THE late 1970s were the formative years of Tamworth’s rockin’ country music scene and there were a couple of prominent venues on the west side of town, where friendships and musical partnerships were ignited.
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Fred Thompson was running the Locomotive Hotel at the time and was keen to establish the place as a great venue for live music. One of the first bands he booked to perform was Hired Hands.
“There was a makeshift stage that backed onto the railway line, but Fred had big plans for the Loco,” Lawrie Minson said. “He began constructing a big room that was purpose-built for live entertainment – the Engine Room. It was a real luxury to play there. It was a great sounding room and we no longer had to play outside. The storms could get pretty wild out there on those hot summer afternoons.”
Few bands can claim to have a line-up that has endured for more than 30 years.
When you experience a Hired Hands gig, you get a sense of the history that exists among these legendary musicians.
“We were never a career-driven group. It was simply a chance to play great music with like-minded people,” Lawrie said.
"That principle is as strong today as it was all those years ago. The Hired Hands gig is my favourite musical event of the Tamworth Country Music Festival and it has become like a ‘rite of passage’ for many young musicians. You have to be able to say you’ve seen the Hired Hands play in Tamworth at least once in your life.”
Billed as going “back to their roots”, the Hired Hands will play one show starting at 7pm Sunday.
