CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Carrie Underwood emerged from the promise of her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, and film. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, she has sold 64 million records worldwide and recorded 26 #1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote.
In 2013, the Grand Ole Opry member starred as Maria von Trapp in NBC’s three-hour holiday blockbuster, the Emmy Award-winning The Sound of Music Live!, whose airings attracted 44 million viewers. Earlier this year, Underwood released the hit event anthem, The Champion, featuring Ludacris, which she co-wrote to open NBC’s Super Bowl and was incorporated into NBC’s coverage of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, and she recently took home her 18th CMT Music Award (Female Video of the Year for “The Champion”) and 14th career ACM Award (Vocal Event of the Year for The Fighter, her collaboration with our own, Keith Urban).
Carrie’s last studio album, the Platinum selling Storyteller, produced four #1 hits, and her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, is set to be released on 14 September. The title track/lead single has already topped the iTunes Top Songs charts in 12 countries and racked up over 1.3 million streams in the US with two days. The Deni Ute Muster is beyond excited to welcome Carrie Underwood to our stage in September.
KASEY CHAMBERS
There’s a moment in most artists’ young lives when they realise music will shape their future and define who they are. Kasey Chambers didn’t have to wait for that moment to arrive. Music is part of her DNA.
Born in Mt Gambier in South Australia, Kasey Chambers grew up in a home environment where listening to and performing country roots music was a way of life. It has to rub off, and it did – just as in later years, living on the Nullarbor Plain and travelling all over Australia with her family, they young Kasey got an education like no other.
A revered live performer, Kasey Chambers will bring the songs and stories from around the Campfire, as well as her extensive catalogue of captivating tales and melodies, when she joins us in Deni later this year.
busby marou
The mandolins, ukulele and whistles of Busby Marou tell the stories of travels across the globe, and the pull of home. It’s like catching up with old friends you’ve been hanging out to hear from. On stage, Busby Marou’s core element – the intertwining vocal interplay of the two long-time pals – is magic. These are stories of our land, from suburban love songs to memories of the Kimberley.
Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley is regarded as one of Australian country music’s finest – an extremely successful artist, much adored by country music fans across Australia. Troy is a man who believes deeply in community and giving back to the industry. Troy is a proud member of the Bundjalung nation who has a true connection to his land and people. Most significantly, through his generosity of spirit as a man, artist, husband, father and son, he reminds us of what is real, of what matters and what doesn’t, through his music.
THIRSTY MERC
15 years ago, Thirsty Merc bounded onto the music scene with their summertime sounds, making their mark on radio and TV over the ensuing years. Forming in Sydney in 2002, Thirsty Merc released their debut EP, First Work, in September 2003, before being signed to Warner Music. The band’s big break came in 2004 with the release of their debut, self-titled album which included the hits, Someday Someday and In the Summertime (the theme for Bondi Rescue since 2006).
Gord Bamford
Gord Bamford is country through and through. In the way, he lives his life and in the way, he writes his songs, Gord brings a unique out-look to his music in which his heartfelt sincerity can instantly be heard. Born in Traralgon, Gord moved with his mother, a native Canadian, and sister to the small town of Lacombe Alberta where he resides today. Gord had a love of music from an early age and one experience as a young child set the ball in motion for a career in music – being invited on stage to sing “Rockabilly Rebel” with legendary rocker Rod Stewart!
Travis Collins
With a growing string of hit albums, #1 songs, awards and a decade of winning fans all across the country under his belt, Travis Collins continues to cement his footprint as a mainstay on the Australian music landscape. He is as well-known for his masterful guitar playing and powerhouse vocals as he is for his depth of song-writing and high energy live performances.
Fanny Lumsden
Five years from the release of her debut EP, Fanny Lumsden hit new highs in 2017 with her second, crowd-funded, album, Real Class Act, debuting #1 on the ARIA Country Album chart and #23 on the ARIA All-Genre chart, making it as one of only eight Australian artist albums to hit the top of the Country charts that year and the only independent release to reach #1. One of the songs from the album, Roll on was #1 on CMC and was also in the top ten radio charts for 18 weeks running.
The Pigs
Joining the Muster stage for its 20th birthday party are Australia’s favourite bluegrass funsters, The pigs. Known worldwide for their combination of super-catchy original tunes and foot-stomping ‘Piggified’ cover versions, The Pigs crash through musical genres like a runaway tractor, marrying superb musicianship with a distinctly Australian sense of humour – and hints at the uniquely bent energy of The Pigs’ exceedingly popular live shows.
Amber Lawrence
Amber Lawrence is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter who captured the nation’s attention and heart with her songs about Australia; it’s people and the things that matter to them. A former Qantas Airways employee, and Chartered Accountant, Amber risked it all in 2008 to pursue a career in music. The risk finally paid off in 2015 when Amber was awarded the iconic and prestigious ‘Female Artist of the Year’ award for her song Superhero, at the 2015 CMAA Golden Guitar Awards. This was quickly followed up with the Country Music Channel 2015 ‘Female Artist of the Year’ award making her the first artist to have won both awards in one year.
Doug Bruce & The Tailgaters
Doug Bruce & The Tailgaters perform country music with authenticity and passion. Since moving to Australia 12 years ago, the Texan expat has brought the authentic sound and feel of the Texas honky tonks with him down under. Honing his craft as a singer-songwriter over two decades, Doug self-produced all give of his commercially released albums to date with the last two singles producing two #1 hits (The Tears, Bad Weather) on country radio and the CMC Chart (The Tears) and was a Golden Guitar Male Artist of the Year Finalist in both 2017 and 2014.
Kirsty Lee Akers
Kirsty Lee Akers’ journey as both a recording artist and a person is unique within Australia and around the world. Proud of her indigenous heritage as a woman of the Wonnarua people (Hunter Valley – Australia), she has embraced a global musical culture and now spends her time between Australia and the USA. Whilst she lives in Nashville for a large portion of the year, Australia will always be her spiritual home. Her vocal delivery is often described by those who hear her sing as sitting somewhere between Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, a reference she sees as “a massive compliment” and “big shoes to fill” but fill them she does and it’s great to have her returning to the Muster stage for our 20th birthday celebrations.