Greg Champion

Tamworth Rage Page

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To email Champs champs@gregchampion.com.au To keep your finger on the pulse www.gregchampion.com.au www.coodabeens.com.au



CHAMPS WANTS YOU TO HELP HIM!
What is the ultimate Champs show?
WINNER ANNOUNCED
IN JULY
The Prize!
We will fly the winner
to see Champs
perform at a venue
later this year to be
announced.
Yes Champs wants you to put together your Dream Show of Champs songs.
Select your favourite songs that you would like Champs to perform at a show,
then place them in order of performance at the show - including encore!
Make it about 12 songs.
Send your list to
andrewm@arach.net.au
Or
“Champs Set List Competition” at Champs
Newsletter,
PO Box 110 Como WA 6952
Win a free flight to see Champs live to play your set!
Greetings you hard rocking Australians, battling daily to hold this country together from the goodness of your own hearts…. Did that get your attention? Welcome to newsletter No. XVVICIVX, courtesy of our kindly editors, Andrew & Del, of Perth. Tamworth has come and gone again. It’s still the highlight of the year, and long may it remain so. Nine days is just long enough to lull you into believing you’re living the dream. That’s the beauty of Tamworth. The new CD The Shack Tapes was launched there, on the charming verandah of June Smyth’s pleasant abode, where we sang without PA with the backdrop of a tropical storm. I only saw copies of The Shack Tapes when I arrived in Tamworth. The production of it was so close to the Festival deadline that it was freighted there from Sydney the day before it all began. I’ve tried harder and dug deeper with this record than any other. To me, that’s evident in the listening.
People often ask: is this CD ‘funny’ or ‘serious’? It’s a ‘straight’ album – like the last two. There’s now a small backlog of novelty/Australiana songs so the next CD may swing that way. A tardy Happy New Year to you for 2006. May you have a fine time of it. For this new newsletter we’ve got heaps of fresh photos and stuff….
The past few months have been rippers for good action and fun travel. Between October and Christmas I was lucky to sing in Warrnambool Naracoorte Renmark Burnie Mt Buller Goulburn Hobart and then a real highlight, the Spencer Gulf country Music Festival, 25k from Pt Augusta. In the New Year I’ve seen the sights of Briagolong, Bairnsdale and Boyup Brook, and coming up it’s the incomparable Port Fairy Folk Festival, The Murraylands Country Music Festival in Tailem Bend S.A., and the National Folk Festival in Canberra. Boyup Brook Country Music Festival in W.A. was a real hoot ‘cos it’s not often I get to go three hours south-east of Perth for a great weekend. I’ll leave the rest of the newsletter to Andrew & Del and wish you well in your travels. Until we meet again, stay cheerful, regards,
greg

The Boyup Brook Country Music Festival. For Champs fans the highlight of this weekend was Friday night when Greg hit the stage and filled the balmy twilight with a set that included some old favourites, a humorous tribute to John Williamson and a few great ideas for the national anthem. When Greg was joined part way through his set by the band we were treated to some classics like “I made a hundred” and “Don’t call Wagga Wagga Wagga” as well as his new single from the Shack Tapes, “Been there done that (like to do it again)”. Champs finished the night with his Golden Guitar winning song “May your fridge be full of coldies”. You shoulda been there!
CHAMPS WANTS YOU ! CHAMPS WANTS YOU !
WINNER ANNOUNCED IN JULY The Prize! We will fly the winner to see Champs perform at a venue later this year to be announced.
YES CHAMPS WANTS YOU TO PUT TOGETHER YOUR DREAM SHOW OF CHAMPS SONGS. SELECT YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE CHAMPS TO PERFORM AT A SHOW, THEN PLACE THEM IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE AT THE SHOW - INCLUDING ENCORE! MAKE IT ABOUT 12 SONGS. SEND YOUR LIST TO ANDREWM@ARACH.NET.AU OR “CHAMPS SET LIST COMPETITION” AT CHAMPS NEWSLETTER, PO BOX 110 COMO WA 6952 From MELBOURNE:
Joan rang the ABC on a Sunday night, requested Greg’s song never turn right at Burke Road Malvern, and then sent this email: I got married in the church on the corner about 40 years ago. As the bridal party stood on the steps, church bells ringing, confetti everywhere, a semi came down the hill and screeched to a halt at the lights. The driver alighted, stood on his step and yelled "you stupid buggars". Never a truer word was said. The marriage ended in tatters - a nasty heap on the divorce court floor! but I'll remember that moment forever. Joan
GREG CHAMPION THE SHACK TAPES 12 awesome news tracks from Champs (or is that 13 trac
Come this far Keep the kettle boiling Walk alongside of you Out to Winchelsea Been that done that (Like to do it again) Somebody needs me This train I’m on
Stratford to Yarram Undying flower Melbourne town Big country town Satisfied ??
Tour Dates
May 12 South Warrnambool Football Club Victoria June 10 Alexandra Truck Show Victoria June 17 Penguin Football Club Tasmania June 23 Sydney Eagles Football Club Sydney

Champs launching the new album The Shack Tapes

THE SHACK TAPES ORiGiN Music/MGM
4 Fellas, 1 shack and 12 tracks in 4 days Greg Champion has twelve reasons to be Satisfied with his new adult contemporary album The Shack Tapes, recorded on a mates’ retreat with Gary Carruthers, Rod McCormack and Ron Engelhardt. Champs is a driven songwriter who’s always embraced Australian themes. On The Shack Tapes, his 15th album to date, he also explores the essence of the restless spirit. Come This Far, Out Winchelsea Way, This Train I’m On and Keep the Kettle Boiling are soundtracks for distance while Somebody Needs Me, Walk Alongside of You and Undying Flower are songs of the heart. The Shack Tapes is a great companion to any road trip whether you’re cruising around the city - Melbourne Town, heading from Stratford to Yarram or any Big Country Town. It wouldn’t be a Champs album without a singalong and the catchy travelogue Been There Done That (Like To Do It Again) will have everyone joining in. Greg says of the recording, “We set up our own studio in a rustic 60’s shack in South Gippsland on an escarpment with a panoramic view of the tidal flats. We lived off local fish and chips and watched the kangaroos on the floodplains below while we played. We worked the album for 12 hours each day, then the Gordon Lightfoot Appreciation Society kicked in each night – four fellas, 4 days, one shack and a bucket of fun.” Released through ORiGiN Music, The Shack Tapes will be launched during the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January 2006 and available through MGM. Tamworth Country Music Festival dates: For more information, please contact Sue Camilleri on 08 89 412 512/0408 412 512 Email soozcam@bigpond.net.au or visit the website www.gregchampion.com.au THE SHACK TAPES – Come This Far While searching for a fourth verse, I noticed an Aussie precedent for this kind of tale. Back at Uni, we studied Patrick White’s Voss. The explorer walks into the wilderness and disappears. Burke & Wills revisited. It’s a recurring Aussie literary idea. Lasseter’s Last Ride is another. So then I had the idea for the last verse.
Keep the Kettle Boiling About the places in the four verses: I was resident frontman for the Coober Pedy Hotel band over summer break at first year Uni. At Nardoo station I attended a songwriters’ camp near Cunnamulla, Western Qld. Parachilna is North of Wilpena in the Flinders Ranges. The West McDonnells often pop up in my songs. There’s a lot of beauty out there.
Walk Alongside of You The thought bobbed up while following my eighteen-month old daughter on a walk around the block.
Out to Winchelsea Talking to musician Dave Steele, I asked him if he still lived in Geelong. He said “No, we’ve moved out to Winchelsea”. The idea stuck for no good reason. Been There Done That (like to do it again) You hear that phrase around a bit. I thought it might be a Slim song title so I asked Joy McKean. She said “No – it’s a Chad Morgan album title [with the words gonna do it again]”. I wrote to Chad and said “Hope you don’t mind – I’m doing a song with almost the same title.”
Somebody Needs Me Again, written to our infant daughter. Sometimes I think that Canadian Ian Tyson’s early songs are the most similar to the ones I do. This one reminds me of that sorta style.
This Train I’m On My friend June Mary Smyth was going through a rough patch and said “You know – this train I’m on – it’s a mighty interesting ride..…”
Stratford to Yarram In mid-winter I had two trips to these Gippsland towns. They were the extent and the highlights of my winter voyaging. For some reason Ralph McTell’s music was in my head at the time.
Undying Flower During my first year at Uni, I had to write four sonnets in Shakespearean style. That exercise came back to me while doing this one. The song was written and abandoned four years ago and as with a few other songs, eventually I was able to make it sit up and behave.
Melbourne town I told my music-loving friend I wanted to do a travelogue of Melbourne pub venues from the Eighties, when we were in a band together. Ross Hannaford’s electric guitar here is so helpful.
Big Country Town In a Melbourne newspaper I saw an amusing reference to Adelaide as that big country town across the river. I’m part Victorian and completely South Australian so I used it for a song about my hometown.
Satisfied There comes a point when you discover you can stop trying to be someone and stop thinking you’ve got something to prove.
Cheers from Champs Issue 8AD XVCIIDFKH September 2005 Greg Champion Newsletter Friends of HELLO ME HEARTIES Hello you fine-feathered Aussie battlers, and welcome to newsletter No. XVCIIDFKH

… just mucking around. I trust your lives and your health are in good order, and may the leaves of winter
not clog your gully trap. It’s been four months since we spoke. May I tell you about my virtually completed
new album - but not before saying Come On The Crows, who at the time of writing take on West Coast in the Preliminary this weekend – and well done England, who were the better cricket side and rightly pulled our pants down. I might not feel so kindly if the Crows weren’t doing so well. For my new CD I was keen on a new approach: set up a temporary studio in a remote beach shack in Venus Bay Sth. Gippsland and make the album there. Rod McCormack, due to his immeasurable generosity agreed to come and supervise and lend his class. Gary Carruthers, my ‘right arm’ as far as musical support goes, was the third member and ‘Rotten’ Ron Engelhardt, the maestro engineer completed our team. Boy did we have a good time - oh, and yes, boy did it work out well as far as the sound of the new CD goes. Four days, four fellas, thirteen songs, twelve hour working days, and from 10pm-3am each night: the Gordon Lightfoot Appreciation Society reigned, with Rod and Gary trading favourite Gordon songs. They’re two of the finest Gordon exponents in Oz. I got the result I was hoping for: a more back to basics sound, a little raw, not too smooth. Each song was recorded live with Gary and I duetting on acoustic guitars and a live vocal. Although some songs remain quite raw, harmonies, bass by Jeff McCormack, and sparing drums were added back at Rod’s studio on the Central Coast. The album may be called The Shack Tapes, but that could change. It was mixed by Ted Howard at Garth Porter’s studio in Sydney, and you can’t do much better than that. A number of the songs are loosely about travel in Victoria, as well as other places. I felt I could improve on my last CD, and I would hope this one is more focused and a better record. As always, you’ll be the judge of that. This winter I’ve had the pleasure of singing in Stratford, Yarram and Rupanyup in the Victorian bush. Driving to Yarram takes you past the ethereal-looking Loy Yang Power Plant and over the Tara Ranges – in pea soup fog. Stratford had us there during their Shakespeare Festival, and Rupanyup is a classic Mallee/Wimmera town with a charming main street. Festivals and events heat up in October-November. I hope to meet up with you if you live around Naracoorte, Renmark, Burnie, Warrnambool, Canberra, Hobart, Goulburn or Port Augusta. And of course, all roads lead to Tamworth in January – and if there are any roads that don’t, they’re heading the wrong way….. Be seeing you along the track, happy travels, warmest regards, keep the chops on the stove, go you good thing, yours cheerfully, greg
The 3 amigos on the verandah of the Venus Bay shack, in late May during the making of the CD. L to R: Champs, Gary Carruthers, Rod McCormack


We asked Champs fanatic Tom of Tennessee to tell us how he became acquainted with Greg….. I was surfing the internet just a few years ago when I stumbled across a site called bluegrasscoutry. org...the program playing just happened to be an Australian bluegrass show called "music from foggy hollow" with Mike Kear. well...the image of crocodiles and kangaroos stomping their feet to Bill Monroe kept me listening for longer than i probably should have...i was multi-tasking (playing freecell) so i missed the artists name when a song came on about dying a slow and mournful death...it caught my attention but alas and alack it ended so quickly that i barely got the drift of the song...i heard Mike Kear say something about "champions" as the next song was coming on... i immediately started backtracking until i found a website for Hawkesbury radio and Mike Kear’s program where i was happy to find an email address for contact with Mike. i wrote right away and asked him what that song was and the name of the band...champions or something...to my surprise he answered that same day and gave me the particulars of "slow and mournful" and one Greg Champion..he even gave me Greg’s email address and urged me to write him...i figured i was on a roll and what the heck...why not... lo and behold...Champs replied almost immediately as well. we seemed to click from the beginning...i ordered a copy of Shady Tree and was blown away with it when it finally arrived two weeks later... i knew i had to share this with my friends so i sent Greg a boat load of cash and he arranged the shipment of millions of copies of Shady Tree which i have distributed around the world at no charge to anyone...i have mailed them all over the USA and even to South Africa and England...everyone wanted a copy but nobody knew where to get it...to speed things up i just mailed them a copy myself... and met a lot of interesting people in the process....soon Greg started sending me complimentary copies of shady tree which i continued to hand out to anyone interested...i have yet to meet anyone who didn’t just love it... well..to make a long story even longer...Greg and i have become good friends, exchanging emails on a regular basis and even talking on the phone several times. we keep threatening each other with extended visits but i doubt if that will ever materialize...until they build that bridge to Australia at least...i've also gotten to know Mike Kear quite well as a result of this chance encounter...he is one of Greg’s biggest promoters through his foggy hollow show... requests for Champs songs on the program have made him one of the most played artists on the playlist...Mike usually mentions my connection to Greg whenever he talks about him...i hope the two of them can sit down together some day and have a chat... “requests for Champs songs have made him one of the most played artists on the play list” Tennessee Tom Pierson’s Story

The Champs Family
at the Longyard Hotel Tamworth 2005
Teresa, Greg, Grace


Country Music Dreamteam, or a police crime line-up? L to R: Gary Carruthers, Rod McCormack, Jane Saunders, Champs, Michael Fix and Robyn Martin on stage at The Longyard Hotel Tamworth, before the police led them away…..

Hello you brave-hearted Aussie battlers, and welcome to our newsletter,
courtesy of ‘publishers’ Andrew & Del of Perth.
Trusting your problems are little ones, and that if you have aches and
pains, they are in a different place each day. My mother-in-law, a saintly
girl in every respect, says that as long as the aches and pains keep moving
to a new place, you’re still a chance to survive a while yet.
While at the Longyard in Tamworth, I met Elaine from Tumby Bay. She
knew I loved the town [I’ve only been once] and asked if I’d like to do a
Bushfire Appeal Fundraiser show there. Nine people died and about 77
homes were destroyed in the January fires around Cummins. Well, I just returned from there yesterday.
If there’s a finer spot in Australia than Tumby Bay, then my name’s Richie Benaud. It sits
on the Spencer Gulf and looks East over flat Gulf waters, as if on an inland sea. The foreshore, the
remoteness, the feel of the place, the charm of the forties style sandstone houses, all make it
heavenly. I sang in the pub and funds were raised for those affected by the bushfire.
Can I tell you we’re about to start a new album. From May 23, we’re going to a beach house in Venus
Bay, South Gippsland, with portable recording gear, and the help of Rod McCormack, Gary Carruthers,
Ross Hannaford and James Black. By going out of town I expect to get an earthier more
rustic sounding record, with songs that are a bit rootsy, a bit ‘Strayliana, and always folk/country.
Some of the titles are been there done that like to do it again, Melbourne town, keep the kettle
boiling, those deadly koalas, out to Winchelsea, and possibly I’m just an outa luck desperado in Swan
Hill I gotta make it to Mildura in the morning. And there’s two songs relating to Daddy’s little girl.
The day before the Tumby Bay trip I experienced Targa Tasmania, the week-long annual car rally
involving 300 cars, 1500 drivers, and 3000 volunteers. I witnessed it from a marquee half way up
Mt Wellington in three degree ‘heat’, where I sang to the crowd before the cars came through.
In March I had the privilege of playing Port Fairy Folk Festival with Rod McCormack guesting in our
band, as well as usual suspects Gary Carruthers and Robyn Martin. There are few finer towns than
Tumby, and there are few, if any, better gigs to play than Port Fairy, for the quality, size and support of the crowds. Port Fairy? – it doesn’t get any better than that.
A week later I had the treat of going to the Kapunda Celtic Festival. Just to travel in that part of
SA’s mid-North again was a delight. Since then there were also trips to Burnie, Launceston and
Briagalong (near Bairnsdale in Gippsland). Still in Gippy, shows in Stratford and Yarram are booked
for May and June. In Maryborough Queensland, they’re running week-long guitar and songwriting
tutorials in July, and that good sport Michael Fix and myself will be helping out.I’m excited about getting my new CD into your hands. May your echidnas be well-fed, and your
wombats never turn on you. Thanks again to Del and Andrew for their kind organization of this
newsletter. See you along the track, stay cheerful, champs


Champs clears 1.45m to take Silver in the Vic Masters Athletics Championships in March—go Champs!

Tamworth Festival 2005

Gary Carruthers, Rod McCormack, Jane Saunders, Champs,
Michael Fix, Robyn Martin - Longyard 2005

Well, that was the fifteenth straight Tamworth, and each one is still better than the last.
This one was undeniably the best fun - yet again - owing to, I think, the optimum line-up
(we’ve got it just right now), an improving repertoire, the best crowd numbers, and the best
stage sound, all adding up to a good fun
show…..
Many things about Tamworth Festival never
change: the ten day endurance event, the
heat, the fun and friendships. As we have
for the past six years or so, we did five
straight two-hour lunch shows at the
Longyard, and then a final big one with special
guests Jane Saunders, Rod McCormack,
Gina Jeffreys and Michael Fix. That
one was a real buzz, with Michael and Rod
playing some very tasty guitar behind Jane
Saunders, and Gina wowing the crowd inevitably.
There are the friends and followers you may
only see once a year, bit it’s every year
without fail. So a big thankyou to Rhonda &
Greg of Cessnock, Lynette & Tracy of Yarraville,
Alison & Gloria of Portland, Laids
and his kids from Canberra, Alan & Glenda
from Cowra, Sally from Tamworth, John &
Yvonne of Tamworth and the Newcastle
mob, some of whom are there for almost all our shows .
For the first time, the Coodabeen Champions attended, and we broadcast from the outdoor
stage in the park. The lads also attended the Awards Concert, a glittering night for four thousand
people, and the after Awards party, a not-to-be-missed event.
I had a late call to present the Heritage Award during the concert, which went to Lee Kernaghan
and Colin Buchanan, and it’s a real pleasure to be involved in that way.
The Coodabeens also managed to stay at the guitar-shaped pool motel, another milestone.
The final Saturday brings the Cavalcade, and this year I was on the float with other ABC artists
Beccy Cole, Sara Storer and Adam Harvey, among others. I was customarily late arriving
and had to chase the float down the street in front of spectators in order to scramble on belatedly.
It was after about the fourth Tamworth that we came home and realized - well, nothing will be
more fun than that for the rest of the year. Since then we’ve known that Tamworth is as much
fun as you can have, and the rest of the year is just a foggy dream until it rolls around once
again…..
See you along the track, greg

Tamworth Times — The Editor asks Champs:
How many Tamworths is that now, and were some better than others?
That's fifteen straight, and they've all been equal, as well as each one being better than the last.
What is the essence of Tamworth and what draws you back each time?
It's the ideal combination of hugely enjoyable fun and it's 'career-advancing' as well - i.e. the
'industry' is all there and you're seen by the powers that be. You know the movie/Scottish fable,
Brigadoon? The Scottish village miraculously appears out of the mist every 200 years, the townsfolk
live a normal day, and then it disappears back into the mists of time again. Tamworth is like
that. The ten days is a long enough chunk of the year to convince you that you're living this life
permanently, and that's why we all get Post Festival Depression -- as well as Pre-Festival tension.
Is each Tamworth a different experience.?
They're remarkably similar. For all fifteen years my shows have been at the Longyard Hotel, and
for the first twelve years we stayed in the same room at the same motel, the one with the guitarshaped
pool. And the friends tend to be the same, so you know what to expect every time.
Can you describe three Tamworth memories that will always be with you?
􀀦 Sitting with John Wiliamson at 5am at the end of the After Awards Party, still having fun.
􀀦 Doing Elvis impersonations at the Bushwackers' Elvis tribute show.
􀀦 The late night singalong jams with Ted Egan and others under the vines at the Longyard
- dubbed 'testifying'.
􀀦 Winning the country singers' tennis tournament some years ago.
􀀦 Batting with Rod McCormack at this year's charity cricket match.
􀀦 Having the same supporters turn up to all your shows for five years straight.
􀀦 Seeing the Awards Concert when it was still at the old Rodeo Arena....
(OK so there’s more than three....)

Jane and Greg
Heard on ABC Grandstand Radio
on 5 February.

Peter Walsh was talking to Champs about his new
CD The Cricket’s on the Radio. Champs said it was
the fourth season the song had been used on the
ABC so he thought it was time to make a fresh recording
of this track, originally written because the
phrase appealed to him. Greg is really pleases that
many others identify the phrase with enjoying the
cricket. The CD has 9 tracks including a reggae
number dedicated to the West Indies and songs
about Glen McGrath and Shane Warne. Of course
there’s the classic I made a hundred in the back yard
at Mum’s and Greg’s personal favourite You’re going
home in the back of a divvy van.
The CD will be released on ABC Radio on 14 March.

Robyn Martin, Jane Saunders and Greg at Maldon Folk Festival 2004 (courtesy of Jasmine Mcdonald)

Greg Champion - Maldon Folk Festival 2004 (courtesy of Jasmine Mcdonald)
I

Greg at Barwon Heads

Interviews with
a Champ
At the beginning of October
Champs answered a few questions
from the editor.
Issue 5AD October 2004 Greg Champion

Greg, to follow up the acclaim of both Shady Tree and North and South, where to from here? Musically
will you be progressing further in that direction or will you branch out into other territory?
I now think that my songs have always been too diverse. I’ve always had a scattergun approach: write
any sort of song that comes into your mind. My new policy is: be far more circumspect. Now I abandon
song ideas that are not going to end up suiting me. I’m writing less, but far more homogeneously. I
want the next CD to be ‘unified’ in style. The short answer to the question is: a bit the same, a bit different.

From your early country material, your lyrics have been able to capture the essence of what might be
called "the Aussie spirit", in the mateship and humour and understated values that we hold. Is this a
style that you enjoy writing in or is it a theme that has unconsciously unfolded through your albums?
More unconscious than conscious, maybe. Actually, you could call my style ‘stream of unconsciousness’.
However, there is some definite intent to be Aussie. Anything much more than that is accidental.
You seem to travel widely and to enjoy visiting far flung places and interacting with audiences.

What keeps you going with the travel?
Gee, how many people wouldn’t enjoy that job, if they had it. It’s not hard to find it a pleasure, is it? I
feel blessed - as if I have the best job in Australia.
You continue to enjoy a healthy career. For the benefit of young artists, what would you tell them
about labels, independence, management and surviving in an industry that seems to only allow a few to
have any significant profile?
My impression is that only a lucky 3-5% of musicians get to make a fair living. They usually have
some ‘gimmick’ or some edge that sets them apart - if they’re not simply blessed with sheer overwhelming
undeniable bloody talent! SOOO many good musos don’t get past square one, career and incomewise,
and it seems a waste and a shame. On the other hand, Vincent Van Gogh never sold a painting in
his lifetime. Maybe the rewards come in other ways.

Greg you have performed on albums and live with a huge number of artists. Are there some musicians
that you would like to collaborate with either on a tour or perhaps one of your forthcoming albums?

Colin Buchanan is one of the most gifted people I know. He’s inspiring to work with any time. Jane
Saunders has been a long-time collaborator and musical ally. Rod McCormack is a privilege to be produced
by. I’m not sure who it should be next but I’ll keep searching.

You have released many CDs - and of differing styles - do you have any personal favourites?
Shady Tree, all things considered, is the one I’m most proud of. North & South would be nearby, i.e. the
most recent two. Actually, the one I’m going to release next will be my favourite.

How do you maintain your high level of creativity?
I’ve become obsessed with the process of songwriting over the years. I try to do a little bit every day,
generally at night after 11pm. When we were living in Northern NSW recently I found creativity had
never been so good. The lifestyle and environment must have helped. The Melbourne winter is not as inspiring,
I’ve noticed. Travel in the bush always is. I’m sorta determined not to allow the output to slip
away if I can help it. Books, poetry and listening to other music can help.

You have recently become a father. Has this been a big change? How do you now balance music and
family?
Having a daughter, just turned two, is so fulfilling and rewarding. Of course there are adjustments, but
it’s something special to write about! The main difference is, that when you go away, which is usually
only for short trips, you’re even more motivated to get home quick!

Once you have written the songs, do you find that they change during the recording process? So do some
songs end up to be quite different to what you imagined?
Not too much at recording, but the songs change heaps in the incubation process. The music may be
evolving constantly with repeated examinations over a few weeks.
Often i don't like the tune/music of any emerging song at all for a
while, and then quite suddenly you strike on a better musical vehicle
for your idea.

How do you decide on a song to be a single?
The Record Company and the Producer slug it out. In Country, you
pick the best one, or the catchiest, 'uppest' one - if you can find one!

Have you ever played a set which is a complete album - a concept gig?
Just the once - at Port Fairy Folk Festival in 2002. We played Shady
Tree from start to finish - leaving out the a capella one. We did it on
Stage One, in front of 2-3,000 people, between Fairport Convention
and The Proclaimers. It was one of my favourite gigs of my life!

Grace Elizabeth Champion
Aged 22 months

Champs chats with Mick McGlone

Border Mail, Albury
MM What is your favourite sport?
GC I like footy and cricket equally.
MM Who do you follow?
GC Adelaide Crows.
MM Who is your favourite sportsperson?
GC Nigel Smart Crows.
MM What are you reading at the moment?
GC Books about Tibetan Buddhism.
MM What sort of music do you listen to?
GC Renaissance choral music by composers like
Tallis and Pallestrina, blue grass western swing
folk music in general. Bob Dylan is number one
and I regard him as the musician who had the
greatest impact of the century. He is so far
ahead of who comes next. He is the Bradman of
this caper and it is hard to see anyone getting
close to him. He is the Mozart of our time. And
I like musicians like James Taylor and Cole Porter.
MM What is your favourite movie?
GC I don't watch many movies. Probably
Jeremiah Johnson and another one called Evil
Roy Slade.
MM What inspires you?
GC Nature, a good story.
MM What makes you angry?
GC Being angry. It is always wrong to be angry.
What does make me angry shouldn't and I should
always be working to make sure it doesn't.
MM What has been the highlight of your life?
GC My daughters.
MM What has been the biggest challenge in your
life?
GC I haven't had one.
MM What spins your wheels?
GC Travel on water.
MM How do you spend your Friday nights?
GC Preparing for the radio show
and watching footy.
MM How do you chill?
GC My whole life is a
chill.
MM What do you like about your life?
GC I think I have a charmed life and the best job
in Australia.
MM What would you change in your life?
GC Nothing I can confess to here.
MM Who has been the most influential person in
your life?
GC It might be John Williamson or Nigel Smart.
MM Where were you born?
GC Benalla Home, Melbourne in 1955.
MM Where did you go to school?
GC Hectorville Primary School and Pulteney
Grammar, Adelaide.
MM You are now a singer, songwriter, radio announcer,
corporate entertainer and author.
What was your previous job?
GC I was a clerk with International Harvester.
MM What would you do if you were not in your
present job?
GC I would like to work with dogs.
MM What are your hobbies?
GC Gardening. Music is a hobby.
MM What is your favourite holiday destination?
GC Alice Springs.
MM What is your favourite meal?
GC Fried rice.
MM What is your favourite drink?
GC Peach tea.
MM What would you like your epitaph to read?
GC Walk on.
MM Have you been successful in life?
GC Beyond my wildest dreams.
MM What is your ultimate life goal?
GC To end life as a Buddhist.

On stage at the Longyard at the Tamworth

Festival with Gary Carruthers

The Mighty Champs Notes - October 2004
What can we expect from Tamworth this year? That’s what
we start thinking about at this time. The Festival’s been
turned on its head by the decision to shift the Awards to the
first weekend.
However, my little group and I will be fronting up for the fifteenth
straight time. We’ll do our usual five lunch shows at
the Longyard, and we’ll have Gary Carruthers, Robyn Martin
and maybe Michael Fix in the line-up. Gary’s been touring
with Kasey Chambers and is touring the USA with her in November,
which is a highlight of his life, I know for sure.
Furthermore, it looks probable that the Coodabeens will be
there to broadcast for the first time. This is quite momentous
- to we Coodabeens, anyway…. Ideally, we’ll do the show
from the soundshell in the park which can hold 10,000 people.
Before then, the Maldon Folk Festival comes up on Oct. 29,
in Central Victoria. This is one of the top Folk events in Oz
now, to me. Jane Saunders, and sisters Jodi and Robyn
Martin will be along for the ride.
Last week I was in Sydney to sing at a dinner raising funds
for four orders of Catholic nuns. I met some fabulous Sisters
of that faith, I found the night wholly uplifting, and my
highlight was hearing Sir William Deane speak. To use a
hip phrase I’ve learnt, “he’s got it all going on”...!
One other thing: everybody needs an outback getaway. So
recently I went to Whyalla [Spencer Gulf, SA] to see a close
friend. He lives right on the edge of the Whyalla ‘suburbs’,
so we were able to walk across the street and into the desert
of Australia. That was inspiring. There’s nothing like a stroll
among the saltbush and spinifex to gladden the heart.
I hope your heart has been sufficiently gladdened lately too.
My thanks go to the ever industrious couple from Fremantle,
Andrew and Del, for compiling this newsletter. With the jobs
they hold, they ought to know better than to tackle this!
Good luck to them, and to all ye who read herein. If you
keep the kettle boiling, I’ll see you soon,
regards, greg

Hilton Hotel, Grand Final week footy lunch

Greg is enjoying ongoing success with both his new CD “North and South” and the released double CD of “Shady Tree” and the “Best of Greg Champion.”

Issue 4AD July 2004

A Chat with Champs
Dear fellow plodders on the bush track of destiny, welcome to our fourth newsletter
under the editorial control of Andrew and Del McGuiness of Perth, bless ‘em!
How’s your footy team going? Mine has seen better years (Adelaide).

Is everybody still treating you alright? Myself - I can’t complain. Any better, and
I’d be up and about, as they say….

ABC radio is consuming more time lately. With Coodabeens
programmes on Saturday (AFL states only) and Sunday
(nationally), I can’t sit around and rust away just yet.
There’s also been some fun gigs to travel to. Since February I’ve
seen some far off places like Mortlake (Festival), Merimbula,
Caloundra, Canberra (Folk Festival), Launceston, Mount Beauty
(Music Muster), Coleraine, Swan Hill, and Adelaide. At the Canberra
Festival I had the pleasure of singing with Jane Saunders, as well as Robyn Martin,

Andrew Clermont and Dave O’Neill. Jane joined us at the Mortlake Festival also.

Whilst it’s mid-winter (in Melbourne, anyway), and things do slow up a
bit, with the help of ABC music and books I’ve managed to release
two CDs and a book this year. My latest Rod McCormack-produced album, North &
South came out in January for Tamworth Festival.

May saw the release of my second Guru Bob book, The
Wisest Wisdom Of Guru Bob. The Guru is an on-air character
from our Saturday radio show who’s been with us for
sixteen years, and who says deep stuff like: “if you step on
people on your way to the top, you can step on them
again on your way back down”, and “you can’t always
get what you want, but you can get what you need – then
you can swap it for what you want”.

Then in June ABC Music put
together the two CDs I’d released before North & South:
Shady Tree from ‘02, and The Best Of from ’03, and combined
them into a single CD package and price. Naturally I’m delighted
to have three different ABC items out on the shelves in
the past five months.

The next CD: my current notion
is to do an acoustic/rootsy mainly duo album with long time
musical ally Gary Carruthers, slightly in the Kieran Kane/Kevin
Welch way. I also fancy inviting Ross Hannaford in on guitar. It
might be entitled Melbourne. The newest song I’ve written for
this project is called " I’m just outa luck desperado in Swan Hill, gotta make it to

Mildura by the morning", having been written in a Swan Hill motel room,
with the above-mentioned Gary, on a recent trip there.

A song about footy I have written, "One True Religion", appears
about to become the ABC radio Grandstand AFL theme. Two
members of "Things of stone and wood" have played on the
new recording. Trips coming up include Hobart,
Burnie, Launceston, Canberra,
and Maldon Folk Festival (Vic.).
Be seeing you somewhere along
the road of song.
If you live in the South, may you
ride out mid-winter happily. If
you live where the winters aren’t
tough, LUCKY YOU! Good luck
to your family. Say hi to your
Mum for me.
Yours cheerfully,
Greg

It matters not whether the glass is half full or
half empty……....
What matters is how much is in the bottle next to the glass.
Guru Bob

? To Champs - any thoughts of a live album?
Not really. My voice needs all the help it can get in the studio. Dunno if
people are quite ready for my voice without all that make-up!

? To Champs - how do you come up with such different
albums as shady tree and north&south?
I put it down to failure to harness my mind properly....! I've always
thought up too may songs in too many different styles. This can be a
hindrance rather than a help, because people can't as easily identify in
you one particular style. Since North&South I'm trying harder to address
that. Now, if I think of writing a song in yet another diverse style, I'll
stop myself before I start, in the hope of focusing my songwriting towards
a more homogenous sound.

? To Champs - do you have any videos available?
I think I've made 3 videos since 1986. That year, it was I made a 100 in
the backyard at mum's. In 1993 ABC Landline made a quite basic video at
Toowoomba Country Music Festival of myself and friends doing may
your fridge be full of coldies, and bingo, it somehow won the inaugural gold
guitar for video in the next year at Tamworth. Never won another one
since. In 1997 I made a clip for Cooee Motel at that very motel in
Gilgandra.

? To Champs - any dvds coming?
Bought my first DVD player 8 weeks ago, and I'm too chicken to get it
out of the box. I believe there's a plan for the Coodabeens to release a
DVD of a proposed live concert next year, celebrating our 25th year on
radio.

To email Champs
champs@gregchampion.com.au
To keep your finger on the pulse
www.gregchampion.com.au
www.coodabeens.com.au

Dear fellow plodders on the path to paradise, hello and a big welcome to newsletter number three from out of the West, courtesy of our Perth friends Andrew & Del McGuiness.
How’s your 2004 treating you? We trust that the year will be good to you; if not, contact us and I’ll have my Perth friends try to fix that for you too…
Tamworth Festival number fourteen straight has now passed. This year our line-up changed a little. The immaculate incomparable Jane Saunders blessed us with her presence on vocals, and the very gifted and very nice Michael Fix joined us as well. Robyn Martin continued with us on bass and vocals.
My new CD North&South was released during the Festival, marking a happy return for me to the ABC label, with whom I put out CDs in the early nineties.
I’ve started working on songs for the next CD, which is a continuing preoccupation. Some of the titles are keep the kettle boiling, far horizon, you’re an individual, brother Pete, one man’s fishcake is another’s dim sim, and the emu has a dumb look on its face.
Yes, footy’s begun, and for my mob, Adelaide, it looks like an LHS – long hard season. Our Coodabeens’ footy show is back on ABC radio on Saturdays, 11-1pm, in all states bar Queensland and NSW.
In the next two weeks I’ll have the pleasure of attending the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and then the Mt Beauty Music Muster in north-east Victoria. Then the Festival circuit goes a little quiet until spring.
May your footy team have a good year, and if not, may they finish above Collingwood. Good luck with your health, and don’t change that haircut.
Happy travels, and see you along the track,
Champs

LET HIM SWIM
words: greg champion
tune: Let it Be, Beatles

If a bloke called Thorpe falls off the blocks
gives us all an awful shock
change the regulations
let him swim

if he slips into the swimming pool
time to say forget the rules
there’s no other Thorpey
let him swim

and if his coach concedes it’s gone
and states that now they must move on
still we’ll strongly protest
let him swim

if Thorpey says he’ll concentrate
on the fifteen hundred or the eight
we just won’t accept that
let him swim

let him swim let him swim
let him swim let him swim
if I’ve paid my taxes
let him swim

let him swim let him swim
let him swim let him swim
change the regulations
let him swim

Grace Elizabeth Champion.

Good afternoon.
Bob Anthony's review on Greg's recently-released BEST OF Album.
regards and happy travels,
Greg Champion

BEST OF GREG CHAMPION

It's a girl!!!
8 pounds 8, and 14 days late....
Born by (emergency) Caesarian.
Mother and baby both delightful. Father: well, .....
Her name is Grace Elizabeth Champion.
Born at Lismore Base Hospital at 5.30pm today, wed.
Yippee.
Lotsa love, Greg and Teresa

Dear Brethren, Sistren and Kindren, WELCOME again to our newsletter, put together by the kind good grace of Alan, co-ordinator of 'Friends of Champs'.

I trust we find you well and cheerful, Winter is passing us, and I hope you've had enough rain in your part of the landscape.

There's been some action lately, with the imminent arrival of Teresa's and my first child together, due about Sept.25

And there was the further thrill of the trip to France/Vienna/Amsterdam in June, which was entirely wonderful.

The totally Fab Jane Saunders and myself have a nomination at the Independent Country Music Awards in Single of the Year, for "Someday Soon". The Awards are around the due birth of our child, so I'll be watching from afar.

I'm told I'm going to sing before the AFL Grand Final this year, in a short appearance, not too long before game time; maybe about 2.30pm. If you're watching, I'll be sure to wave and blow you a kiss....

Our fearless leader Alan has found that sending out mailed copies of the newsletter is very labour-intensive, and so we're proposing from now on to make it an emailed newsletter only. If any of you, our friends and readers, wish to continue to receive a posted copy, please tell Alan of your request. Others will now receive emailed editions.

by Tamworth Ragepage

Greg, Australia's champion of country comedy music has an album out called "Shady Tree" and this CD proves that Greg can be taken seriously,- sometimes!! All songs are originals and written by Greg and the CD was produced by the genius work of Rod McCormack and recorded by Rod and Jeff McCormack. It is a mixture of Bluegrass, Gospel, Folk, a bit of layed back western swing and of course a little comedy. The CD has some of Australia's finest musicians making this CD a superb addition to your collection. With Rod McCormack on guitar, banjo, dobro and mandolin, James Gillard on upright bass, Mick Albeck on fiddle and Andrew Clermont on mandolin adding to Greg's superb singing up front. To really make this CD special there is splendid harmony vocals from Rod, James, Jodi & Robyn Martin, Jane Saunders, Dan Thompson and also guest vocalists Jane Saunders, Gina Jeffreys and Beccy Cole. This is a must have CD, as it is all class, and will satisfy the discerning taste of all music lovers.

Check out www.gregchampion.com.au and listen to a preview of the title track
from the new album "Shady Tree"

All songs written by Greg Champion and

produced by Rod McCormack

Mick Albeck Fiddle

Andrew Clermont Mandolin

Dan Thompson Bass and Vocal

Vocals Jane Saunders, Jodi & Robyn Martin

Guest Vocals Beccy Cole and Gina Jeffreys

CDs available through web site

Stand back Europe

On behalf of Alan & Glenda and myself, see you down the track, along the road of song, and in the fullness of time.

Lotsa Luck and love,

The track list may illustrate the general theme:

2 i've never been

3 further up the mountain

4 might be jesus knockin'

6 the singing bird

7 this body's gonna wear out

8 rough with the smooth

9 slow and mournful

10 sleep on the stony ground

11 love in the heart

12 walk across that line

13 when I kick the bucket

We have the blessing of guest vocals by Jane Saunders, Gina Jeffreys and Beccy Cole. It's a huge pleasure to have their contribution. Sisters Jodi and Robyn Martin also sang on several songs, and I'll be working with them in Tamworth. James Gillard played bass and sang as well as ever. Mick Albeck and Andrew Clermont helped flesh out the sound.

Three of the songs are humourous but the other ten are non-humourous. "Praise the Lord His Soul Has Left The Building" missed out on selection, but "When I Kick the Bucket" and "Gonna Die Slow & Mournful" will offer a chuckle. There's no drums, electric guitar or keyboards - only acoustic guitar, lots of banjo, dobro, mandolin, and heaps of female harmonies.

Anyway, for those of you who have the pleasure of going to Tamworth, we'll be seeing you there soon for what is undoubtedly the highlight of our year - and this is year twelve. Strap in cosmonauts, for another festive season, a summer of cricket and sand (where you can get it), and hopefully another happy Tamworth Festival.

Peace and Love are old words, but there's a close relationship between clichés, and truth. So we wish you peace, and love, because they'll always be the important things....

When Rod McCormack consents to make a record with you, you feel fortunate. Rod has his studio at his house and he and Gina are hugely kind with their hospitality. I made three trips to their place on preliminary projects before we knuckled down to the full-length album. It took about ten days, and about two more days will be needed to complete it. The first day involved Rod on guitar and James Gillard on double bass. We got nine ‘beds’ down that day and the other five took on guitar and James Gillard on double bass. We got nine ‘beds’ down that day and the other five took another half day. Then Rod swung into guitar, banjo, mandolin and dobro parts for a day or so. Boy, did I hear some divine playing going down! Some lead vocals were then recorded, before the girl singers started coming in. Jane Saunders sang on three tracks, bless her and her angelic voice, and Beccy Cole and Gina Jeffries also took a song each. The sisters Jodi &Robyn Martin sang on six tracks in all, and James Gillard and Rod did about the same number each. We’ve mixed all but four songs, and the final list will be thirteen, not fourteen. I think Rod has given the record a production quality you can only dream of. Call me over-excitable, but I don’t think I have ever made an album nearly as beaut as this. It’s provisionally entitled ‘Shady Tree’, which is the opening track. It may be an independent release but we’ll also talk to certain record labels. I should have some copies by Christmas, and it will definitely be ready for Tamworth Festival, late January. I can only describe the music as trad. -sounding, folky, bluegrassy, Peter Paul & Mary-ish, gospellish sorta songs. There’s heaps of harmonies by a host of lovely voices, and buckets of tasty guitar and dobro…. I’m keen to get one into your hands.

For Further information contact: Black Market Music (03) 9326 8886

For Further information contact:
Black Market Music (03) 9326 8886