Tracy Coster has been in the studio recording demos for a second tribute album to her father, Stan Coster.
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This year marked 20 years since her father died, and with the new album in the pipeline, Tracy also said this would be her final year of tributes.
Stan Coster’s songwriting career began in the early 1960s when he met Slim Dusty and sent him a tape of songs.
The tape contained one of the best collections of bush songs Dusty had heard, and he would go on to record more than 70 Stan Coster songs.
Thirteen years have passed since Tracy released Coster Country, seven years after her father’s passing.
That first tribute album, recorded in 2004, saw Tracy win a Golden Guitar when she won vocal collaboration of the year with Anne Kirkpatrick, for the duet on Back To The Saltbush Plains.
Since 1997, the annual Tenthill Turnout festival in Queensland in May has also paid tribute to the man and his music. The final one was held last month.
We’ll see a tribute concert in Tamworth during the Hats Off festival at South Tamworth Bowling Club, from 1pm, on Sunday, July 9.
As well as Tracy, the line-up includes Brian Howard and Brendan Smoother, while the band will feature Trevor Letton on drums, Dan Manning on bass, as well as Steve Newton and Dally Croft.
Back in the studio, Tracy now has the difficult task of deciding which Stan Coster songs make it onto Coster Country 2.
“I’ve said the same thing I said last time. Never do you walk into a recording studio with far too many great songs to choose from, it just doesn’t happen,” Tracy laughed.
“Trying to cull what I don’t want to put on the album has been the hardest thing. That’s a recording artist’s dream isn’t it?”
Searching through the catalogue of Stan Coster songs, Tracy said she found several gems, not as well known as the hits.
“His writing career went back to the early 60s, so a lot of that stuff has been lost I guess, so now it can be rediscovered.”
And like the first Coster tribute album, the new one will include some duets.
“I can’t reveal just who they are just yet,” Coster laughed. “But it will be good.”
Coster Country 2 will be launched at the Mildura Country Music Festival in late September, then there will be a tribute show at next year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival.
“That’s probably going to wind it up for me,” Coster said. “I’ll always sing his songs, but I think 20 years is long enough. That’s a lot of dedication.”
Looking ahead, Tracy said she already has plans for a new original album.
