DAVE'S DIARY - 17/1/2022 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 8 - SERIES 50

BILL CHAMBERS AND KEVIN SULLIVAN HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV

Former police inspector Kevin Sullivan and Bill Chambers headline Nu Country TV on Saturday January 22 at 9.30 pm.

Texans Sarah Hobbs and Rich O'Toole boomerang to the show repeated Wednesday at 11.30 pm.

Bluegrass band Merle Monroe and Dallas quintet Prophets and Outlaws appear in Behind Bars in our program filmed and edited by our multi-talented lockdown producer Laith Graham.

Newcastle quartet Viper Creek Band also return this week.

Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.

Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/

KEV AND BILL HEAD TO HIGH COUNTRY

Former crime scene forensic examiner Kevin Sullivan and prolific producer-singer-songwriter Bill Chambers mount handsome steeds as they head to the high country.

The duo explored equine metaphors as they filmed in Mt Buller, Merrijig and Appin.

They were joined in their video by Kellie Lovick from the famed high-country Lovick family before the 2020 bushfires.

The trio performed High Country Snows from Kevin's second album Against The Tide.

Kevin is no one trick pony - he was a forensic police crime scene investigator and retired in 2011 as a detective inspector when pensioned after an injury.

He has been a professional musician for five years and now lives on the NSW south coast at Gerringong near Kiama.

"I had a great career in the Police but music was always my first love," Kevin revealed.

"When I got out of the Police I thought it was never too late to chase your dream so I became a musician We do a bit of everything and I throw a bit of original stuff in when people aren't looking."

Kevin uses stories from his police career in his songs.

Queensland campervan company Sunland are a major sponsor with a custom-built van for Kevin and family on the road.

"What we're finding with the shows is because there are very limited artists touring and very limited live music we are a bit of an exception," Kevin explained of touring with his wife Belinda and family in their
"Sulli-van" and performing.

Kevin is assisted on stage by all three children, KJ aged 11, Cha Cha aged 9 and Jet aged 6, all doing distance education with Belinda who is also backstage manager.

His previous single was Spend The Kids Inheritance.

South Australian born Bill, 68, has released 10 solo albums and lives at Ourimbah on the NSW central coast.

Bill, son Nash and daughter Kasey released four albums as the Dead Ringer Band including 1995 ARIA award winning 1995 album Home Fires.

Further info - https://kevinsullivanmusic.com/

Further info - https://billchambersmusic.com/

Click Here for a Bill Chambers CD review in The Diary on April 2, 2006.

RICH O'TOOLE RIDES 17 WILD HORSES

Texan Rich O'Toole follows Kevin and Bill with his new video featuring more horses.

Houston born O'Toole, 38, rides a rollicking equine metaphor in 17 Wild Horses.

Rich's song was based on the Yellowstone character Beth and is on his seventh album.

"I wrote it loosely around the character of Beth on Yellowstone ,” Rich revealed.

“Sometimes the right girl rides into town at the wrong time. I am a giant fan of Yellowstone . I wanted to write a song about a girl who is like the character Beth: a wild cowgirl who rides into town and breaks your heart.”

O'Toole took his video concept to CK Reid who provides bucking broncs and bulls to Billy Bob's Texas - the World's Largest Honky Tonk, for their live rodeos.

“He said, ‘I'll round them up for you, but you have one shot to film, because once I let them go, they're gone for a while,'” O'Toole recalled.

“So, we had to get all of our cameras ready to get the one shot.”

O'Toole said they let about 100 wild horses go on Reid's ranch and followed them with a drone, trying to get 17 in a shot at a time.

“Seventeen is my favorite number,” he said.

“I always try to put 17 in songs. It was my baseball number growing up.”

He previously appeared on Nu Country with Peter & Paul - one of nine songs he wrote on his sixth album New York City , Too Good To Call and Uncle Hank from fifth album Jaded.

Rich is a nephew of late Mississippi born hit writer Hank Cochran who died at 74 on July 15, 2010.

CLICK HERE for a Jaded review in The Diary on March 16, 2015.

SARAH HOBBS MURDER IN THE BAYOU

Texan Sarah Hobbs opens the show with a graphic tale of murder in a bayou.

The feisty female character took revenge on a cheater when Sarah headed south to film her Black Bayou video that follows debut EP Texas Made.

“From the second I heard the demo I fell in love with the song,” revealed Hobbs who hails from Jefferson in north-east Texas.

“It's a sad story but very tongue and cheek writing so you can see it playing out with a smile on the girl's face. It resonated with me because I grew up on bayous and rivers on the Louisiana line on the Texas side. It's a beautiful but very creepy. Alligators, snakes, old boat shacks. It gives you that South Louisiana feel. This song has so much grit and attitude but the melody is so good and rocking, I had to cut it.”

Sarah comes from a family of musicians dating back to the early 1900s.

Her great grandfather, uncles, cousins and dad all played so Sarah was destined to follow their footsteps. She has a passion of old country music.

Sarah has toured Texas and surrounding states since 2014, Texas Music Takeover in London and Texas Red Dirt Pub Crawl in Dublin , Ireland .

She also played the South Iceland Country Music Festival.

Further info - https://www.sarahhobbsmusic.com/

PROPHETS AND OUTLAWS

Dallas quintet Prophets & Outlaws met at a Jesuit school before following their music dreams that lands them Behind Bars on their debut on this week's show as they perform to raise money for the North Texas food bank.

The band performs its A Little Bit Of Love video live on a roof top and in a studio.

It's on their debut album Dreamer produced b y Gene Freeman after five EPS.

Founding members lead vocalist Matt Boggs, drummer James Guckenheimer and guitarist brother Steven Guckenheimer share musical pedigree with their father who toured with The Four Seasons in the '60s.

Further info - https://prophetsandoutlaws.com/

MERLE MONROE LIVE BEHIND BARS

Bluegrass quintet Merle Monroe return to Behind Bars live in the studio.

Tim Raybon and Daniel Grindstaff are founders of the band formed after Tim joined his brother Marty in the Raybon Brothers.

This week they perform Beautiful Kentucky from their debut album Back To The Country.

They debuted on Behind Bars with a video filmed in the birthplace of country music - Bristol , Virginia.

The town was the backdrop for the fanciful tale of love and loss that plays out in the story for Goodbye Marie from their second album Songs Of A Simple Life.

Further info - https://pinecastlemusic.com/artists/merle-monroe/

VIPER CREEK BAND BEER ANTHEM

Newcastle 's Viper Creek Band return with their post pandemic anthem.

People Drinking Beer , penned by Nashville writers Skip Black, Brandon Kinney and Jim McCormick, is on the quartet's third album Beautiful Destruction.

“We wrote with Skip on our last record and when we were looking for songs to cut, we reached out to see what he had in his arsenal.” Viper Creek Band singer Damien Baguley revealed.

People Drinking Beer is a sing along anthem about something we can all relate to, given the times we are all going through. There's no fun in drinking alone. It's all about getting together with your buddies and knocking the froth off a couple'

People Drinking Beer is the perfect song to put out as things start turning around. Nothing too serious. Just a great drinking song with a catchy sing along chorus.”

Further info - https://www.thevipercreekband.com.au/

WIN WAYLON, GEORGE JONES AND MERLE HAGGARD

Stay tuned and help us celebrate being Nu Country TV members and win albums by the late Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Highwaymen by becoming a Nu Country member or renewing your membership.

George, Waylon, Merle and Willie Nelson were among country historian Barbara Dowling's favourite Texans.

The Waylon, Highwaymen , Merle and George discs were donated by Barbara who died at 77 in December, 2020.

She co-hosted Long In The Saddle in our Nu Country FM era and was pioneer Australian and Victorian country music awards judge.

Barbara was admired for rising above losing her sight as a young woman and her country passion with annual trips to Waylon's birthplace in Littlefield, West Texas.

Waylon died at 64 on February 13, 2002, and is survived by singing spouse Jessi, now 78, and son Shooter, 42.

WIN KEITH URBAN CDS ALSO

We have expatriate Australasian superstar Keith Urban's chart topping 12th album The Speed Of Now - Part 1.

Also BR5-49 CD Big Backyard Beat Show and Billy Ray Cyrus's historic 1992 album Some Gave All that features Achy Breaky Heart .

Join Watling & Bates as members and win their 13 track CD Small Town Tales.

We have other CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing your membership.

They include Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Kip Moore and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.

CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for details.

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