Kenny Arnott - Australian Country Music

G'day all, thanks for looking me up, I was born in Horsham in rural Victoria on the 19th. June 1937. Mum and Dad gave me my first guitar for my tenth birthday. Being left handed and having no teacher I taught myself to play the guitar upside down and back to front.This is the method I still use to this day. My first public appearance was with my Dad, in the Local Mouth Organ Band, which paved the way for me to win the local "Top Of the Town" talent quest. At the age of 13 I wrote a song called the "Christian Cowboy".

I first went to Melbourne Victoria at the age of 15 to appear on "Don Moore's Hillbilly Hour" on radio station 3DB, returning home to Horsham, after each session, a distance of 300 kms. Feedback on these appearances was very good, and with encouragement from my Cousin, Shirley Young (who was an opera singer) I was encouraged to move to Melbourne at the age of 16 years in February 1954.

I started by doing an early round of radio talent quests and gained regular spots on "Don Moores" 3DB show on Sunday mornings at 8.00 am, 3XY 's Breakfast Show, and the Childrens Show on 3AW. After 3 months I persuaded radio station to put a show to air for me and commenced a 45 minute minute show called Hillbilly Harmony on Saturday mornings. I conducted this show for nine months and during this time I was approached by Bob "King" Crawford of Planet Records to record an albumn of the top country songs of the time. The result was "Hillbilly Clasics", which we believe was the, First Australian Country LP Recording

To promote the record we decided touring was the best option so I secured employment with Gill Brothers Rodeo as the featured singer, touring Australia wide in 1955. The decision to tour proved spot on , with record sales enormous for those times. I am sure that appearances on local radio stations in the towns we toured helped greatly with sales and to this day I am deeply grateful to the management and announcers of these rural radio stations, for the help they gave us so long ago.

As a result of the initial sales of this first record Planet signed me to a five year contract. My tour with Gill Brothers Rodeo concluded at the end of 1955, and I stayed in Sydney working Hotels, radio and live Shows until I had to do 3 months National service at Puckapunyal, Victoria. On completion of the service I returned to Melbourne and recorded a marathon of over 30 songs. I did some short tours out of Melbourne and to Tasmania and after a break at home in Horsham began two years of touring Victoria and Southern NSW, with a hall show called "Celebrity Revue". It was a gruelling tour of one night stands, but great value again for promoting record sales. In March 1959 I was married to Dulcie Cameron, my home town sweetheart and after a stormy 18 month engagement she got me, and still has after 39 years. Off we went again on tour with Gill Brothers Rodeo for 6 months and another six months with Perry Brothers Circus. Arriving back in Melbourne for the birth of our daughter, Kerry Ann, 23 rd. of February, 1960.

During 1959 I had signed with Planet Records for another five years, but unfortunatly on our arrival back, Planet Records was no longer trading. My contract was transfered to one of the partners who had started "Crest Label". I resumed as a regular on Radio 3 DB "Hillbilly Hour", which was then compared by Dick Cranbourne. I also was invited on television and still performed live acts. I took the show to Tasmania to the side show circuit and although this was very succesful it was to be my last tour.

I became involved in the service station industry, eventually running a Mobil Service Station for 12 years. During this time I recorded a few sides for "Crest", but because of other committments; (the birth of our son Peter, 16 th. April 1963) I could not promote these as well as I would have liked. Early in the 1970's I formed a band called "Country Revue" and spent the next twelve years playing Hotels and Clubs around Melbourne and Country Victoria.

By 1984 I decided I had enough and the band broke up. I still sing occasionally as a solo act in the smaller Hotels, but by late 1980's I had stopped performing completely.

In July 1995 we moved to North Queensland, to our new home at beautiful Hydeaway Bay in the Whitsundays, and guess what ! Out came the Guitar. I have been singing at a few resorts and hotels in the area and at the occasional charity function and enjoying the relaxed lifestyle.

I was inducted into the Tamworth Hands of Fame Park in January 1998. I performed quite a few shows in Tamworth and feel honoured to be part of living country music history.

After 8 years at Hideaway Bay, we ventured to a rural lifestyle at Sarina, just south of Mackay for 3 years we had a idylic location in a rainforrest setting. After 3 years we decicded to pick up stumps again and move to Hervey Bay. We love the climate and our lifestyle here, recently I was honoured to be inducted to the British Archive of Country Music, It was a great honour to be recognised by my peers overseas.