In her photographs of Tamworth, Judith Ahern shows us the characters and camaraderie of its famous country music festival with unflinching honesty; capturing everything but the sound of the music itself. Ahern took her camera backstage, into the pubs, and out to the streets during the festivals of the late-1980s, when Tamworth was cementing its […]
After making a series of artworks in 2010 which captured the performance of a circus girl, Anna Culliton (1966-) was on the hunt for a new subject. It was during a visit to the Taralga Rodeo that inspiration struck the potter. A nineteen-year-old quarter-horse rider was about to perform when his name was announced: Clay […]
This brilliant jacket certainly fits the story of its former owner the country musician Tex Morton (1916-1983), born in 1916 as Robert William Lane. Robert or ‘Bobby’ began busking at 14 before recording several albums in Wellington, New Zealand. These are believed to be the first country music recordings made outside of America. In the […]
Shown below is a 1980s stage outfit worn by Kamilaroi performer Col Hardy (1940-). You could say its style is ‘a little bit country’ and ‘a little rock ’n’ roll’. Homemade, the plain white satin shirt is embellished with crystal beads, diamantes, and pearl buttons. The matching polyester trousers are belted, and the sparkly decorative […]
When is a guitar more than just a guitar? The guitar pictured here is a Gibson J200VS – a classic acoustic flat top, much loved by musicians all over the world. Its design has barely changed since its release in 1937, making it a true icon. But this Gibson is more than just an iconic […]
You see some of them get up there now and they’ve got holes in their jeans! Argh. —Zeta Burns For this yodelling cowgirl, it’s no secret that looking her best on stage is almost as important as sounding good. Zeta recalls a teacher’s advice to, “Always dress the part, always dress nicely. Even if you get […]
Museums & Galleries of NSW acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands that comprise the state now known as NSW.
We pay respect to them as First Nations people with a continuing connection to land, place, waters and community
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this site contains stories, images, voices, and video of people who have died.
Some material may contain terms that reflect common usage of the period in which it was written or recorded but may not be considered appropriate today. Such terms do not reflect the views of Museums and Galleries of NSW and are provided only to reflect historical context.