Luke O’Shea, one of the hardest-working men in Australian music, has been inducted into the Tamworth Country Music Festival’s Galaxy of Stars, in a surprise announcement yesterday afternoon from Tamworth Mayor Russell Webb.
In his acceptance speech, O’Shea thanked his friends, family, and the country music community.
“Thank you, this is so important to me – I’m glad I wore my good thongs.”
“It’s our stories that we love to hear, and I’m just playing a role, which I am just very fortunate, proud, and honoured to do, surrounded by friends and family.”
O’Shea said that the country music community is “a community that I’m honored to be a part of, and the thought of just doing what I love and sharing with you guys, and then it can connect and build those bonds between us.”
“And to all the pioneers that come before us, I’m so grateful to Tamworth and what they’ve built here, and to Tamworth Council for their incredible hard work year after year after year in building this incredible Festival, which is like no other in the world, and the support that it gives us artists throughout the year.”
“I’m proud to just be singing it up, and I will continue to do so.”
“Thank you for this accolade. It’s incredibly humbling.”
O’Shea is a sixteen-times Golden Guitar Winner, has released nine albums, and is a nominee for the CMT Video Of The Year Award at the Golden Guitars this Saturday, as well as an ambassador for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter service, who vehicle he’ll be riding in on Sunday’s Calvalcade.
Normally, the recipient of a Star is notified in advance, but this was the first time since its inception that the nomination was held as a surprise.
O’Shea had just performed a duet with fellow artist Lyn Bowtell on the Toyota Fanzone Stage on Fitzroy Street when he was asked to remain on stage for the awards ceremony.
“For more than 20 years we’ve been here as a council and we’ve introduced what we call the Galaxy of Stars,” Mayor Webb said.
“The first one, over 20 years ago, went to the legendary Slim Dusty.
“It’s here to honour individuals who have made a significant contribution to country music across this great nation of ours.”
The winners are presented with a plaque, which will be embedded in the forecourt of the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre – the venue where the Golden Guitars are held every year.
Don’t miss any of the important stories from around the region. Subscribe to our email list.