2008 NEWS ARCHIVE

Welcome to The Official Frank Ifield Web Site!

2nd November 2008:
At the 2008 Kempsey Country Music Festival – Frank was presented with the ‘Living Legend Award’ by the president Pauline Fisher and Les Partell (winner 1995 – pictured below with Frank). Other previous winners have been Slim Dusty, Lindsay Butler, Dusty Rankin, Chad Morgan, Smoky Dawson and Reg Lindsay. Frank was a compere for the show and presented some of the other prizes…The Cedar Hats were awarded to Angela Hayden, Barry Williams, Ian B Macleod and Gordon Larkin. Opening the show and backing the artist was the most impressive group of musicians called ‘The Cedar Creek Band’ winners of the Cedar Hat Award in 2004.

October News snippets:

Paul Newman R.I.P – A YouTube member has made a tribute to this great actor using I Remember You as a soundtrack. Check it out here…. Thanks to Bud Gray for spotting the clip.

Winner of the 2002 Frank Ifield International Spur Award – WAYNE LAW is sitting at #1 on a European Chart with his latest single 22 Hours A Day, 2 Hours Of Play. Close behind is 2003 winner DONNA BOYD at #4 with A Good Day.

Oct. 1: Frank’s musical director Bob Howe has a new radio single – ‘I LISTEN TO MY HEART’ from the album CLASSIC TWANG – already added to playlists world-wide in its first week – from Austria to New Zealand !To purchase the track click here.

The tune was written by FRANK IFIELD as the B-side of his million-selling single, I Remember You. It was later a huge instrumental hit for Swedish guitar band, The Spotnicks. This new version features Bob playing his Australian-Made Tomkins Custom Guitar and Bass, plus harmonica, keyboards and percussion, with TOMI GRASO on pedal steel guitar.Photo of Frank and Bob by Terry Phillpot – Eyegraphics

L to R: King Echidna – Bruce Sacre, Executive Director of the MO Awards – Bobby Bradford, Frank Ifield, Tabbi Francis showing the award to Geoff Mack, ALVA President – Susie Smither

On Wednesday 3rd September 2008, Australian Show business people packed the showroom of the Smithfield RSL Club to pay tribute to Geoff Mack and his wife Tabbi Francis, and the honour was mine to be asked to present them with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Comedian Johnny Pace, who declared it was about time we honoured our own peers who have achieved so much and given such happiness, instigated the concept of the evening, which also raised funds for showbiz charities such as The MO Awards – ALVA (Australian Ladies Variety Association) and The Echidnas. Geoff Mack is remembered for his giant hit of ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’. Many top recording stars worldwide have recorded this song with sales in the millions, and we were entertained on the night by Lucky Starr who was the first man to put it into prominence by achieving #1 status in the Australian Pop Chart on March 31, 1962.I recall working with Geoff Mack in the mid fifties when I was around 16 years old. We were doing Hillbilly Variety Shows at the time and to me he was a giant of our industry having toured all over Europe and the UK (where he met and married former Tiller girl – Tabbi Francis), not to mention the USA, Canada and South Africa; Yes – The man was an International Star! Nevertheless, he possessed great humility and was approachable, and I learned a lot by simply watching his performance on stage, let alone gaining encouragement by talking with him.

I was also intrigued on the night to hear my friend and webmaster Bob Howe relate to the audience how he was also 16 years old when he met Geoff ‘Tangle Tongue’ Mack. Bob was playing in a bar at the Hilton Hotel at Christmas time 1973 and only ever saw one face in the audience paying attention. Later he found the owner of that face was singing in one of the other bars suffering the same fate and was watching Bob in his breaks. Eventually their breaks coincided and they finally met for the first time!

As I watched the highly entertaining show I felt transported back to the 50’s and couldn’t help thinking how lucky we are to have wonderful people like Geoff & Tabbi to remind us just how enriched our lives have been for their presence.

Lucky Starr (with microphone) joins the line-up to serenade Geoff with…
…what else but ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’!

31 July 2008 – Great placings on the UK Hotdisc Chart for Frank and
two Frank Ifield International Spur Award winners:01 02 Fishin’ Forever JEFF GRIFFITH
02 04 Yesterday Just Passed My Way Again FRANK IFIELD
03 03 Bump Bounce Boogie LIZ TALLEY
04 01 That’s Why I Run BILLY YATES
05 05 Friend WAYNE LAW
06 06 Let Your Love Flow (Gospel Version) BELLAMY BROTHERS
07 08 Stay KELLY LEE feat. ALBERT LEE
08 09 One Hot Summer Ago RUSTIE BLUE
09 12 Memphis On A Train BERNADETTE
10 07 Sunday Paper SUSAN HICKMAN
11 14 Blind Man At The Wheel DARREN HINCKS
12 15 Tougher Than A Man COWBOY CRUSH
13 10 Didn’t We Love TRAVIS COLLINS

27th June 2008 –
The Golden Stave celebrated it’s 30th anniversary charity luncheon. Frank met up with iconic Australia actor Jack Thompson.

Carole and Frank Ifield with old friend Charlie Landsborough (centre) on Saturday April 12th at
Rooty Hill RSL Club,
during Charlie’s latest Australian

20 March 2008:
Frank Ifield, Normie Rowe, Little Pattie and Bob Howe joined the Sydney Street Choir for a concert at Maroubra Seals Sports & Community Club.
This show was presented by Francis Edwards who also performed along with Graham Jacups and Jeremy Brennan.
Pictured above: Frank Ifield performing a monologue backed by
The Sydney Street Choir
Pictured left:Bob Howe, Frank Ifield, Little Pattie and Normie Rowe
Listen out for Frank and a new interview with Judi Spiers on BBC Devon on Wednesday 19th March 2008 at 11.15am GMT (10.15pm EDST Australia).BBC Devon or, during the following week, click on the ‘Listen Again’ button.Listen out for a replay of Frank’s interview with Ed Doolan on BBC Birmingham on Friday 21st March 2008 at 20:00 GMTKIRSTY LEE AKERS wins my 2008 International ‘Spur’ Award. Sponsored by The Rotary Club of Galston in conjunction with the Galston Country Music Festival, this award is designed to give exposure to our most promising Australian talent overseas.

The song I chose to promote her on over 800 radio stations throughout the UK & Europe is the title track of her debut album released by Compass Brothers called Little Things. At the end of the first week of March it had made its debut appearance in the European Country Music Top 20 at #13 and reached #9 in the Independent Artists UK Radio chart; we expect even bigger things for her over the next few months.

Thursday 13th March, at Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club, Frank Ifield (right) presents his
2008 International Spur Award to Kirsty Lee Akers (centre) along with Tony Page (left)
of The Rotary Club of Galston . Photo by Bob Howe of ‘Canterbury Country‘.

People have affectionately referred to Kirsty the ‘Pocket Rocket’ and at little more than 4’10” in high heels, she certainly is living proof of the adage ‘good things come in small packages’. When first I saw this pretty young blonde from Kurri Kurri NSW, she was just seventeen years old performing at the Grand Final of the 2004 ‘Music & Arts Talent Search’ (MATS) of which I am proudly the Patron. Not only was she a winner of the contest, but went on to take out my ‘2005 Patrons Choice Award’. Then she surprised us all by gaining an American Song Writers Award for her self-penned song Bashed Up, Beaten, Battered, Broken Heart.

However, the icing on the cake was when she became the winner of the coveted ‘Toyota Star Maker Award’ in January 2007 joining the ranks of previous outstanding Australian winners such as Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan, Beccy Cole and Travis Collins. Then in January 2008, she added another string to her bow by achieving a life-long ambition being crowned Best New Talent at the awards ceremony in Australia’s country music capital -Tamworth and by winning her first Golden Guitar, Kirsty has claimed her place as one of Australian Country Music’s brightest young stars.

Go Get ’em Kirsty! – Frank Ifield

Tribute to the great Country legend
Smoky Dawson
died February 13, 2008I was saddened to hear that the man I have become to know as a friend, Smoky Dawson passed away. Born Herbert Henry Dawson in Collingwood in 1913 and raised in Warrnambool Victoria, Smoky grew to become known as Australia’s first cowboy crooner.
I remember in 1948, as a young lad, my Gran and I would be glued to the radio to listen to his series ‘The Adventures of Smoky Dawson’ with his horse called Flash. We loved to hear his unique style of singing and yodelling and held him in great reverence. I have often said Australia should wrap him in cotton wool and keep him forever, but this Country music icon, dubbed Australia’s first cowboy, had been ill for a week or so and died aged 94 at 5.15pm in Sydney on the 13th February; survived by his devoted wife Dot who turns 102 this year.
A strictly small private service for family and friends will be held in Sydney, because of his wife’s frailty; to be followed by a public memorial in a few weeks time. Smoky Dawson recorded dozens of albums and hosted the radio show from 1952 until the early 1960s. He was elevated to the ‘Country Music Roll of Renown’ in 1978 and in 1993 the ‘Australian Country Music Foundation’ was created in Tamworth, citing him as a direct inspiration.
Awarded an MBE in 1978, he was also recognised in the United States having played at ‘The Grand Old Opry’ with an Honorary Citizenship Of Tennessee. In 2005 Dawson was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Philip Mortlock, the managing director of Origin Records, Dawson’s record label, said it was time to celebrate the life of an Australian legend. “It is a very sad day, but I have to say that Smoky brought a lot of joy to a lot of people for many years,” Mr Mortlock told Sky News. “While it is a sad day, his passing for me, I think it’s time to celebrate a great life and a great man.”

Canterbury Country
presents…
Thursday 13th March 2008
8pm in the Starlight Auditorium
Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club
‘AWARD-WINNERS NIGHT’
featuring the presentation of the
2008 FRANK IFIELD INTERNATIONAL SPUR AWARD
plus performances by previous winners
KAREN LYNNE
MIKE CARR
TRAVIS COLLINS
WAYNE HORSBURGH
& 2007 Coopers Golden Saddle Winner
NICKI GILLIS
plus a special guest appearance by
FRANK IFIELDHosted by BOB HOWE
and the Hillbilly Heaven band.
Admission is FREE!

At 1pm on 1st March 2008, FRANK IFIELD will officially open the ever popular
‘CASTLE HILL ANNUAL SHOW’.If you have read his autobiography, you will recall that it was at this very show in 1950 that the young thirteen year old Frank met and performed in a side show starring Indian wrestler Big Chief Little Wolf; famous for his Indian Death Lock. This also led to Frank working with the Chief doing Gymkhana’s and Agriculture Shows in his first country tour of NSW.

The Show’s secretary Gabrielle Klopf said, “…by Frank accepting to attend at our show, it certainly has created a lot of interest.”

Frank says Cheers!

…and thanks you all for the many greetings and messages of goodwill on the occasion of his 70th Birthday.

Many Happy
Returns Frank!

A message from Frank:

Carole and I would like to share with you
our best wishes for Christmas.
May the New Year 2008 bless you with happiness and joy;
But most of all;
LOVE.

The above picture is of our Grandchildren; 4 year old Jack; 3 year old Max; and the latest; our baby girl ‘Mila’. You can see in them the innocence of childhood and we feel blessed by their presence.