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Six more for Hands of Fame
Six more famous country music hands are to be immortalised in concrete in Country Music Capital’s Hands of Fame.
Mick Antonio, Kevin Knapp, Karen Lynne, Jim Muir, Wally Sparrow and Warren H Williams were announced as the 2008 inductees at the annual Roll of Renown Concert in the Tamworth Town Hall yesterday afternoon.
Mick Antonio is a popular yodelling country singer from Ballarat, Victoria, who recorded for Planet, W&G and Crest labels. During the war years while in the army, he did many shows for the troops. In his early career, he won many quests such as the Roy Rogers Hillbilly contest of Victoria and reached second place in “Australia’s Amateur Hour” twice, first in 1954 then again in 1957.
Kevin Knapp is best known for the role he played as compere of the Golden Guitar Awards since their inception in 1973 until the late 1980s. But during a long and illustrious professional career in country music, which started at Radio 2LM Lismore and finished with Radio 2TM and BAL Marketing in Tamworth, he fulfilled numerous roles including, for many years, the key editorial position at Australia’s leading country music publication, Capital News.
Karen Lynne has been taking great strides in her career as a singer, songwriter and musician since starting out more than 15 years ago. She has had considerable success with her recordings and collected many accolades and awards along the way including a number of Golden Guitar Awards finalist placings and last year’s Frank Ifield Silver Spur Award.
Jim Muir started to play the banjo and ukulele to accompany himself while playing for the boys and girls in open air Sunday school. He eventually graduated to a guitar, and has not been without one since! With his easy to listen to, laid back style, “country” was the most natural form of music for Jim to adopt. As well, he felt it was a good way to get a message across, so country music became part of Jim’s Christian ministry. He has toured and performed extensively in Australia and overseas.
Wally Sparrow has been a tirelesss worker for country music in Australia, and particularly South Australia, for almost 50 years. During this time, he has worked as a songwriter, singer, recording artist, promoter, broadcaster and with the industry organisation SACCM (South Australian Council for Country Music). Concentrating more on broadcasting in recent years, last year, Wally was presented with the Favourite Presenter for 2007 award at the recent Radio Adelaide Awards from his "Country Brekky" program on Radio Adelaide.
Born in Hermannsburg near Alice Springs in Central Australia, Warren H Williams is an Arrernte speaking man who is fast becoming one of Australia’s favourite country music singer/songwriters. He tours frequently with his band (mostly family), particularly to the outback, rural and Aboriginal communities of Australia. He and his band members.
All of this year’s inductees will be “imprinted” at the Country Music Hands of Fame Cornerstone in Hands of Fame Park at the corner of Brisbane Street and Kable Avenue, Tamworth, at 9.15am next Saturday (January 26)... except Warren who will be imprinted next January as he has to be in Queensland to perform this Australia Day.
The Hands of Fame are co-ordinated for the City of Tamworth by the Australian Country Music Foundation.
Photos (top): Tamworth Mayor James Treloar presents Kevin Knapp with his Hands of Fame certificate.
Bottom: Karen Lynne accepts her Hands of Fame nomination.
