Biography
Born on 11 June 1955 in Lima near Benalla, Victoria, Australia, Horsburgh spent his childhood on the family dairy farm, where an acoustic guitar arrived as a gift on his eighth birthday. Early exposure to country sounds came through repeated plays of his father’s Hank Snow and Wilf Carter discs. At eleven he joined a local dance band as vocalist and reached the finals of a national television contest staged in Melbourne. After finishing high school in 1971 he accepted a four-year clerical post at the State Savings Bank, serving first in Benalla and later in Melbourne. The pivotal moment arrived in August 1973 when an Australian tour by Slim Whitman prompted him to commit fully to country music; captivated by the singer’s falsetto technique, he rehearsed diligently until he mastered yodelling, a skill that later won over listeners during repeated American engagements. His first major break occurred in 1978 with an invitation to join the touring revue of Australian icon Buddy Williams, an apprenticeship that sharpened his own stagecraft and quickly led to a thriving solo act. National television programmes such as Reg Lindsay’s Country Homestead and the Midday Show, together with widespread country-radio airplay, established him as a household name across Australia and brought numerous awards. He continues to split his schedule between Australia and the United States, where he has shared bills with Roy Rogers, Riders In The Sky and the Sons Of The Pioneers. Among his Australian successes are the singles ‘Lover’s Carousel’, ‘Shepherd’s Farewell’, ‘September’s Sweet Child’—issued in Britain on the 1992 EMI compilation Yodelling Crazy—and ‘Give ’Em Another Encore’. In 1991 he fulfilled a long-held ambition by recording an album devoted to singing-cowboy material, drawing on his admiration for the styles of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. A short British visit in 1992 introduced his yodelling and ballads to UK country audiences. His first Nashville-recorded album appeared in 1994. Known for unfailing courtesy and willingness to greet supporters, Horsburgh remains one of the most warmly regarded contemporary Australian country artists.