Alan Mackey

Alan Mackey is a contemporary country/folk singer/songwriter. Born in Surfers Paradise he grew up in Tasmania (Cygnet and Scottsdale) and Central West Queensland (Blackall and Aramac). In the mid 70's he was best known as a member of the seminal Brisbane folk-rock band "Wish", before moving to Melbourne with the band and subsequently joining country-rock funsters "The Lamington Brothers". He returned to Brisbane in 1979 and worked throughout Queensland with "The Pocket Rockets" who released one single, a song of Alan's called "Disco Disease". In 1983 he released an album of his own songs called "1 A.M." on Wellshot Records, which achieved respectable sales and good press reviews. In 1989, as "Mac to Mac" with Ewan MacKenzie, Alan released a cricket song called "Border's Boys", backed with a tribute to Slim Dusty called "Slim's Old Saddle Boy", which received significant airplay on radio and television nationally. Through the 80's he also wrote and performed Australia wide advertising jingles. Alan took a break in the 90's to help his two children through High School and University and returned to live music performance in the late 90’s. In April 2002, "Sanctuary", a song he originally wrote with Colin Wilson and updated with Nick Enright and Brendan St Ledger, was the highlight closing song at a major refugee awareness concert at Sydney Town Hall, the "Show Mercy Concert". In December 2005, Alan released "Like Jacaranda". Recorded at Marc Lea’s Regency Sound Studios the CD featured 12 of Alan's compositions with a feast of beautiful acoustic guitars, mandolin, violin and viola, lap steel, harmonica and great harmonies. “Like Jacaranda” gained extensive airplay nationally and has sold nearly 2000 copies. Since 2006 Alan has run a music club in Toowoomba called “Strummers” which presents the best of Queensland’s original acoustic music acts. He has also done regional tours with Anne Kirkpatrick, Peter Denahy, Mad Violet (Canada), Brent Parlane, Jodi Martin, The Hillbilly Potentates (USA), Warren H. Williams and Brett Hunt. Alan has finished recording his new CD “Pages of the Past” with Doug Martin at his Mountain Tracks Recording Studio in Toowoomba. “Pages of the Past” contains 14 of Alan’s own songs, some written solely by himself and some co-written with a variety of other people. The new CD will be released at the Tamworth Country Music Festival on January 25 and Alan will promote the CD nationally after that. “ Pages of the Past” is almost a concept album, as Alan pulls together a lot of his more country songs in a coherent, “tip the hat” to lyrical pictures of the past, his experiences through his diverse living places in Australia and the songs they have brought, leading to the question raised in the title track of “what have we learned, from the pages of the past?” Can we make the future better from these lessons? "There is nothing made up in Alan Mackey's music - well crafted songs about a well lived life! Raw, real and believable - Alan sings with a passion that comes from writing about what he knows about. Doug Martin production captures the essence of the songs and together they have delivered one of the musical gems of the year" John Elliott, award winning music writer. "and life goes on, its own sweet way, with its twists and turns, its tricks and treats, surprises everyday … like jacaranda" Alan Mackey

Toowoomba, QLD