NU COUNTRY TV NOMINATED FOR CMA MEDIA AWARD
“On the road again/ I just can't wait to get on the road again/ the life I love is making music with my friends/ and I can't wait to get on the road again.” - On The Road Again - Willie Nelson.
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Nu Country TV is one of five Australian nominations in the international section of the prestigious 2019 Country Music Awards in the U.S.
Veteran Victorian journalist, TV and radio host and songwriter David Dawson has been nominated for the 2019 Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award.
Dawson is one of five Australians nominated for the annual awards.
He joins Cessnock singer-songwriter and prolific Golden Guitarist Travis Collins, Sydney marketer Susan Heymann, general manager of Chugg Entertainment, Paul Jackson, group program director of NOVA Entertainment and Trevor Smith of Aloha Media, Byron Bay-based content production house for audio, visual and online.
Dawson is in the media Top 5 with finalists from Canada, England and Sweden.
It's the latest chapter in Dawson 's journey that included 25 years volunteer work for Nu Country FM as DJ and programmer from 1994 and producer-host of Nu Country TV since 2002.
 David Dawson, Smoky Dawson & Peter Hosking |
Nu Country TV was created by veteran actor and voiceover maestro Peter Hosking in 2002 and featured hosts diverse as late Californian singing comedienne Kacey Jones, Lee Kernaghan, Melinda Schneider, Felicity, Troy Cassar-Daley, Paul Hicks, Red Smith, Heather Rutherford and long serving treasurer Mid Pacific Bob Olson.
We also enjoyed filming and editing by Kerry Richardson and Peter Staubli.
The show's profile has been uplifted by creative web mistress and concert reviewer-photographer Anne Sydenham, loyal co-producer, editor and camera person Laith Graham and embryonic producer, concert photographer Carol Taylor and secretary Denise Kuhl, membership officers Peter O'Keefe and Wayne Goldsmith, gig-guide collator Annie Christophers, Vice President Rod Browne and strategic planner Barry Hyde.
Our international media nomination is a team effort with vital support from our sponsors diverse as the late Rob Potts and Michael Chugg Entertainment and equally importantly our invaluable members.
FROM VAN DIEMENS LAND TO TAMWORTH , TEXAS AND BEYOND
“I'd love to have a joint with Willie, love to have a joint with Will/ we smoke at the Evening Star, and we always toke our fill.” - Love To Have A Joint With Willie - David Dawson-Marty Atchison-Pat Alexander.
 Phil Kaufman & David Dawson |
Dawson 's journalistic journey began as a teenager on the Launceston Examiner in 1965 after writing for satirical magazines Tom Thumb and Kings Cross Whisper while at school.
It led to Country Music Capital News in the eighties after chronicling late embryonic editor-musician Jazzer Smith - as drummer in Hobart sixties rock band The Electrons.
Dawson wrote about country music as a cadet journalist-music columnist on Launceston Examiner from 1965-8 and music columnist and feature writer for Albury Border Morning Mail in 1969.
He worked in tandem with Smith who was diagnosed with cancer and moved to the mainland and became drummer for Homestead.
Dawson then wrote for JAMM and Across Country Magazines while Jazzer was editor.
That writing relationship continued when Jazzer was editor of Cap News after moving to Tamworth where he published Dawson 's interviews.
He also wrote chapters for Smith's 1984 Book Of Australian Country Music encyclopedia and David Latta's 1991 book Australian Country Music.
Dawson , now 71, first toured the U.S. in 1978 and interviewed country stars and songwriters when he was crime and music writer for Melbourne Truth from 1970-79.
He also wrote country music columns and features for the Geelong Advertiser , Juke , In Press, Beat, Mixdown, Nation Review, TV Week, Listener-In Scene, The Living Daylights and Loose Licks.
Dawson was also a country music feature writer for The Melbourne Herald Sun, The Age, People, Warrnambool Standard and Australasian Post and was music columnist-feature writer on Sydney Daily Mirror from 1980-85.
 Darcy LeYear & David Dawson |
During that era he contributed music news reports for the Malcolm T Elliott show on 2UE, John Singleton-Harry Wilde's 2KY program, and was a regular guest on 4KQ, Brisbane , and 3UZ in Melbourne when his former Burnie flat-mate Rod Stone was music director for both stations.
While on the Mirror he co-wrote the Dead Livers spoof of Slim Dusty hit Duncan - I'd Love To Have A Joint With Willie released during the 1981 Australasian tour by Willie Nelson, now 85.
The satire made front page news in major newspapers after being adopted by Willie as his pre-concert theme song broadcast over the concert PA systems.
He co-wrote Darcy LeYear's satiric Hillbillies Hate Change and Death Breath that was recorded by Nev Nicholls.
BLACK SATURDAY BENEFIT BENEFACTORS
“Jodie was a late-night singer in an early morning café/ she waltzed slowly by the juke box until dawn broke her day.” - Jodie - David Dawson-Darcy LeYear.
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Dawson also penned Jodie - about his former Daily Mirror colleague and long-time partner Carol Taylor - that was recorded by Darcy and B.J. McKay. She was videographer-concert photographer for Nu Country TV and Willie Nelson's 2006 July 3 and 4 Picnics and filmed late singer-songwriter comedienne Kacey Jones hosting role in Austin , Texas . As St Vincent De Paul strategic planner-communications manager, Taylor sourced three new original songs for Vinnies 2009 Black Saturday bushfire benefit CD After The Fire. They were Kevin Welch's Marysville , Shane Howard's Carry Me and Salty Tears by Country Paydirt singer-songwriter Ross Buchanan who lost a son and daughter in the Kinglake fires. Dawson staffed Vinnie's CD stall at the Whittlesea country music benefit festival with clients including fellow Warrnambool born Danielle Green - Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Major Events and Regional Victoria and state ALP member for Yan Yean since 2002. |
He earlier co-hosted High In The Saddle for 10 years on 3RRR-FM in the eighties and nineties and two years on 3PBS-FM and was guest host on 3WAY-FM in Warrnambool.
Dawson was co-founder of aspirant broadcaster Nu Country FM in 1994 and President until 2001 and president-producer of Nu Country TV on Channel 31/44 in Victoria since 2002.
He continues writing features and reviews for Cap News during 2011 CMA Media Award winner Cheryl Byrnes editorship and previous interviews for Country Update, Total Country and Country Music Round-Up.
Dawson is also an ARIA, Age Country Music Awards and CMAA Golden Guitars judge.
He wrote liner notes for Raven Records compilation discs by Willie Nelson, Dave Loggins and Steve Fromholz and AIM Records retrospectives by Johnny Lee, Ronnie Love, Billy Larkin, the late Boxcar Willie and Johnny Bond.
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Dawson was also chauffeur for singing Texan crime novelist Kinky Friedman on his 2002 Australian tour and Willie Nelson on the New Zealand leg of their 1981 tour.
He also had a cameo in Musical Chairs - one of The Kinkster's 25 books - and video clips for Steve Hoy, Dave Warner and others.