Eric Bogle
Eric Bogle | |
|---|---|
 Bogle during theFestival Interceltique de Lorientin 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 23 September 1944 Peebles,Scotland |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Eric Bogle(born 23 September 1944) is an Australianfolksinger-songwriter. Born and raised in Scotland, he emigrated to Australia at the age of 25 to settle nearAdelaide,South Australia.Bogle's songs have covered a variety of topics and have been performed by many artists. Two of his best known songs are "No Man's Land"(or" The Green Fields of France ") and"And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda",with the latter named one of theAPRA Top 30 Australian songsin 2001 as part of the celebrations for theAustralasian Performing Right Association's 75th anniversary.
Early years
[edit]Eric Bogle was born on 23 September 1944 inPeebles,Scotland. His father was a railway signalman who played thebagpipes.[1][2]Bogle started writing poetry when he was eight years old.[2]After attending school until he was sixteen, he worked in various trades: labourer, clerk and barman.[2]In 1969, he emigrated to Australia and initially lived in the capital,Canberra,where he worked as an accountant.[1]He had an interest in politics and by 1980 had moved to Queensland before settling in Adelaide.[1]
Career
[edit]
Bogle taught himself to play guitar and joined askiffleand rock band.[2]He was the leader of Eric and the Informers in Scotland.[1]His early influences wereLonnie Donegan,Elvis PresleyandEwan MacColl.[2]He turned to folk music prior to emigrating to Australia – his first written songs concerned his parents. One of these, "Leaving Nancy", which sang of the day he left home for Australia, being the last time he saw his mother Nancy, was often covered, most notably bythe Dublinersandthe Fureys.[1]When living in Canberra he joined the local folk music scene and performed occasionally.[2]
Several of his most famous songs tell of the futility or loss of war. Prominent among these is "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda",written in 1971, later covered by [[Joan Baez.The lyrics recount the experiences of a member of theAustralian and New Zealand Army Corps(ANZAC) in theBattle of Gallipoli.It has also been interpreted as a reaction to theVietnam War.
Another of his best-known songs, "No Man's Land",is also World War I-themed. This song is commonly known as" The Green Fields of France ", a title it was first given bythe Fureysand which has subsequently been used in many furthercover versions.The song refers to the traditional Scottish song "Flowers of the Forest"being played over the grave of aWorld War Isoldier. Bogle deliberately gave the dead soldier an Irish name ( "Willie McBride" ) as a counter to the anti-Irish sentiment prevalent in Britain during the 1970s. The song has been covered by Alex Beaton (with "A Scottish Soldier" fromThe Water is Wide),Plethyn( "Gwaed ar eu Dwylo" (Blood on their Hands), sung inWelshfrom "Blas y Pridd" ),Hannes Wader( "Es ist an der Zeit" (It is the Time)), andDutchfolk bandWolverleias "14-18". American folk singerCharlie Zahmalso has a version on his albumFestival Favorites,as does American folk singer Robert Marr on his 2011 albumCelticism.The lyrics from the song were referred to by former British prime ministerTony Blairin 2003 as his favourite anti-war poem.[3]
"As if he Knows" (2001) widens the theme of the wastage of war to describe the sadness of Australian mounted soldiers in Palestine in 1918 as they are obliged to shoot their horses, "who asked so little and gave so much", before embarkation.
Another notable song on a similar theme, but with a more contemporary setting, isthe Troubles-inspired "My Youngest Son Came Home Today", with its tale of a young man killed during fighting inNorthern Ireland.Notably, the song does not take sides in the conflict; it does not mention whether the title character is a nationalist or loyalist. However, the song has been adopted by Nationalists and is now associated withIrish Republicanism.WhenBilly Braggcovered the song, he changed the line "dreams offreedomunfulfilled "(which echoes the language of Nationalists) to" dreams ofgloryunfulfilled ".
Bogle's songs cover a wide range of subjects and themes, including comedic songs ( "The AussieBar-B-Q"), satires (" I Hate Wogs "),protest songsand serious songs about the human condition such as "Now I'm Easy". His song "Safe in the Harbour" is an homage toStan Rogers."Katie and the Dreamtime Land" is a tribute to American folk singerKate Wolf,who died fromleukemiain 1986. Other well-known songs, with lighter subject matter, include two homages to departed pets, "Little Gomez" and "Nobody's Moggy Now" and an acknowledgment of his folk music fans with "Do You Sing Any Dylan?".
In 2000 a five-CD collection,Singing The Spirit Home,was released. His first and only live performance DVD was released in May 2009.
Touring
[edit]
Bogle has undertaken an extensive concert tour of the UK (sometimes including appearances in continental Europe as well), every three years since 1985. These tours have usually included a supporting cast of Australian-based singers and musicians, most regularlyJohn MunroandBrent Miller.Bogle said that his 2009 tour, with John Munro, would be his last overseas tour. This featured aSaturday Night Specialon 27 June with Martyn Wyndham-Read, Johnny Collins and Les Sullivan inWatford,the closest venue to London.
More recent tours in Australia have included Adelaide-based musicians Emma Luker (fiddle) and Pete Titchener (guitar/bass)
Bogle was a prominent artist at theNational Folk Festivalin Canberra over Easter 2011 as well as a regular artist at thePort Fairy Folk Festivalheld inPort Fairy,Victoria, every March.[4]
Many of Bogle's songs have been covered by other artists; includingJoan Baez,John Schumann,Donovan,the Skids,June Tabor,the Men They Couldn't Hang,the Clancy Brothers,the Dubliners,John McDermott,Liam Clancy,Mike Harding,the Pogues,De Dannan,Dropkick Murphys,the Corries,Billy Bragg,the Bushwackers,Slim Dusty,Mary Black,the Fureys,andJohn Williamson.In May 2001 theAustralasian Performing Right Association(APRA), as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, named his song "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda"as one of theTop 30 Australian songsof all time.[5]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS[6] | ||
| Now I'm Easy |
|
- |
| Plain & Simple (with John Munro) |
|
- |
| Scraps of Paper (With John Munro and Brent Miller) |
|
84 |
| When The Wind Blows (With John Munro and Brent Miller) |
|
78 |
| Hard, Hard Times (With John Munro) |
|
|
| The Anzacs (withTed Egan,Judy Small,Nerys Evans and the Anzac Band & Singers) |
|
— |
| Singing the Spirit Home |
|
96 |
| Something of Value |
|
— |
| Voices in the Wilderness |
|
— |
| Mirrors |
|
— |
| The Emigrant & The Exile (with John Munro) |
|
— |
| Small Miracles |
|
— |
| Endangered Species |
|
— |
| The Colour of Dreams |
|
— |
| Other People's Children |
|
— |
| The Dreamer |
|
— |
| A Toss of the Coin (with John Munro) |
|
— |
| Voice (with John Munro) |
|
— |
| The Source of Light (with John Munro) |
|
— |
Live albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| In Person/Vol. 1 – Live in Person |
|
- |
| Vol. 2 – Down Under | - | |
| Vol. 3 – Pure | - | |
| Eric Bogle In Concert (with John Munro & Brent Miller) |
|
- |
| I Wrote This Wee Song... |
|
- |
Compilations
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| The Eric Bogle Songbook |
|
- |
| The Eric Bogle Songbook Volume 2 |
|
- |
| The Gift of Years: Very Best of Eric Bogle |
|
- |
| By Request |
|
- |
| Singing The Spirit Home |
|
- |
| At This Stage: The Live Collection |
|
- |
Videos
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Live at Stoneyfell Winery |
|
- |
Awards
[edit]On 25 January 1987, Bogle was appointed aMember of the Order of Australia"In recognition of service to the performing arts as a song writer and singer."[9]
ARIA Music Awards
[edit]TheARIA Music Awardsare an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music.They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Something of Value | Best Independent Release | Nominated | [10][11] |
Mo Awards
[edit]The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as theMo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognised achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Bogle won one award in that time.[12]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Eric Bogle | Folk Performer of the Year | Won |
National Folk Festival
[edit]| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019[13] | Eric Bogle | Lifetime Achievement Award | awarded |
Tamworth Songwriters Association
[edit]The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at theTamworth Country Music Festival.They commenced in 1986. Bogle has won three awards.[14]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Eric Bogle | Songmaker Award | awarded |
| 1988 | Eric Bogle | Tex Morton Award | awarded |
| 1991 | "Silly Slang Song" by Eric Bogle | Comedy/Novelty Song of the Year | Won |
References
[edit]- ^abcdeHalday, Bronwyn; Meikle, Ian; Bogle, Eric;Schumann, John;Wordley, Mick; Munro, John C (22 December 2009)."Songlines: Eric Bogle and John Schumann in Concert and Conversation".Music Australia.National Library of Australia.Retrieved12 December2011.
- ^abcdef"Eric Bogle (1944–)".Music Australia.National Library of Australia. 10 August 2004.Retrieved12 December2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^"And the band plays on..."The Age.24 February 2003.
- ^"Program"(PDF).Folkfestival.asn.au.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 26 July 2011.Retrieved11 November2017.
- ^Kruger, Debbie(2 May 2001)."The songs that resonate through the years"(PDF).Australasian Performing Right Association(APRA). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 30 October 2008.Retrieved11 December2001.
- ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 39.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^ab"Eric Bogle – Volume 1 – In Person: Folk Music, etc. from Australia at theBalladeers".Theballadeers.com.Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2016.Retrieved11 November2017.
- ^ab"Welcome to the official Eric Bogle Website".Ericbogle.net.Retrieved11 November2017.
- ^"Bogle, Eric".It's an Honour – Honours – Search Australian Honours.Government of Australia.26 January 1987.Retrieved12 December2011.
- ^"ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year: 3rd Annual ARIA Awards".Australian Recording Industry Association(ARIA). Archived fromthe originalon 10 February 2012.Retrieved26 October2020.
- ^"Australia 1989 ARIA Awards".ALLdownunder.com. Archived fromthe originalon 25 February 2009.Retrieved5 December2009.
- ^"MO Award Winners".Mo Awards.Retrieved16 March2022.
- ^"Bogle's night as National Folk Festival gets under way".the riot act.April 2019.Retrieved24 March2022.
- ^"Tamworth Songwriters Association".Tamworth Songwriters Association Online.Retrieved23 March2022.
Bibliography
[edit]- Walsh, Michael J. K. (2018).Eric Bogle, music and the Great War: 'An old man's tears'.Abingdon; New-York: Routledge. p. 179.ISBN9781138719118.
External links
[edit]- Eric Boglediscography atDiscogs
- Eric Boglediscography atMusicBrainz
- Interview with Eric Bogle (2007)at theWayback Machine(archived 2 April 2007)
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