A website dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of Australian
country music.

Country Music
The Music Of
Our Country



The Story of Australian Country Music

A Tribute to Buddy

A Tribute to Jimmy

A Tribute to Johnny

A Tribute to Reg

A Tribute to Shirley

A Tribute to Slim

– Slim, Chronicler of the Bush

A Tribute to Smoky

A Tribute to Tex

– Tex Morton White Guitars

A Tribute to The McKean Sisters

Arch Kerr – pioneer record producer

Australia's College of Country Music

Bicentennial Concert 1970

The Big Golden Guitar

Birth of the Golden Guitars

Brief History of the Golden Guitar Awards

Brief History of Star Maker

The Buddy Bishop Story

Country Music Capital Meets Music City

Country Music Hands of Fame

COUNTRY MUSIC MEDIA

Country Music Roll of Renown

First The Song

Ghosts of Tamworth

Golden Guitar Memories

Golden Guitar Pioneers

Golden Guitar Winners Tally

The Hadley Records Story

History of the College of Country Music

How the CMAA Was Born

How Tamworth became Country Music Capital

How the College of Country Music Works

Introduction

The John Minson Story

Links

Minson Memories

Origins of the Tamworth Country Music Festival

Radio Ranch & Spurs

Ross Murphy

Sources and Resources

Stairway to Stardom

The Story of Maton Guitars

Tamworth Milestones

Tamworth, We've Done Us Proud

What is Country Music

For more information
Contact: Max Ellis

Email info@historyofcountrymusic.com.au

Disclaimer

All matters relating to the conduct of this site remain under the total control of Max Ellis or his nominees who will endeavour to ensure the accuracy and balance of the content and proper conduct of the site but, subject to legal requirements, cannot be held responsible for any digression or non-compliance in respect of these matters.

Country Music Media

COUNTRY IN PRINT

Below

COUNTRY INTERNET

Click here to go to web links

Over the years many country music magazines and newspapers have been published in Australia. They have varied from very basic club news sheets to superb full colour professional magazines and have been distributed through clubs, newsagents and subscriptions. Some still exist* while many others have fallen by the wayside.  Here is a selection of these publications, which have brought so much information and pleasure to country music fans over the past 50 years.

* Existing publications at the head of the list and in red

• Country Music Capital News

First published as an annual quarter-fold in 1974 by 2TM in support of the Tamworth Festival, “Cap News” went monthly in 1983 as a tabloid newspaper under the editorship of Jazzer Smith. Bought by Rural Press in 1995 and, since October 2001, printed as a glossy magazine. It is Australian country music’s longest running publication. Capital News also publishes the Official Tamworth Festival Guide, a separate publication since January 1999.

In 2017, Capital News was bought by Tamworth Regional Council together with other country music assets including the Festival Program and Star Maker.

www.capitalnews.com.au

• Directory of Australian Country Music

First published annually from 1996 by Max Ellis Marketing in Tamworth. Then published under licence by Rural Press events.

www.capitalnews.com.au

• Country Update

First published by the National Country Music Muster at Gympie in 1994.  The Update was taken over by Gayle Madill in 1998 and has successfully developed under the editorship of Bob Anthony.

www.countryupdate.com.au

• Country Music Bulletin

Magazine for the industry with emphasis on independents, published from 1999 in Tamworth by Cliff and Dee Giles. Purchased in 2003 by Bob and Leane Kirchner. Published in print until 2008 then exclusively on-line. Australia's leading website for news of country music in Australia.

www.countrymusicbulletin.com.au

Also on-line weekly at

www.countrymusicbulletin.com.au

• Country Music Listeners Association News Letter

Published by Smoky and Paula Sheldrick in Port Macquarie from 1998.

• The Northern Daily Leader

Tamworth’s daily paper owned by Rural Press which, from the late 1990s, published a number of special Festival editions and features as well as regular on-going news of country music people and activities year round, especially as they relate to Tamworth as Australia's Country Music Capital.

www.northerndailyleader.com.au

• Tamworth Times (weekly)

Tamworth’s weekly newspaper owned by Fairfax which publishes a special program feature in conjunction with the annual January festival.

• Triple AAA Murri Country

News letter of 4AAA FM in Brisbane from 1998.

www.4aaa.org.au

• Country Music Tymes

Newsletter of the West Morton (Queensland) Country Music Association

• Prelude

News letter published monthly by the South Australian Council of Country Music and edited by Wally Sparrow.

• Country Call

The newsletter of the Adelaide Country Music Club

• Spurs

First published by Radio 2LM in Lismore in 1952, later in Sydney by Joy and Heather McKean until the early '60s.

MCMA Country Music Times

First published in 1965 in Brisbane as the official magazine of the Modern Country Music Association.

• Australasian Country Music Annual

Published by BAL Marketing in the 1970s and early eighties as a support to the Tamworth Festival.

• Country Magazine

Published by Max King in Sydney from 1994

• Country Music World

Published by Jim and Beryl Wicks in Woodbridge, Qld from 1972.

• Country & Western Spotlight

Published by Eddie and Maureen Birt in Brisbane from 1955 to the early 1980s.

• The Country Music Newsletter

Published by Don Gresham from Murwillumbah in NSW in the early 1970s

• Country Music Round Up

Published in August 1972 by the Aurora Foundation for the Blind in Queensland.

• Country Club House

Published and edited by Claude Woodbridge in Canberra in the early seventies.

• Australasian Rodeo-Country Music

Published  in Brisbane from 1978

• Country Music Roundup

Published by Federal Publishing and edited by Greg Bush and John Elliott from 1997.

• Country Beat

Published and edited by Max Thorburn in Mildura from 1986.

• Country Music Express

Published and edited by Eric Scott in Tamworth from 1971

• Australian Country Music

Published by Federal Publishing and edited by John Elliott and Greg Bush from 1992

• Total Country Magazine

Published in Charmhaven NSW and edited by David Latta from  September 1995.

• Across Country

Published in Ferntree Gully Vic. and edited by Jazzer Smith and Christine Whyte  from 1978

• Aussie Post Magazine

Started publishing dedicated country music news and pics  from John Elliott in 1999. Folded in 2002.

• The Country Chronicle

Published by Country FM 91.9 in Geelong from 1998, edited by Ian Hogan.

• Country Music Australia

Published by Universal Magazines and edited by John Elliott in 1998

• Our Country

Quarterly news letter published by the CMAA from February 1992 until the early 2000s edited by Max Ellis and Bob Kirchner.

• Shorty Ranger Fan Club Newsletter

This newsletter ran for many years on a regular basis. It was discontinued after Shorty's death in 2007.

Internet

Australian country music websites

A listing of country music sites of general interest. Note, does not include the hundreds of individual artist and company websites that now proliferate.

• ABC Country 

ABC Radio's country music spot on their internet music service... radio.abc.net.au

• Australian Bush Balladeers Association

News from the traditionalists... www.bushballadeers.com.au

• Australian Bush Laureate Awards (currently not running)

Nominations and information about present and previous of the Awards... www.bushlauteate.com.au

• Australian Country Music Foundation

Promoting knowledge of and interest in the history and heritage of Australian country and traditional music through the creation of an extensive archive and Hall of Fame in Tamworth... www.acmf.org.au

• Australian Country Music Online – CMAA

Country Music Association of Australia site with details of activities, gig guides, coming events, etc... www.country.com.au

• Australian Country Music Page

The Aussie bands music page... www.aussiebands.com.au

Australasian Music Industry Directory

Comprehensive music directory... www.themusic.com.au

• Bluegrass Australia

Home of Bluegrass Australia with news and views from the bluegrass world... www.bluegrass.org.au

• Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) 

Showcasing the best country music... www.caama.com.au

• CMC Country Music Channel

Australia's own country music clips channel with special event and feature programming... www.countrymusicchannel.com.au

Country Music Bulletin Online

The latest Australian country music news updated "as it happens" – produced by Bob Kirchner... www.countrymusicbulletin.com.au

• Country Music Capital News

Australia's number one country music publication with news and information from Australia and around the world... www.capitalnews.com.au

• Country Music Hall of Fame

The ACMF established, and has care of, numerous items of significane in its national archive in the city of Tamworth – all part of the Foundation's BOLD plan to build a much bigger and better Australian Country Music Hall of Fame www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au

• Country Music Photos, Tamworth

Country Music Festival photos. Photographs of Tamworth country music festival... www.ccimage.com.au

• Country Music Store (archived website)

All sorts of Australian and overseas country music with huge artist links list... www.countrymusic.com.au

• Country Update

Details of this country music magazine from Gympie... www.countryupdate.com.au

• Cowboys in Cyberspace

Bob Howe started this awarded site in 1977... www.shownet.com.au

• History of Country Music

A site dedicated to the history of country music in Australia – presented by Max Ellis from Tamworth... www.historyofcountrymusic.com.au

• In Music & Media

The ultimate Australian music business portal with news, resources and links... www.themusic.com.au

• National Archive 

The National website archive. Search for country music... pandora.nla.gov.au/index.html

• Nu Country

Victorian based country music community TV program on air throughout Australia & NZ... www.nucountry.com.au

Saturday Night Country

All part of Saturday Night Country, Australia's Home of Country Music on the radio, from 10pm to 2am (EST) and of course you can listen on demand to last weeks show... www.abc.net.au/snc

Tamworth Country Music

January Festival information from Country Music Capital... www.tcmf.com.au 

• Tamworth Rage Page (archived website)

Updating of this "page" has discontinued but Helen has left the page on line as a reference with news "of the time", views, pictures, and more... www.tamworthragepage.com

• The Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre and online country music

Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre and online country music shop located in Tamworth; also has the Country Music Gallery of Stars wax museum... www.biggoldenguitar.com.au

• Today's Country 94 one

24 Hour Country Music Radio Station originating from the NSW Central Coast... www.todayscountry94.one.com

• Warren Fahey and Larrikin Label

Country music played an important part of Larrikin's early catalogue... warrenfahey.com.au


Compiled and produced in Tamworth, Australia's Country Music Capital © Copyright GM Ellis. Material on this site can be down loaded. Where copyrights on pictures or other content are known to exist, approvals for use have been obtained. If you have any query regarding material on the site please contact the site manager