GRANT RICHARDSON

BOOK

There probably aren't too many horsebreakers and shearers who can seriously present strong credentials in the country music industry, but Grant Richardson can proudly raise his hand. In the word of award-winning producer Herm Kovac from Ramrod Studios "This bloke can REALLY sing!"

This real-life horsebreaker and shearer from Mandurama in Central West NSW has broken in an ever-increasing fan base since he won the prestigious Toyota Star Maker title in 2000, and followed up with a couple of major chart singles in the process, including the Golden Guitar Finalist song Huey.

The likeable larrikin is refreshingly without pretence, and his music encapsulates the essence of his rural lifestyle - he sings about things he knows and lives. For all of his working life, Grant's been involved in agriculture, and living in the country has provided plenty of inspiration for his songs, and given him license to be described by some in the country music business as "the real deal". He left home when he was 15 and went to work on a sheep and cattle station at Julia Creek (Queensland) as a stockman. He started breaking horses up there at the age of 16, and since then has been a rural contractor, interstate truck driver, shearer, and even had a go at being a shearer's cook."

Like countless contenders before him, Grant quickly discovered that the quick trip to fame was in fact a long and dusty road filled with the inevitable potholes, and it's been the incredible support from a loyal bunch of mates and fans that levelled the corrugations and helped him to his dream of a debut album.

A collection of 19 mates from throughout rural Australia, including shearers, station owners, abattoir workers, and even a politician, chipped in to raise the $20,000 necessary for Grant to record and release the album. It's a unique capital-generating initiative that Grant says was not his idea, but the brainwave of one of his shearing mates, and the bottom line was they put their money where Grant's mouth is - and with justifiable cause, because the album has turned up trumps.

Grant Richardson could have been titled many things - The Real Deal or Sheep And Wheat or even Showtime, but the fact is that this album IS Grant Richardson. It's a gifted singer and entertainer taking songs that have real meaning in his country lifestyle, working with ace producer Herm Kovac and a wonderfully talented bunch of musicians, and coming out of the chute with a superb Australian country album.

Songs like the contagious Showtime and the bush anthem Bundy On are great examples of tracks that typify the rural culture - and both have a distinctive fun factor. Not all the songs are about the bush, because this album is Grant Richardson, and the larrikin element comes out in the first single Get A Haircut - this is the horsebreaker with attitude, and it fits to perfection.

There is a serious and thoughtful side to Grant, and he pulls back into reflective mode on the poignant Stay and the hurting She's Got A Lot On Her Heart.

A real bonus is the standout treatment of the James Taylor classic Sweet Baby James in collaboration with Anne Kirkpatrick. And Grant proves he can pen with the best with the nostalgic original Kurrajong Promises.

The album is original, infectious, personal, outstanding, and most importantly, it is unmistakably Grant Richardson.

PRESS KIT
	Right-click image at left to download Grant Richardon's press & technical kit to your computer. Right-Click image & "Save Target as ..". After download is complete double-click the Zip-File to open it.