Old
CBC is a Sydney blues and country artist who plays regularly at small
bars, gin joints, and markets all over Sydney. He also plays on tall
ships on the Sydney harbour whenever the winds are fair. While blues
and country music is his current stock in trade, he’s always been a
folkie at heart and has a long history playing in bush bands that
stretches back in time to the 1980s. He is currently a member of Ryebuck.
(Sandra Nixon photo, Beecroft dance, Feb 2018)
In
1988 he released Bondi Road, an LP of original songs on the Restless
label that was too pop to be folk and too country to be rock. As CD
technology was on the ascendency, releasing an LP was about as smart
as putting out the songs on a piano roll. While the LP got some
airplay on the ABC and even Triple M the songs lay dormant until his
daughter Daisy began singing a track from the album called Used to
be a River. 30 years after the song appeared on vinyl the songs’
take on how the things we used to know and value have been
commodified, boxed and diced is striking a minor chord. CBC will be
performing this song on the night along with other cuts from the
album and his 2011 EP Natural Selection.
Natural
Selection features five history ballads written with fraction too
much fiction:
History
for Dummies –
about the little known visit to Sydney and outback NSW
by the European princeling and marsupial fancier who was better known
as Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The
day the Greycliffe went down
– a spin on the 1927 ferry disaster when 40 people, mostly Watson’s
Bay residents lost their lives.
Tilly
and Kate -
the tale of two crime matriarchs who carved up east Sydney’s vice
trade between the 1920s and the 1960s.
The
Famous Bumper Farrell
– the story of Sydney’s toughest ever policeman who ruled the
roost in Kings Cross and Darlinghurst for nearly 40 years.
He
stopped Sydney
– when Wally Mellish did his block in 1968 he sparked the first
ever live to air siege and almost brought Sydney to a standstill.
(photo supplied)
Craig @BMC's Folk-us night, October 1987 (Mulga Wire no. 63, p.12, Oct 1987)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duke's Place - Australian songs in concert & session
usually 2nd Fridays, 7.30 for 8pm start - evening ends 11.30
$10, bring a contribution for supper
Bush Music Club
Tritton Hall, Hut 44
Addison Road Centre
142 Addison Road , Marrickville
enquiries Sandra 9358 4886
www.bushmusic.org.au
http://bushmusicclub.blogspot.com.au/
Map of Addison Road Centre http://www.arcco.org.au/contact/
Duke's place, named after our honoured early member Harold 'Duke' Tritton (1886-1965), is the place to go once a month for a great night of Australian songs in concert and session. Duke was a powerful singer who supplied BMC with many songs he had learnt in his younger days while working as a shearer and at other bush jobs. He was also a songwriter and poet giving us songs that have entered the tradition such as Sandy Hollow Line and Shearing in the Bar.
Duke Tritton drawing by Hottie Lahm, 1959
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(Photos © Sandra Nixon)
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