk in his songs. He isn't country, either; although there is a strong element of that, too. I'm just curious as to how he is reguarded in Oz and how you would catagorize his music.