A.B.B.A. BUSH
BALLADEER
STAR QUEST 2005
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The 2005 winner
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JEFF GIBSON
(Casino) for
more info go to Jeff Gibson page...
The 2005 Bush Balladeer Star Quest was held
at the Tamworth West Diggers Club on Tuesday the
18th January at 1pm.
This prestigious event
featured guest appearances from 2004 Star Quest
winner Matt Manning, and a junior A.B.B.A. member
Kimberly Cook.
Comperes were Peter Pratt and Tracy Coster.
Backing band was the Charley Boyter Country Band.
Entrants came from all over Australia, is by far
the greatest number of entries for the Quest.
After careful consideration a
shortcut list of 6 entrants were selected by the
judging panel, these entrants having been
selected as pertaining the most to traditional
bush ballad style and vocal performance in their
demo presentations.
JEFF GIBSON is the 2005 winner - Congratulations
Jeff!!
2005 FINALISTS Listed below!
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1. JAY PODGER (Grand
finalist)
Cooma NSW
Born in the country music rich
region of South Eastern N.S.W.
Jay comes from a musical family &
started playing at the age of eight. He is an
accomplished vocalist & musician playing guitar,
accordion, piano & other various instruments. At
fifteen he joined the very talented band "Wise
Move" indeed a wise move because this took him
performing across a wide area from the mountains
to the coast & across to the Riverina, "Wise
Move" has also been the backing band for many
Talent Quests at festivals. Jay has performed at
many country music festivals including Mildura,
Merimbula & Rosewood. With a repertoire of
country old & new Jay can suit all occasions &
ages. Jay has competed in a host of talent
quests across a large part of NSW & Victoria
with outstanding results. Jay has high ambitions
-.in the country music field. He would like to
be a well established entertainer, as well as
having the chance of traveling around Australia
meeting -new people & experience the life of a
professional musician.
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2. JEFF GIBSON
(Winner)
Kyogle NSW
Jeff Gibson was born in Newcastle
in 1955 before moving to the North Coast about
1973. He lived in Woodburn & Coraki for about 5
years. He met a girl from Ballina in 1975 and
married in 1977. Jeff has a daughter and one son
and three grand daughters. After they were
married they moved to Drake where Jeff worked in
the timber industry for approximately 18 years.
In 1995 the mill closed down. It was then Jeff
decided to move to Kyogle in 1996. One day Jeff
decided to go to the bowling club for a look
around. On that day they had their country music
day. It was then he acquired the taste for
country music. Jeff met a fellow there and they
got together and he showed him a few things
about the guitar. Jeff then bought a guitar and
taught himself by reading cord charts, listening
and watching other guitarists. Jeff enjoys
performing for local charities and a get
together with friends for a BBQ, sing along and
jam. He never considered himself a singer until
people told him that he had a great voice and
that he should do more singing. Jeff Gibson
loves singing Australian bush ballads.
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3. JULIE PERANDES
(Grand finalist)
Manley West Qld.
Born July 31, 1987 in Brisbane to
Jean and Keith Perandes, Julie grew up listening
to records and CD's of Slim Dusty. Shorty,
Ranger, Stan Coster and many others.
From an early age she became
involved in the Traditional Old Style Country
Music Club in Gurridale, where she was the
youngest member and after several months of
attending the socials decided to give singing a
try and a month later had won her first trophy
at the Gurndale Women's Friendship Club Mini
Festival.
Since entering her first festival
in 1994. Julie has won a variety of trophies
from various festivals including the Stan Coster
Perpetual Trophy (Junior Bush Ballad) at West
Moreton Festival 1999, 2000 and 2002.
Julie enjoyed hearing the stories
the bush ballads told. Each song has a different
story to tell about the different people and
places in Australia. Since Julie began singing
she has regularly performed at various concerts
around the local area and further a field. Julie
enjoys performing and takes pleasure in meeting
the variety of people around the ridges. The
youngest member of Golden Wattle Country Music
Club Inc, based in Wynnum. Julie is currently
finishing year 12 at Lourdes Hill College in
Brisbane and is happy to follow wherever her
music takes her.
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4. GARY GOUGH
( Finalist)
Charters Towers Qld
Born into a
musical family in Townsville, Queensland in
1953, Gary moved to Charters Towers at the age
of three and was reared on the songs of Slim
Dusty, Buddy Williams, Gordon Parsons. Although
performing in bands since his teenage years the
love of Australian Bush ballads has remained
with him since childhood.
As time passed
and in his teens he was totally captivated with
Barry Thornton's style of playing, thus
concentrating only on lead playing. For some
eight years Gary played lead guitar with his
brothers and friends, and then in his early
twenties created the now widely known Charters
Towers Country Music Festival, and a band called
"Speargrass" for backing purposes at that
inaugural festival. The band not only performed
extensively through the north but went on to
become support band for visiting artists such as
Charley Pride, Slim Dusty, Johnny Chester. Over
the years the group had the privilege of jamming
with "Salt Bush", Barry Thornton and "Grand
Junction" on main stage at the Charters Towers
Country Music. A decision made at the beginning
of last year was to change Gary’s life, when he
built a 6.8 metre gooseneck. With his old
guitar, and new sound gear he took up a
challenge, and became a travelling entertainer,
promoting his first CD release "Blue Side Of
Me". Gary Gough’s next goal is to produce a CD
of all never recorded bush ballads, lyrics of
which he has at hand and is in the midst of
creating the melodies for each.
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5. DENISE
BROOKS
(Grand finalist)
Tinana
QLD
Denise was a
grand finalist in the Bush Balladeers Star Quest
in 2004. Denise has been competing in Country
Music Festivals throughout Queensland from
Ipswich to Townsville winning many trophies for
vocal, duet and group. Her love has always been
Bush Ballads, particularly those of Stan Coster
and it is the passion that she puts into each
Bush Ballad she performs that sees her winning
1st places at many of these Festivals. An
accomplished musician playing both guitar and
drums, Denise’s number one instrument drums, and
has been lauded by many as being one of the best
Bush Ballad drummers going. Denise has spread
her wings a little this year to include song
writing and has co-written several Bush Ballads
as part of the HS&BM Group. This year has been
particularly special for Denise as she is also
an entrant in the Royal Flying Doctor Service
Spirit of Queensland Awards, with the sole aim
of not only raising much needed funds for the
Flying Doctors but community awareness as well.
She performs with local country music band
‘Sundance’ which was runner up last year in the
Group Vocal Section at Queensland Champion of
Champions and has also won Best Group 2 years in
a row at the Bundaberg Easter Roundup. She has
made appearances at several Bush Ballad events
this year as well as being a founding member of
Eureka CMC which she uses to pass on her love
for traditional Bush Ballads to the younger
members of the Club.
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6. MONIKA HOWARD (Finalist)
Yaamba Qld
Monika Howard was born in Gympie,
South-East Queensland, and grew up on a farm
with cattle, horses and country music. Monica
has always loved singing and music and was a
member of the choir for most of her school
years.
At thirteen she learnt to play
the guitar and continued her interest of music
at teacher's college, completing a Major in
Early Childhood and Music. As a school teacher,
Monika hopes to develop a love of music in the
children she teaches.
Country music is in her heart and
Bush Ballads have a special place. Monika’s
dream is to put her country experiences into
music.
Her family, husband Shaun, and
two children, Luke, 12, and Tosh, 9, live and
work on a cattle property near Rockhampton.
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