Allan Caswell elevated to the Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown in Tamworth

Allan Caswell

Allan’s plaque was unveiled on Sunday 28 January 2024 at 11:00 am at the Roll of Renown at the Tamworth Region Entertainment and Conference Centre.

One of Australia’s most recorded songwriters and multi-Golden Guitar winning performers was elevated to the Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown, at the 2024 Toyota Golden Guitar Awards in Tamworth, NSW.

Eight-time Golden Guitar and ARIA award winner, Allan Caswell was awarded the prestigious honour as this year’s inductee at tonight’s Toyota 52nd Golden Guitar awards ceremony by Toyota Star Maker Coordinator and Managing Editor of Tamworth Country Music Capital News Cheryl Brown, and Americana artist Lachlan Bryan for his long-serving contribution to country music in Australia and New Zealand.

Allan migrated to Australia in 1966, where he attended South Sydney Boys High. He started performing professionally in 1971 and his songwriting career started in 1973 when signed to Albert Music. In 1979, he wrote On the Inside, which became the theme for the television series Prisoner and later a major international hit song. Its success triggered a succession of recordings by Patti Page, Cilla Black, The Irish Rovers, Max Bygraves, Acker Bilk, Slim Dusty, The Living End, Chad Morgan, Lynne Hamilton, James Blundell, Anne Kirkpatrick, Don Spencer, Graeme Connors, The Delltones, Doug Ashdown and Ricky May.

Allan won his first Golden Guitar for Best New Talent in 1980 and was inducted into the Country Music Hands of Fame in 1982. Over his 53-year career, Allan has won a total of eight Golden Guitars, 14 TSA awards, one ARIA, one APRA award and two gold singles for On the Inside.

Allan’s music has taken him to every state in Australia and across the globe, including to LA, New York, Nashville, NZ, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, and he has worked live with Garth Brooks, Don McLean, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman’s Hermits, Pam Ayers, Billy Thorpe and The Little River
Band, Tommy Emmanuel, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea and Highway 101.

Allan is now established as a songwriter, performer, author, record producer, journalist and teacher and is arguably Australia’s most recorded songwriter, with over 950 songs recorded and published.

The Roll of Renown was initiated by Radio 2TM in 1976, when Tex Morton, Father of Australian Country, was the first to be placed on the Roll. To date, 54 country music legends have joined the exclusive group with plaques recognizing each inductee placed on boulders in front of the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre (TRECC).

A special ceremony will take place in the TRECC forecourt tomorrow (Sunday) at 11am to officially unveil Allan’s plaque.

The Roll of Renown itself comprises large bronze plaques mounted on giant granite boulders in front of TRECC (the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre). A busy tourist attraction it pays homage to past and present heroes including Slim Dusty, Smoky Dawson, Reg Lindsay, Lee Kernaghan, Graeme Connors, James Blundell, Troy Cassar-Daley, Joy and Heather McKean, Tommy and Phil Emmanuel, Jimmy Little, Anne Kirkpatrick and the 2021 winners, The Bushwhackers.
* Maddie Kulk at maddie.kulk@c7even.com.au