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Building on the work of many others, this series of podcasts charts the development of Australian Music. The Chart series commences at 1957 with the introduction of Top 40 charts. Other series will focus on Singers and Groups. Whilst 1957 is the starting-point, we will also be moving back in time to chart the rich history of Australian Music in many forms, before the beginning of the Top 40 era. The general principle in the development of these podcasts is 'let the music do the talking'. Thus, there will be a premium on musical content, with less emphasis on the narrative. Occasionally, when there is a good story to be told (and there are many!), I may wax a touch lyrical, more so in the Singers and Groups series. The key reference work is David Kent's "Australian Chart Chronicles 1940-2008", a truly monumental work in its breadth of detail. Many people/sites have contributed to the research for the podcasts; too many to name them all but special thanks to the History of Aussie Music Blogspot, the Milesago Facebook page, the Best of Bandstand Facebook page and the Pop Archives site, where you can answer the question, "Where did they get that song from?". Many video contributors on You Tube have been a great resource in finding obscure songs including Folk Rock Australian Rock More! sallie6 and Clem Viney and there are many others! The podcasts are designed to be a permanent record and as such this is a 'labour of love' and strictly not-for-profit. I have attempted to partner with a major Australian organisation but, alas, no interest! Thus, as my late Father would have said, I am the "chief cook and bottle-washer" which means that I'm researcher, scriptwriter, digitiser, narrator and producer. As such, especially in terms of digitising vinyl records, there may appear to the ear of the listener, to be less-than-optimal sound. I work all music through Audacity, vinyl or otherwise, but, at times with old vinyl, "you can only do so much"! So, please enjoy the podcasts and let me know what you think.

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Check latest episodes from Australian Music Archives podcast

Australian Singers Ep23 Diana Trask

2026/10/12

In this episode, we focus on the first phase of Diana Trask’s career; the years 1958-1965. In this episode, all tracks have been taken from my original vinyl copies. Hence, you will hear more ‘crackle’ than usual. And what a momentous period this was for Diana Trask! The story begins in Melbourne, shifts to New York, and includes numerous trips back-and-forth to/from USA-Australia. From a recording viewpoint, this wasn’t a particularly fruitful time for Diana, bar the success of her biggest Australian hit, “Long Ago Last Summer”. Along the journey of the first phase of Diana’s career, we’ll come across Lee Gordon, Frank Sinatra, Mitch Miller and others. There are even versions of “Waltzing Matilda” and “The Road to Gundagai”! As I mention in the Podcast, I’ve used Diana’s semi-autobiography, “What Ever Happened to Diana Trask?” to flesh out details of her career. It’s a great read! Enjoy: Diana Trask’s Career, Phase One

Australian Singers Ep.22 Judy Jacques

2026/10/05

In the title of a Bruce Springsteen song, this episode has been “A Long Time Comin’”! About five weeks ago, I acquired a virus with sore throat, coughing, fatigue etc. Whatever it is, I’ve still got about 15% left. So in a real sense this episode has been a “labour of love”. The episode features the work of a truly wonderful Australian singer, JUDY JACQUES. As you will discover, Judy Jacques is much more than “the singer who turned down The Seekers”. Judy’s recording career spans the years 1962-2012, across many musical styles, ranging from Gospel to Avant Garde. Detailed information in this podcast has come from a published Journal article by Robyn Ryan, “‘You’re Messin’ Up My Mind’: Why Judy Jacques Avoided the Path of the Pop Diva”. It’s freely available on the internet. I encourage you to search it out.

Australian Singers Ep21 Robyn Alvarez

2026/08/21

After a fairly lengthy absence due to voice issues, I’ve returned to the original Podcast series. Whilst the music is still paramount, the narrative is extended to more fully tell the story. Thanks to Katie and the good people at Hastings-Macleay Speech Therapy, I’ve managed to again find resonance in the voice, despite the ongoing Parkinson’s issues. We recommence with the story of Robyn Alvarez, a highly-talented and popular vocalist of the 60s, who became a Bandstand regular. Robyn recorded five 45s between 1962-1965 but never had a hit. However, she did win a Logie and was a consummate TV performer. As well as playing the 45s, I’ve included several TV performances, most of which can be found on YouTube. Along the journey of this Podcast, I’ll reference Duke Ellington, The Beatles, Herb Alpert and locally, Joe Halford and Jay Justin! Enjoy the Robyn Alvarez Story!

"MIDNIGHT" Theme in Australian Music

2026/08/03

"MIDNIGHT" is a very evocative theme; the bewitching hour! We've searched far and wide to find songs/instrumentals that in some way speak to the theme of "Midnight", and have "Midnight" in the title. We move from an early 60s instrumental by The Phantoms, through a Ray Brown & The Whispers cover (You can probably guess that one!), then onto a brilliant cover by Renee Geyer and, from the end of the last century, a wonderful piece by two legends of Australian Music, Mike Rudd and Bill Putt. And much, much more....Enjoy the "MIDNIGHT" theme in Australian Music!

ROCK in Australian Music Ep3 - 60s-70s

2026/07/08

In this episode, we start in the 60s and move into the 70s, searching for Australian Music with “Rock” or “Rockin” in the title. We’ll hear from the likes of AC/DC, Lobby Loyde & The Coloured Balls, Daddy Cool and, Kevin Johnson. Australian listeners could probably name the songs from that list of artists. Of course, there is one song from an artist in that list that has “Rock” in the title but is not Rock ‘n’ Roll. Enjoy the journey through the 60s and 70s of Australian Rock.

ROCK in Australian Music Ep.2 - The Big Ones

2026/06/09

Going in search of Australian Big Ones with either ‘Rock’, ‘Rockin’’ or ‘Rocker’ proved to be a tough one. I’ve only come up with seven. We’ll hear tracks from some of the big names in the early days of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Australia; Johnny O’Keefe & The Dee Jays, Johnny Rebb & His Rebels, and Col Joye & The Joy Boys. Ironically, once we move into the mid-60s and beyond there is no shortage of candidates! Enjoy the next 20 minutes of early Australian Rock ‘n’ Roll.

ROCK in Australian Music Ep.1 - The Obscurities

2026/05/21

Episode One of ROCK in Australian music is an exploration of the Obscurities. We’ll hear tracks from artists such as The Stoneagers, Joan Bilceaux and, The Henri Bource Allstars. There’ll also be obscure tracks from artists as diverse as Slim Dusty, Johnny Rebb and, Alan Dale & The Houserockers. For the most part, this episode Rocks but there are a couple of tracks with ROCK in the title, that stretch the definition. Enjoy rockin’ with these Australian Obscurities!

WILD in Australian Music Ep.2

2026/04/26

A very eclectic mix in Episode Two of the WILD theme in Australian Music. We range from an Old Time Dance number to the contemporary sounds of the Birds of Tokyo. In between we’ll hear Johnny Devlin singing a Calypso version of a song that was to become Johnny O’Keefe’s signature tune! A truly beautiful WILD song rounds out the set from the duo of Kate Ceberano and Paul Grabowsky. Enjoy Episode Two of the WILD theme in Australian Music.

WILD in Australian Music Ep.1

2026/03/29

WILD in Australian Music, Episode One, spans the years 1949 to 1993. From 1949 we hear from one of Australia’s most prolific recording artists, the ubiquitous Les Welch. Jumping to 1993, we’ll hear from the brilliant singer/songwriter, Graeme Connors. In between, we’ll hear a lot of tunes from the 60s and, of course, one from the 50s with a WILD song that defined an artist: Johnny O”Keefe. Going Wildddd.....

ROAD in Australian Music Ep2

2026/02/07

Episode Two takes us on a "ROAD" journey in Australian Music, spanning the years 1938-2002. This episode features two songs that do not have "Road" in the title, both by an Australian Music legend. The track from 1938 features Orchestra Leader, Jim Davidson with another journey to Gundagai. We'll hear tracks from artists as diverse as, Les Welch, Col Joye, Richard Clapton and several more. Enjoy a second road trip in Australian Music!

ROAD in Australian Music Ep.1

2026/01/27

Our next episode takes the theme “ROAD in Australian Music” (Ep.1). We’ll traverse the years 1931 to 2003. I’ll finally get an opportunity to feature a Peter Dawson track; a long story explained in more detail in the introduction. Short version: Avoid dinner parties where the host is a Peter Dawson fan! 13 tracks in this episode featuring a wide range of artists including Jimmy Little, Dragon, The Morloch, Stevie Wright and Joy McKean. Take a road trip with Australian Music!

Australia Plays America Ep3

2026/01/14

We round out our series of "Australia Plays America" with Episode 3; an eclectic mix of Australian Music, spanning the years 1947-1993. Be prepared for some wild genre swings as we showcase tunes from artists as diverse as Lee Kernaghan to The Missing Links. There's a number of instrumentals in this episode with a range of musicians spanning from Graeme Bell to The Joy Boys. Our two "Three-Track-Sets" in this episode focus on Hawaii and Memphis. There's plenty of great Australian Music to hear; enjoy listening!

Australia Plays America Ep2

2026/01/08

In Episode 2 of "Australia Plays America", we have a wider timespan: 1940-2001. We'll hear two sets of three tracks, one focussing on Kentucky, and the other, California. There'll be a Surf tune set in a far-flung place of the USA and a cover of "The Banks of the Ohio", several years before it was a hit for Olivia Newton-John. There's also the final high-charting hit for a legendary Australian Rock band. Take the listening journey as Australia (musically) criss-crosses America!

Australia Plays America

2025/12/29

Under the banner of Australian Music Archives, the first episode of Theme Time; Australia Plays America. This episode takes the form of a DJ set in deference to my ailing voice; maximum music and minimal talk. In this episode, we explore the Americanisation of Australian Music, post WWII. We'll hear artists as diverse as The Purple Hearts and Bruce Woodley. We'll hear music that references American cities, states and even the Civil War! The series is titled "It's Theme Time" and is genre agnostic: Expect some big swings across the musical pendulum!

The Story of 1976

2025/11/09

The Story of 1976 - my final podcast! The Story of 1976 includes the themes of immersion, naivety, deception, vocation, religion and coincidence; quite a list for one podcast! In some ways, this podcast has been almost 50 years in the making. I started seriously thinking about it ten years ago, started building the playlist about five years ago and finally, writing the script about three weeks ago. I do ‘give away’ a fair bit about myself but at this stage of life it’s “Que, Sera, Sera”. What I have done is mix Australian artist music (except for one Neil Young track) with narration; some tracks in full and some abbreviated. As I mention in the narration, a lot of the script is spoken with a wry smile on my face. I have studiously followed “the no names, no pack drill” dictum (except for one cryptic reference). This final podcast is very different to the rest of my work. I hope that you enjoy it and thanks to all who have listened and downloaded over the last few years. And thanks to all of the Australian singers and musicians who made so much great music!