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This project occupies a lot of my time; sometimes I wonder why I do it at
all. But then, on reflection I really do know why I'm doing this - Australian
musicians are as good as any in the world. I used to find myself listening to
some band, wondering whose music they were covering, and being amazed to find
that the music was original. I believe that there is a lack of self-belief in
the music within this country, and the only way around this lack is to promote
the music and the musicians who play it. Thus, the Australian Blues site came
into being.
In researching the information presented on this site, I've encountered many
people who came to this realisation years before I did, both musicians and
otherwise. Chris Spencer has been documenting the Australian music industry
for a long, long time; Dutch Tilders has been playing with his heart for
more years than I've been alive. This site is for all these people. Chris
Spencer started me on this road many years ago, while I was still at high
school, but the interest lay dormant for many years. Then came Barry Hill,
Studio 52, and the Real Australian Blues CD. This really was the catalyst
that re-ignited my earlier interest.
Listening to this CD, I began to realise just how little I actually knew of
the music in my own country. I tracked down the second volume of the Real
Australian Blues set, and then, listening to Geoff Achison's
"Don't play guitar, boy", I caught myself again thinking that this had
to be a cover; that no Australian musician could write a song that good. So I
thank Chris for the Who's Who, Barry and Studio 52 for
Real Australian Blues, and Geoff, thank you for opening my eyes.
I thank the following people for their help
- Chris Spencer and Moonlight Publishing
- Geoff Achison
- Barry Hills, Helen Jennings and Blues Club Records
- Paul Higgins and Studio 52
- Geoff Spiegel and the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society
- Michael Paddon and eSec Limited for past sponsorship and site hosting
- Michael Bethune and Australia On Line for present sponsorship and site
hosting
- Everyone who has sent me information
- Piers Buxton, graphic designer extraordinaire
- Pedro S, photographer of the blues at Johno's Blue Club and
Pedrography
- All the musicians, for without you there isn't any Australian blues!
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