Winning three awards over the Tamworth week has given Lloyd Back a strong start to 2025.
The Nanango country musician made two quick trips to the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January, once at the beginning and the other at the end of the festival week.
“It was very rushed and tiring, but it was worthwhile,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to win awards on both occasions and it was very rewarding and satisfying -I got to catch-up with, and meet other artists for the first time.”
The Australian Independent Country Music Brumby Awards were held on 16 January and Mr Back’s song ‘The Voice’ won the Best Male Gospel Song of the Year.
He was invited to perform at the awards night, and knowing he had won ahead of the ceremony, played the winning song in his set.
“I was very excited, I was quite surprised to be nominated for any award,” he said.
“It’s an honour because you know how many artists are out there… it’s really exciting to know you’ve won, it is a huge honour.”
The Voice was written when Mr Back was enjoying a quiet moment at his Nanango property.
“It occurred to me how grateful I am to live in a beautiful part of the world – you can easily go out in nature, where there’s animals and birds,” he said.
“I love the quietness and serenity, that’s when you are more likely to hear that still, small voice inside.”
Unlike the Brumby awards, the A.B.A.A. (Australian Bush Balladeers Association) Music Excellence Awards announced the winners on the night.
Mr Back’s song ‘Rolling Thunder’ won both the Australian Bush Ballad Contemporary Song of the Year and the Open Section Video Clip of the Year
“I was very surprised… it was a tough contest… to be there with them is an honour and to be lucky enough to win it was quite amazing,” he said.
“It really is an honour to be a finalist, let alone win it.”
The Voice was also a finalist for the A.B.A.A. Traditional Country Bluegrass Song of the Year.
The feedback from his older peers in the bush music industry made it even more worth it.
“When they talk about you deserving that [award], that it’s a good song… the peers you look up to,” he said.
“That meant a lot.”
Mr Back said his tune Rolling Thunder would be relatable for anyone who knows what it is like on the land.
“There’s a saying I’ve heard from old farmers that says every drought ends with a flood -I think there’s a lot of truth to that,” he said.
Rolling Thunder was written in the middle of the night as thunder was rolling on the horizon after a big wet season.
He reflected on the countless times he wished the storm would stay, but this time with so much recent flooding, he wished it would move on.
“The song strikes a chord with people -they love it, love the feel of it and love what it says,” Mr Back said.
The Video Clip of the Year for Rolling Thunder was made by Nanango filmmaker Charlie Spagalli.
“I’m really pleased for both of us when we won video clip of the year,” Mr Back said.
“For rolling thunder, it’s a song looking at the cycle of the seasons from drought to flood and back again -it’s a really country song about the bush and close to my own experience of growing up on the land.”
Mr Spagalli was excited about the song topic and already had footage of storms around the South Burnett.
“All the stuff is filmed locally, there’s so much great countryside and scenery and natural places to use for great videos,” Mr Back said.
“It was right up Charlie’s alley -the song starts being in the middle of drought in the blink of the eye and turns into floods… It really suited him down to the ground.”
These winning songs are all featured on Mr Back’s February 2024 album Three Words.
A year on from its release, the artist said the feedback and awards have been fantastic.
“It really does put a bit of a spring in your step and wind in your sails to win some awards,” he said.
“You plug away at it for years, when you write your own songs, you invest a lot of yourself into your writing and recording.”
This year Mr Back looks forward to releasing some new singles, writing more songs and performing at upcoming gigs.
