60 And Still Following His Dream

AFTER three decades spent trying to break into the music scene, CHARLIE LANDSBOROUGH made his mark in 1984 with the single if What Colour Is the Wind. Almost 20 years after the UK- based country music singer- songwriter won over British fans, he found a strong fan base in Australia. Landsborough is back for his second Australian tour and will perform at HEXHAM BOWLING CLUB tomorrow night. Landsborough, 60, is regarded as one of the most determined and hard working artists on the country music scene. From a young age he developed a strong interest in music and grew up i luenced by ELVIS PRESLEY and HANK WILLIAMS. ``My brothers were all sailors and apart from the guitars and all the music, they brought home g ts from all around the world,'' Landsborough said. ``I was always surrounded by music and my dad told me I used to sing myself to sleep when I was about three. ``He was a ballad singer billed locally as the ``Silver Voiced Tenor'' and one of my earliest recollections is of sitting on his knee at a do and duetting with him on You Take The Tables and I'll Take The Chairs. ``My brothers, of course, were returning from their voyages with the first guitars I'd ever seen and wonderful country music from such artists as Hank Williams, JIMMY RODGERS, FERLIN HUSKY and MONTANA SLIM .'' Landsborough picked up the guitar for the first time when he was 14 years old and played to his brother. ``He ignored my self- consciousness and showed me a couple of chords. I was hooked!'' Mastering guitar became his top priority and he would stay up until the small hours of the morning refining his skill. ``Of course my education began to suffer and my headmaster later commented that I'd had a good academic future ahead of me until I'd discovered that `damned banjo','' Landsborough said. ``Thank God for that `damned banjo'.'' His dream stuck with him and he left school, working a variety of jobs d ferent professions nte while trying to make a start in the music world. After joining and leaving the army, Landsborough returned to England with his determination still strong. ``Once I was married I became a little more responsible and although I played with the local bands, I worked a variety of jobs during the day,'' he said. ``At various times I was a grocery store manager, driver, quality control engineer and, finally, a teacher. ``All the time my dreams were of music.'' He continued to write tunes. Ironically, he began to make a name as a writer and his singing was overlooked. His songwriting blends folk, country, ballads and blues with a strong and often personal lyric content and has been covered by the likes of JACK JONES, PAT BOONE, FOSTER AND ALLEN and DANIEL O'DONNELL. It was in 1984 that nteLandsborough finally saw his dream become a reality when his song What Colour is the Wind became a hit in the UK in 1984. The single was followed by an album which saw Landsborough knock country music superstar GARTH BROOKS from the top of the charts. He has since released more than 10 albums and sold more than 700,000 copies. Since he found fame, Landsborough has toured the UK twice a year and played at major concert halls including the LONDON PALLADIUM, LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL and BELFAST OPERA HOUSE. In 2000, Landsborough embarked on his first promotional tour of Australia, a move which was such a success that he returned in September 2001 and toured Australia and New Zealand. He released the album Movin' On in 2002, featuring 16 self-penned compositions and the latest album Smile in 2003. Landsborough will be supported by ANNE KIRKPATRICK and the SLIM DUSTY TOURING BAND.