Gary Shearston

Born on 9 January 1939 in Inverell, New South Wales, Australia, the singer-songwriter also mastered guitar and harmonica. Following the drought that wiped out his father’s farm, he moved with his family to Sydney at age twelve. By nineteen he had turned professional, singing traditional Australian material across pubs, clubs, radio and television. His debut recording appeared on the Festival label in the late 1950s; several albums for CBS Records followed in the early and middle 1960s, two of which were described as ‘among the best records of traditional music ever made in Australia’. In 1965 “Sometime Lovin’” earned him the year’s best-composition award after it was recorded by artists including Peter Paul And Mary. Mid-decade he and Martyn Wyndham-Read cut a live album for the Australian Score label, though CBS barred Shearston from appearing on it; during the same period he hosted his own folk-music television programme.

He travelled to the United States in 1968 and remained four years. In the mid-1970s he settled in Britain and made two albums for Charisma Records. His sole major British success arrived in 1974 when “I Get A Kick Out Of You” reached the Top 10, making him the first Australian artist to score simultaneous hits in Britain and Australia. Despite lengthy intervals between releases he continued performing in European folk clubs. After returning from England to Australia in 1988, he was ordained a Deacon of the Anglican Church in December 1991 and subsequently served the parishes of Narrandera, Deniliquin, Hay and Bangalow. In 2001 he issued his first new studio album in more than a decade.