Bill Chambers (musician)

Bill Chambers is an Australian country musician and former member of the Dead Ringer Band.[1][2] Chambers's albums Sleeping with the Blues and Cold Trail were nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Country Album.[3] He is best known as being the father of Kasey Chambers. He lives in Ourimbah, NSW Central Coast.

Bill Chambers
BornSouthend, South Australia, Australia
GenresCountry

Career

Bill Chambers was born in Southend, South Australia and married his wife Diane at age 20. Together they had 2 children, Nash in 1974 and Kasey in 1976. Shortly after the birth of Kasey in 1976, Chambers moved his family to central Australia's Nullarbor Plain and earned a living by hunting and trapping rabbits and foxes that raided Nullarbor poultry farms, then selling the pelts. Bill home schooled Nash and Kasey, and taught them American folk and country music by the Carter Family, Jimmie Rogers, Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt and Gram Parsons, as well as Australian country artists Slim Dusty, Buddy Williams and Tex Morton. In 1986, Bill moved the family to Southend, located on the southern coast of Australia, and began playing as a band at local public houses.[4]

As a family quartet, billed under Bill's name, they released Sea Eagle in 1987 and Kindred Spirit in 1991, before changing their name to Dead Ringer Band.[4]

In 1998, Bill and Diane separated and were divorced and ended Dead Ringer Band after four studio album. Bill moved to Sydney, started producing records, started a record label, Reckless Records. Late in 1998, the label's first album Looking Back to See with Audrey Auld (as Bill & Audrey) was released. By 1999, Bill began focussing on supporting Kasey's fledgling solo career.[1]

In 2002 Chambers released a solo album called Sleeping with the Blues, which was nominated for ARIA Award for Best Country Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2003. He contributed to the various artists album Reckless Records Garage Sale 1997-2003.

In 2006, Chambers released Frozen Ground. In 2009, Chambers released Drifting South,

In July 2013, Chambers released Live at the Pub Tamworth, which featured special guests Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson and Kevin Bennett.

In January 2016, Chambers released Cold Trail. The album was nominated for ARIA Award for Best Country Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2016.

In January 2019, Chambers released 1952, an album inspired by the late, great Hank Williams.

Discography

Albums
List of album, with selected details
Title Album details
Sea Eagle
  • Released: 1987
  • Label: Dead Ringer Band
  • Formats: CD
Kindred Spirit
  • Released: 1991
  • Label: Dead Ringer Band
  • Formats: CD
Looking Back to See
(with Audrey Auld)
as Bill & Audrey
  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Reckless Records (RECK001)
  • Formats: CD
Sleeping with the Blues
  • Released: 2002
  • Label: Reckless Records (RECK003)
  • Formats: CD
Frozen Ground
  • Released: February 2006
  • Label: Whitewater / Essence (3496882)
  • Formats: CD
Drifting South
  • Released: September 2009
  • Label: Whitewater (001)
  • Formats: CD
Live at the Pub Tamworth
  • Released: July 2013
  • Note: Live album
  • Label: Whitewater (004)
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Cold Trail
  • Released: 22 January 2016[5]
  • Label: Whitewater ( 004)
  • Formats: CD, digital download
1952
  • Released: 18 January 2019[6]
  • Label: Bill Chambers
  • Formats: digital download

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
AIR Awards of 2017[7][8] Cold Trail Best Independent Country Album Nominated

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Bill Chambers has been nominated twice.[9]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2003 Sleeping with the Blues Best Country Album Nominated
2016 Cold Trail Best Country Album Nominated

Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973.[10]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1992 Smoky Dawson "Things Are Not The Same on the Land" (written by Bill Chambers and recorded by Slim Dusty) Won

References
  1. Best, Sophie (13 October 2002), "The man behind Kasey Chambers", The Age
  2. Campbell, Al, "Bill Chambers", allmusic
  3. Zuel, Bernard (5 October 2016), "ARIA Award nominations have a hairy surprise among the Flumes and Avalanches", The Sydney Morning Herald
  4. "Kasey Chambers Singer, songwriter". encyclopedia. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  5. "Cold Trail album". Apple Music. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. "1952 album". Apple Music. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  7. "A.B Original dominates 2017 AIR Awards nominations". theindustryobserver. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  8. "History Wins". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  9. "ARIA Awards Search Results – Bill Chambers". ARIA Awards. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  10. "Past Award Winners". Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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