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Felicity Urquhart

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Felicity Urquhart
Birth nameFelicity Ann Urquhart
Also known asFelicity
Born (1976-05-04) 4 May 1976 (age 48)
OriginTamworth, New South Wales, Australia
GenresCountry, Western
Occupation(s)singer-songwriter, radio and television presenter
Instrumentguitar
Years active1987–present
LabelsHadley, Radio Friendly, EMI, Shock
Member ofBennett Bowtell Urquhart
Websitefelicityurquhart.com

Felicity Ann Urquhart (born 4 May 1976) is an Australian country music singer-songwriter, and a TV and radio presenter. Her single "Big Black Cloud", co-written with Randy Scruggs, reached No. 1 on Country Tracks National Top 30 Singles Chart in 2007. She has won numerous awards including a Centenary Medal in 2001 "For service to Australian society through country music". Urquhart married musician and producer Glen Hannah in March 2009. She has been the host of country music show Saturday Night Country on Australian Broadcasting Corporation Local Radio since March 2010.

Since 2015, Urquhart has been part of the group Bennett Bowtell Urquhart.

Early life

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Felicity Ann Urquhart was born on 4 May 1976 to Rex, an upholsterer, and Patricia "Trish" Urquhart.[1] She grew up in Tamworth in rural New South Wales. Her maternal grandfather, Ernie Walmsley, was a jockey turned horse-trainer and with her grandmother, Anne, ran a pub in Bingara.[1] Urquhart began busking in Peel Street, Tamworth during the Tamworth Country Music Festival at the age of 11.[2][3] Aside from learning guitar, Urquhart had piano lessons and performed in musicals.[4]

Career

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In 1992 Urquhart released her debut self-titled album, Felicity Urquhart on Tamworth-based Hadley Records. Her second album, Follow Me appeared in 1995 on Radio Friendly Music. Nothing to Hide was released in 1999 on EMI with New Shadow issued in 2001. On 1 January she was awarded a Centenary Medal by Prime Minister, John Howard.[5]

Urquhart performed with western swing group Feral Swing Katz at the Gympie National Country Music Muster in August – the performance was broadcast a year later on Live on Stage by ABC Radio National with Vince Jones presenting.[6] In 2002, she travelled to Nashville to record tracks for a future album with Hannah providing acoustic guitar, harmony vocals and song writing.[7] Album plans fell through and Urquhart left EMI. She recorded a six-track extended play, Turn out the Light on Shock Records which was released in 2004.

Shock Records distributed My Life in 2006, which was produced by Hannah (ex-Kasey Chambers touring band). Her single "Big Black Cloud", co-written with Randy Scruggs, appeared in November and reached No.1 on Country Tracks National Top 30 Singles Chart on 24 January 2007.[8][9] On 5 September, Urquhart performed for John Howard, United States President George W Bush and Australian Defence Force personnel at a barbecue on Garden Island.[10]

Urquhart released Landing Lights upon return to Australia. Internationally she has opened for country music legends Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.[11] From 2005 to 2009, Urquhart was a presenter on Sydney Weekender, a travel show on Seven Network.[12] She has been the host of country music show Saturday Night Country on Australian Broadcasting Corporation Local Radio across Australia since March 2010.[13] She had previously filled-in for retiring host John Nutting who had picked her as his replacement.[13]

In 2015, Urquhart formed the group Bennett Bowtell Urquhart with Kevin Bennett and Lyn Bowtell. In 2019, ten years since her last solo album, Urquhart released Frozen Rabbit. In January 2020, Urquhart and Josh Cunningham were invited to join Song Club—a creative collective that tasked members with writing a song a week. Nine of these weekly tracks were recorded and released in May 2021 on the album, The Song Club.[14]

Urquhart was nominated for six awards at the 2024 Country Music Awards of Australia.[15][16]

Personal life

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In 2001 she met Glen Hannah (died 2019) who became her boyfriend. Urquhart and Hannah married on 10 March 2009 in Vanuatu.[4]

She lives in Avoca Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast.[citation needed]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums, with release date, label, formats and chart positions shown
Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[17]
Felicity Urquhart
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: Hadley (HCDM1308)
  • Format: CD
 —
Follow Me
  • Released: 1995
  • Label: Radio Friendly Music (RFMCD003)
  • CD
 —
Nothing to Hide
  • Released:1999
  • Label: EMI Music (724349951020)
  • Format: CD
 —
New Shadow
  • Released: 2001
  • Label: EMI Music (724353501525)
  • Format: CD
 —
My Life
  • Released: 2005
  • Label:Felicity Urquhart, Shock (FU004)
  • Format: CD
 —
Landing Lights
  • Released:2009
  • Label: Felicity Urquhart, Shock (FU007)
  • Format: CD, digital
 —
Frozen Rabbit —
The Song Club
(with Josh Cunningham)
  • Released:7 May 2021
  • Label: ABC Music/Universal Music (3595271)
  • Format: CD, digital
 77
Birdsong
(with Josh Cunningham)
  • Released: 29 September 2023[18]
  • Label: ABC Music/Universal Music
  • Format: CD, digital
 —

Awards and nominations

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AIR Awards

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The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2008 My Life Best Independent Country Release Nominated
2020[19][20] Frozen Rabbit Best Independent Country Album Nominated
2022[21][22] The Song Club (with Josh Cunningham) Best Independent Country Album or EP Won

ARIA Music Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
2009 Landing Lights Best Country Album[23] Nominated
2019 Frozen Rabbit Best Country Album[24] Nominated
2021 The Song Club (with Josh Cunningham) Best Country Album[25][26] Nominated

Australian Club Entertainment Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
1998 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[27] Won
1999 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[28] Won
2000 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[29] Won
2001 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[30] Nominated
2002 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[31] Nominated
2003 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[32] Nominated
2005 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[33] Nominated
2006 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[34] Nominated
2007 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[35] Nominated
2008 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[36] Nominated
2009 Felicity Urquhart Country Female Performer[37] Nominated

Australian Independent Country Music Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
2004 Turn out the Light Australian Independent Female Vocalist of the Year[38] Won
2006 My Life Australian Independent Album of the Year[38] Won
"The Flood" Australian Independent Female Vocalist of the Year[38] Won

Australian Songwriters' Association

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
2005 Felicity Urquhart & Glen Hannah – "The Flood" Country Songwriter of the Year[7] Won

Country Music Awards (CMAA)

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The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973.

Year Nominee / work Award Result(wins only)
2001 Felicity Urquhart The Australian Country Music Hands of Fame[39] Imprinted
Felicity Urquhart (with Beccy Cole, Darren Coggan & Adam Harvey) – "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" Vocal Collaboration of the Year[40] Won
2006 Felicity Urquhart Independent Entertainer of the Year[7] Won
2007 "Big Black Cloud" Video Clip of the Year[41] Won
Felicity Urquhart Independent Entertainer of the Year[7] Won
2010 "Roller Coaster" Female Vocalist of the Year[42] Won
2020 Frozen Rabbit Traditional Country Album of the Year Won
Frozen Rabbit Female Artist of the Year Won
Frozen Rabbit Album of the Year Won
"Chain of Joy" Song of the Year Won
"Chain of Joy" Single of the Year Won
2024 Birdsong (with Josh Cunningham) Traditional Country Album of the Year[43] Won
"Size Up" (with Josh Cunningham) Song of the Year Won
"Size Up" (with Josh Cunningham) Single of the Year Won

Mo Award

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The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Urquhart won two awards in that time.[44]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1995 Felicity Urquhart Female Country Performer of the Year[45] Won
1997 Felicity Urquhart Female Country Performer of the Year[46] Won

References

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  1. ^ a b Rose, Anna (16 May 2004). "Fun for a good cause". Northern Daily Leader. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  2. ^ Dunn, Emily (26 January 2007). "Tamworth shines spotlight Down Under". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 10.
  3. ^ Moore, Luke (5 February 2009). "Felicity follows the sand". The Echo. Geelong, Australia. p. 15.
  4. ^ a b Squarey, Natasha (5 March 2009). "Felicity Urquhart Makes a Solid Landing". Who. Pacific Magazines. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  5. ^ "It's an Honour – Search results for "Urquhart, Felicity Ann"". Government of Australia. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  6. ^ "Felicity and the Feral Swing Katz". Live on Stage. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 August 2002. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d "Felicity Urquhart". Tamworth Rage Page. Helen. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  8. ^ Bob Kirchner, ed. (15 November 2006). "Felicity's co-writer in the winner's circle". Country Music Bulletin. ICMB Publishing. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  9. ^ Bob Kirchner, ed. (24 January 2007). "Chart Update – Felicity at number one". Country Music Bulletin. ICMB Publishing. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  10. ^ "Barbeque luncheon at Garden Island". Department of Defence (Australia). 6 September 2007. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  11. ^ Buchanan, Kathy (13 March 2005). "Five Minutes with Felicity Urquhart". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney, Australia. p. S32.
  12. ^ "The Team – Felicity Urquhart". Sydney Weekender. Tourism New South Wales. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  13. ^ a b Edwards, Amy (24 February 2010). "Felicity steps up". Newcastle Herald. Australia. p. 12.
  14. ^ "The Song Club". JB HiFi. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Toyota 52nd Golden Guitar Awards". TCMF. 20 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Nominees Announced for the 52nd Country Music Awards". TCMF. 20 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  17. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 17 May 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1628. Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 May 2021. p. 6.
  18. ^ "Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham 'Birdsong'". ABC. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  19. ^ "2020 AIR Awards Nominees". scenestr. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  20. ^ "That's a wrap: 2020 AIR Awards winners and celebrations". the industry observer. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Nominees Announced For AIR Independent Music Awards 2022". musicfeeds. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  22. ^ Tyler Jenke (5 August 2022). "Genesis Owusu Wins Big At The 2022 AIR Awards". MusicFeeds. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  23. ^ "ARIA Awards 2010: History: Winners by Artist: Felicity Urquhart". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 20 September 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  24. ^ "2019 ARIA Award Winners Announced". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 27 November 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  25. ^ Kelly, Vivienne (20 October 2021). "ARIA Awards nominees revealed: Amy Shark & Genesis Owusu lead the charge". The Music Network. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  26. ^ Gbogbo, Mawunyo (24 November 2021). "You could dub this year's awards the Hip Hop and R'n'B ARIAs". Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  27. ^ "Inaugural ACE Award Winners 1998". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  28. ^ "2nd ACE Award Winners 1999". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  29. ^ "2000 ACE Award Winners and Nominees". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  30. ^ "4th Australian Club Entertainment Award Nominees & Winners". Australasian Club Entertainment (ACE). Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  31. ^ "5th Australian Club Entertainment Award Winners & Nominees". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  32. ^ "6th Australian Club Entertainment Award Winners & Nominees". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  33. ^ "8th Australian Club Entertainment Award Winners & Nominees". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  34. ^ "9th Australian Club Entertainment Award Winners & Nominees". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  35. ^ "10th Australian Club Entertainment Award Winners 2007". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  36. ^ "11th Australian Club Entertainment Award Winners 2008". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  37. ^ "12th Australian Club Entertainment Award Winners 2009". Australian Club Entertainment (ACE). Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  38. ^ a b c "Previous Winners". Mildura Country Music. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  39. ^ "The Australian Country Music Hands of Fame". Australian Country Music Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  40. ^ "Winners Archive – 2001". Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA). Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  41. ^ "Winners Archive – 2007". Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA). Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  42. ^ "Winners Archive – 2010". Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA). Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  43. ^ "Brad Cox, The Wolfe Brothers Win Big At The 2024 Golden Guitar Awards". Kix Country. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  44. ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  45. ^ "Winners – 21st Mo Awards 1996". Mo Awards. Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards Inc. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  46. ^ "Winners – 23rd Mo Awards 1998". Mo Awards. Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards Inc. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
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