Kasey Chambers

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Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers at the 2004 ARIA Awards
Kasey Chambers at the 2004 ARIA Awards
Background information
Born June 4, 1976 (1976-06-04) (age 32)
Origin Australia
Genre(s) Country
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s) Vocals
Guitar
Keyboards
Years active 1993 - 1998 (Dead Ringer Band)
1999 - Present (Solo)
Label(s) Virgin Records
Associated acts The Dead Ringer Band
Website http://www.kaseychambers.com

Kasey Chambers (born June 4, 1976) is an Australian country musician. Each of Chambers' solo albums has achieved platinum status in Australia, with three successive albums reaching number one on the ARIA album charts.

Contents

[edit] Dead Ringer band - Early career

Shortly after her birth, her parents Bill Chambers and Diane Chambers took her and her older brother Nash Chambers to the Nullarbor Plain where they earned a living hunting foxes. In the heat of an outback summer, the Chambers family would stay in a small South Australian fishing village. While in the Nullarbor, the Chambers family sang country music songs each night around the campfire.

In 1986, the family formed the Dead Ringer Band with Bill and Diane as the initial members and Kasey and Nash joining the band a year later. By 1992, the band had become full time musicians with Bill Chambers writing many of the band's songs. Bill Chambers wrote a song for Slim Dusty called "Things Just Aren't the Same on the Land" in 1992 which won the "Song of the Year" in the Country Music Awards. Their first album "Red Desert Sky" was released in 1993 on the independent Import Records label.

The Dead Ringer Band signed with EMI shortly after and released their second album "Home Fires" in 1995. It contained the single "Australian Song" which topped the Australian country charts and won an Australian ARIA award for Country song of the year in 1996. The band won a Golden Guitar Award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival for "Band of the Year" in 1995 and a Mo Award for best country music group a year later.

The band released Living in the Circle in 1997 and Hopeville in 1998. However, the Dead Ringer Band broke up in 1998 when Bill and Diane Chambers separated with Diane moving to Norfolk Island. The Dead Ringer band collectively earned two ARIA awards and seven Golden Guitars during their career.

The band became the inspiration for other family bands, such as The Lees.

[edit] Solo success

Chambers recorded her solo album The Captain on Norfolk Island over a few weeks in late 1998 with Nash Chambers producing the album and Bill Chambers on guitar. US country musicians Buddy Miller and Julie Miller added guitars and vocals to four tracks. The Captain was released in 1999 in Australia and in 2000 in the US. Chambers won the 1999 ARIA Award for "Best Country Album" for The Captain and a year later she would win "Best Female Artist". The strong word of mouth would eventually lead to The Captain going double platinum in Australia. The Captain would eventually reach the top 50 of the Billboard country albums in 2001 with Chambers touring the US as support act to Lucinda Williams. Subsequently, she supported Emmylou Harris on her Australian tour. Chambers would receive further exposure when The Captain was played on an episode of HBO's The Sopranos.

Chambers' second album Barricades & Brickwalls was released in late 2001 debuting at #4 in the ARIA album charts. The record really took off in early 2002 with lead single "Not Pretty Enough" going to #1 on the ARIA singles charts. Chambers became the first and only Australian country artist to have a #1 single and album on the charts in that country simultaneously. Subsequent singles "Million Tears" and "If I Were You" also made the Australian Top 40 singles charts in 2002.

Kasey Chambers performing at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
Kasey Chambers performing at the Tamworth Country Music Festival

While "Not Pretty Enough" eventually went double platinum, Barricades & Brickwalls would achieve sales of 7*platinum in Australia - Chambers had the best selling single and album by an Australian artist in 2002. In the 2002 ARIA Awards, Chambers won "Album of the Year", "Best Female Artist" and "Best Country Album". Barricades & Brickwalls was released in the US in 2002 peaking just outside the top 100 of the Billboard 200 album charts, topping the Billboard Heatseeker Charts and reaching the top 20 of the Billboard country charts. The album also received a generally positive critical response. [4]

She recorded a cover of the Cyndi Lauper song "True Colours" which became the theme song of the 2003 Rugby World Cup and reached the top 5 in Australia in May 2003.

Chambers released her third solo album Wayward Angel in Australia on May 31, 2004. It debuted at #1 on the Australian charts and went platinum in its first week of release. The title song of the album was about her son Talon. Other singles of the album were "Hollywood", "Pony" and "Saturated". "Pony" remains a fan favorite, being requested at nearly every concert.

Following the Boxing Day Tsunami, Chambers appeared at the Wave Aid fundraising concert in Sydney, to raise funds for aid organisations working in disaster affected areas.

Chambers's next album, Carnival, debuted in the #1 position on the ARIA album charts in late August 2006. The lead single, "Nothing at All" also reached the top ten of the singles chart.

[edit] Personal life

In 2002, Chambers and her then partner actor/director Cori Hopper had their first baby Talon Jordi on 22 May weighing 6lb 6oz. They moved to the Central Coast of New South Wales.

In late 2005, Chambers married Australian singer/songwriter Shane Nicholson. She gave birth to her second child, Arlo Ray by emergency c-section because of his size (9lb 10 oz) at 10:30am on the 16th July 2007[5]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year Title Chart positions Sales and certifications
AUS U.S.
1999 The Captain
  • First solo studio album
  • Released: 1999
11
  • ARIA certification: 2× platinum (140,000+)[1]
  • 41st highest selling album in Australia for 2000.[2]
2001 Barricades & Brickwalls 1 104
  • ARIA certification: 7× platinum (490,000+)[3]
  • 52nd highest selling album in Australia for 2001.[4]
  • 3rd highest selling album in Australia for 2002.[5]
  • 39th highest selling album in Australia for 2003.[6]
2004 Wayward Angel 1
  • ARIA certification: 3× platinum (210,000+)[7]
  • 20th highest selling album in Australia for 2004.[8]
  • 82nd highest selling album in Australia for 2005.[9]
2006 Carnival 1
  • ARIA certification: Platinum (70,000+)[10]
  • 51st highest selling album in Australia for 2006.[11]
2008 Rattlin' Bones 1 TBA
  • ARIA certification: Gold (35,000+)

"—" denotes albums that were released but did not chart.

[edit] Singles

Year Song Australia New Zealand Album
2000 "Cry Like a Baby" 71 The Captain
"The Captain" 68
2001 "Runaway Train" 86 Barricades & Brickwalls
"On a Bad Day"
2002 "Not Pretty Enough" 1 4
"Million Tears" 32
"If I Were You" 32
2003 "True Colours" 4 Single-only
2004 "Like a River" 1 Wayward Angel
"Hollywood" 28
2005 "Pony" 10
"Saturated" 75
2006 "Nothing at All" 9 Carnival
"Surrender" 74
2007 "Sign on the Door" 1
  • 1 "Like a River" and "Sign on the Door" were released as promos only to Australian radio and television.

[edit] Videos/DVDs

[edit] Awards and recognition

Year Award-giving Body Award Result
1999 ARIA Award Best Country Album (The Captain) Won
1999 ARIA Award Best Female Artist (The Captain) Nominated
2000 ARIA Award Best Female Artist (The Captain) Won
2000 ARIA Award Single of the Year (The Captain) Nominated
2000 APRA Awards Song of the Year (Cry Like A Baby) Nominated
2000 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (Cry Like A Baby) Nominated
2000 Mo Awards Female Country Performer of the Year Won
2001 APRA Awards Song of the Year (The Captain) Nominated
2001 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (The Captain) Won
2002 ARIA Award Best Cover Art (Barricades & Brickwalls) Nominated
2002 ARIA Award Best Country Album (Barricades & Brickwalls) Won
2002 ARIA Award Best Female Artist (Barricades & Brickwalls) Won
2002 ARIA Award Highest Selling Single (Not Pretty Enough) Nominated
2002 ARIA Award Highest Selling Album (Barricades & Brickwalls) Nominated
2002 ARIA Award Single of the Year (Not Pretty Enough) Nominated
2002 ARIA Award Album of the Year (Barricades & Brickwalls) Won
2002 APRA Awards Songwriter of the Year Won
2002 APRA Awards Song of the Year (On A Bad Day) Nominated
2002 APRA Awards Song of the Year (Runaway Train) Nominated
2002 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (On A Bad Day) Nominated
2002 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (Runaway Train) Nominated
2002 Mo Awards Female Country Performer of the Year Won
2003 ARIA Award Highest Selling Album (Barricades & Brickwalls) Nominated
2003 APRA Awards Song of the Year (Not Pretty Enough) Won
2003 APRA Awards Most Performed Australian Work (Not Pretty Enough) Won
2003 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (If I Were You) Nominated
2003 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (A Million Tears) Nominated
2003 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (Not Pretty Enough) Won
2004 ARIA Award Best Cover Art (Wayward Angel) Nominated
2004 ARIA Award Best Country Album (Wayward Angel) Won
2004 ARIA Award Best Female Artist (Wayward Angel) Won
2004 ARIA Award Album of the Year (Wayward Angel) Nominated
2005 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (Hollywood) Nominated
2005 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (Like A River) Won
2006 ARIA Award Best Female Artist (Nothing at All) Nominated
2006 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (Hollywood) Nominated
2006 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (Pony) Won
2006 APRA Awards Most Performed Country Work (Saturated) Nominated
2007 ARIA Award Best Female Artist (Carnival) Nominated

[edit] References

  1. ^ "2001 Accreditations" Retrieved October 8 2007.
  2. ^ ARIA "End of Year Charts 2000". Retrieved October 8 2007
  3. ^ [1] "2003 Accreditations". Retrieved October 8 2007.
  4. ^ ARIA "End of Year Charts 2001". Retrieved October 8 2007
  5. ^ ARIA "End of Year Charts 2002". Retrieved October 8 2007
  6. ^ ARIA "End of Year Charts 2003". Retrieved October 8 2007
  7. ^ [2] "2005 Accreditations". Retrieved October 8 2007.
  8. ^ ARIA "End of Year Charts 2004". Retrieved October 8 2007
  9. ^ ARIA "End of Year Charts 2005". Retrieved October 8 2007
  10. ^ [3] "2006 Accreditations". Retrieved October 8 2007.
  11. ^ ARIA "End of Year Charts 2006". Retrieved October 8 2007

[edit] External links

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