A television crew from New Zealand was in Tamworth during the country music festival filming a documentary about Tex Morton.
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Born in New Zealand, Morton was Australian country music’s first star.
Kiwi artist Aly Cook travelled to the festival to perform, and brought along the crew for a new television series she is hosting, called Kiwi Country, which will start screening in New Zealand in May.
Aly interviewed some of Australia's more prolific bush balladeers and personalities of country music including Chad Morgan, Max Ellis Johnny Greenwood and Graham Rodger, about Morton’s impact on Australian country music.
Aly said her personal interest in the man regarded as the father of Australian country music began when one of her songs featured on a Sony Music Country Music compilation called Godzone Country which also featured Morton's Mandrake.
Aly performed Mandrake as a guest on the 2015 Roll of Renown Concert where Lee and Ray Kernaghan were inducted.
While researching his life she found parallels with her own life. Both came from her hometown Nelson, where she still lives, near the northern coast of New Zealand’s South Island.
"I would love to see Tex honored in his hometown in the same way Tamworth has honored him,” Aly told Talkin’ Country.
“Including him in this TV series, I hope, will be the beginning to help make that happen.
I would love to see Tex honored in his hometown in the same way Tamworth has honored him.
- Aly Cook
“Watch this space,” she said.
Morton came to Australia as a teenager in the early 1930s to pursue his dream of a life in show business, and in 1936 he recorded his first commercial records at Regal Zonophone’s Homebush studio.
Initially his style was similar to hillbilly music that was being recorded in America, but he was the first artist to perform bush ballads when he introduced uniquely Australian content into his lyrics.
Both Aly and Morton are currently featured in the country section of an exhibition called Volume at Auckland Museum covering the history of NZ Music.
However, Aly said there is little acknowledgement in his hometown by comparison.
Aly herself, regularly travels back and forth between her home and Australia several times a year performing her current album Horseshoe Rodeo Hotel.
While in town for the festival, Aly said the Kiwi crew interviewed about 30 Kiwis who regularly travel to Tamworth including artists from Eddie Low to Kaylee Bell, as well as fans, students who attended the CMAA Academy and the International Round Up at Tamworth Council that celebrates the sister city relationship between Tamworth and Gore.