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The 2009 Bush Balladeer Star Quest was held at the
Tamworth West Diggers Club (Kable Avenue)
on Monday 19th January 2009 at 1pm.

Four finalists had been selected. SHARON SMITH, BEC HANCE, TREVOR TOLTON, & NATALIE FOLEY.

In the search for a genuine balladeer, to carry the Star Quest banner through 2009, the Bush Balladeer Star Quest again presented four young performers to compete in the 2009 Bush Balladeer Star Quest.

SHARON SMITH of Oakey QLD took out the honour.

About the quest......
The Bush Balladeer Star Quest is not just another quest...
The winner must be dedicated to the bush ballad style and intent on making a career in the bush ballad industry.

As a winner of the quest, that person recieves recording time for a radio single, and major festival appearances around the country throughout their 12 months as winner.....which will bring them in contact with not only new fans for their music, but introduce their talent to the industry, radio and give them lifelong promotion skills.


The A.B.B.A congratulates SHARON SMITH as winner of the 2009 Bush Balladeer Star Quest.... and wish all the finalists in the 2009 quest every success with their musical careers..


Guest Artists on the show were: Daley Stephenson & 2008 winner Rachel Richards
>
Comperes: Anita Ree & Lynn Manning
Backing band: The Charley Boyter Band.


INTRODUCING - THE 2009 entrants:


(Finalist) BEC HANCE (QLD)
Bec Hance was brought up in South Gippsland on a beef farm for the first 18 years of her life. Her interest in music started when she was 10 years old playing the piano. In her later years Bec taught herself the guitar, studying music theory and writing songs of her own. Bec is developing her music in teaching herself the mandolin, harmonica and slide guitar. She also is self-taught and enjoys yodelling.

Her interest in country music derived from her upbringing listening to traditional country music influences such as Slim Dusty, Shirley Thoms, John Williamson, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Johnny Horton. Her modem influences today are the likes of Sara Storer, Graeme Connors and Troy Cassar-Daley and more recently the writings of artists such as Norma O'Hara Murphy.

Bec finds a true satisfaction in performing and writing country music. In particular she loves to tell the stories about her life and other peoples, and that's including dogs and snakes! She has a passion for farming, country living, and old fashioned values.
This year in Tamworth Bec was a feature artist on the Country music express train and proved to be a very pleasing throughout the 10 day trip.
Some of her other past achievements include: 2008 West Moreton CIVIC overall Winner 2008 Charters Towers Country Music Festival 2nd Songwriting 2007 NSW/ACT Senior Showcase Overall Winner 2007 TSA Semi-finalist Professional Section 2007
Rockhampton Overall Senior winner 2007 TSA QLD 4th place Comedy/Novelty song writing section 2007 Overall Senior Winner Orana Country music Festival 2007 Overall Winner Deniliquin Country music idol 2007 Overall Senior Winner Leeton Country music Festival 2007 Overall Senior Winner Kinross Country music Festival
@ 2006 Tamworth CCMA Talent quest 1st Songwriting and 1st Yodelling winner. 2006 and 2005 finalist Victorian Country Music Awards
@ 2004 TSA semi-finalist Amateur Section
Bec has completed a new self-funded album of 12 of her original songs, recorded at Chris Wilson Studios in Melbourne.
She has also been selected to attend and graduate from the CMAA country music college in 2009.
Bec performs and competes when possible at country music festivals, country music clubs, and country pubs in QLD, NSW and VIC. She continues to gather a solid reputation for her strong versatile voice as well as unique quality of song writing. Bec now resides in central Queensland with her boyfriend, managing a small beef farm, working as a paramedic, and occasionally going out to their hut at the Gemfields fossicking!


 

(Finalist) TREVOR TOLTON (QLD)
Well I first started noticing bush ballad music a few years back, and I was really introduced to the art of the bush ballad
through John Williamson's music. I bought many of his recordings and DVDs and I watched him play the guitar. After watching him play the guitar and listening to the music he created, this drove me to want to learn how to play the guitar.
So
in early 2007, I went out and bought my first guitar, which was a Valencia, nylon-string guitar. It was a cheap guitar. I never learnt to play the guitar until early 2008, and in between the space of when I first bought my guitar and when I first learnt how to play it, my musical interests had broadened, and I was/ am now listening to Buddy Williams, Slim Dusty, John Williamson, Gordon Parsons, Nathan CharIton, Dean Perrett, Amos Morris and Matt Manning. I would have to give credit to John Williamson for being my main inspiration and influence, but Slim Dusty has always been a huge inspiration.

I first taught myself the guitar by using the thumbpick only and learning very basic two-chord or three-chord bush ballads. One of the first songs I
ever learnt was 'By A Fire Of Gidgee Coal'. Over time, I started spicing up my guitar playing, so I now use just the normal plectrum to play and sometimes use a thumbpick and a fingerpick, just like how John Williamson plays the guitar.
I always switch between the normal plectrum and the thumbpick. I just recently have bought myself a brand new guitar. It is a Takamine D Series. It is a lot of fun to play and so much better than my older guitar. I also recently bought myself a set of harmonicas and a headpiece to go with it, so I am teaching myself how to play the harmonica at the time of writing.
I have also recently taken up songwriting, and have written a few songs myself. Over the last year, I have written bits and pieces that get nowhere, but I think that this has helped my writing somewhat. I plan to write more and more bush ballads in the future, with writing being one of my future goals.


 


(Finalist) NATALIE FOLEY
( NSW)
I grew up with a wide range of musical influence...;, listening to Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, Carole King and Connie Francis so I often find myself drawing strength from these strong ladies of country Music.
In 1984 I started sing at the age of 13yrs with a band call the Blue Angles comprising of 7 children ranging from the ages of 13 to 16 yrs. In 1985 a small group, broke away and started a new
group by the name of the Breakaways & during the year we performed several times on Leeton with our greatest achiever being the NBN telethon.
1986 I had also teamed up with another young girl and competing on the. I competed successfully in the talent quest circuit and did a lot for charity rising money for the Heart Foundation and. cancer research. In 1988 I was selected in the top twenty finalists to compete in Star Maker and I then made it thru to the top 10 finalists.
In 1990 I meet my husband and started a family the greatest achievement in life so far. My husband, being a serviceman, the constant moving made things difficult to continue my music so I put things on hold.
Before I knew it 20 years had past, then in late 2007 a tragedy occurred in my home town and at the towns request I turn my hand to song writing and composed a dedication to young Shelley Ward and I now find myself back doing what I love, singing country music with a new found love of the Bush Ballads.
So now with my family grown and a new chapter opens my life I am composing madly and reconnecting myself with country music.
With being so diverse now and maybe me mellowing with age I find myself connecting passionately with the Australian Bush Ballads so I can't wait to do more entertaining more in the future.




(Winner) SHARON SMITH (QLD)

Born 11/12/ 1976 at Pittsworth. QLD. Sharon has played bass for a lot of distinguished Country Music artists over the years. In 2001 Sharon made her debut appearance singing at some well known Country Music Festivals. Sharon has also won 3 rd place in the Bush Ballad Section at the Broxburn Bash 2007, and received the Stan Coster Memorial Award. 2008 she won the Bush Ballad Section at Broxburn.


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If you would like to be an entrant in the 2010 Bush Balladeer Star Quest go to....Starquest.....

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