Graeme Connors had almost given up on his music career. The Mackay songwriter emerged on the scene in the early ‘70s, supporting diverse acts like Sherbet and Kris Kristofferson.
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The latter then offered to produce Connors’ debut record, The Song Just Kept On Playin’ – later re-released in 1999 as And When Morning Comes – and it looked as though his career was launched.
But the album did not achieve commercial heights.
So the songwriter moved into publishing at Rondor Music, and one of his first achievements was to pitch You’re The Voice to John Farnham’s team.
Connors kept plying his songwriting trade and found some
success over the next decade as a composer for other artists.
He co-wrote Jon English’s hit Hot Town and became a favoured songwriter of Slim Dusty, who recorded 12 of his songs including the 1989 Song of the Year, We’ve Done Us Proud.
But Connors did not want to stay in the back seat.
He decided to write another album, a collection of songs directly inspired by his experiences of life in Northern Queensland.
It was called North.
The first single, A Little Further North, ensured that both the record and Connors would become household names.
“The early work I did was, in a way, chasing the market,” he says.
“I was looking at what was there and going, ‘How can I write a song that will break into this market?’
“That was a sense of insecurity.
“Coming from a small country town down to the city, I thought
people didn’t care what I had to say.
“So I was working on the technique of writing rather than the content.
“I got to a certain point in the ‘80s when I was at a real crossroads and said, ‘I can’t continue doing what I’m doing.’”
Connors felt compelled to record his new, more sincere music and so decided to self-fund the recording of North.
“[North] was my last shot in the studio,” Connors says.
“These songs came up from the sub-conscious and were so personal.
“In one week we recorded that whole album with a group of friends I had made over those many years.
“It was also going to be an independent release, I had paid for it all myself and there was no record company involved.
“Di Manson from ABC Records heard that I had been in the studio and asked if she could listen to the work we had done.
“Di loved it and felt it was perfect for the ABC network at that time, it was Australian content.
“It was a very solid and successful record for both the ABC and me, and that led to the beginning of my career, to be honest.
“It closed off that period of insecurity and chasing the market.”
Connors has remained prolific, putting out a further 15 records.
A Little Further North was covered by John Denver, and Connors was also invited to perform at the funeral of his friend Slim Dusty.
And in 2014, a quarter of a century since North‘s release, Connors is celebrating the album with a national tour.
It’s an opportunity for fans to relive the record’s other hits, like Let The Canefields Burn and Cyclone Season.
“It seemed like an appropriate way to celebrate it,” Connors says.
“The response has been amazing, I think there’s a nostalgia element for a lot of people who started with North.
“Maybe over the years they’ve drifted away and this has been a real rallying call for people to come back to the North experience.”
The performances feature North played in its entirety followed by a second set of Connors’ other hits, including Road Less Travelled and The Great Australian Dream.
“The response has been wonderful, because I think it’s a view of a career from beginning to where we are now,” Connors says.
“Normally when I tour I’m mostly focused on my most recent album, so maybe this is a breath of fresh air for people that like Graeme Connors.
“‘He’s not presenting something new, thank god!’”
But despite a tour that largely reflects on his past work, Connors remains as hungry as ever to keep writing new material.
“As artists we are always forging ahead, and always thinking that our best work is yet to come,” Connors says.
“And you have to have that attitude, otherwise what are you doing it for?
“It’s a passion, I see the world through songs.
“And if I don’t write then I’m not chronicling my own life.
“I have periods where I think, ‘I’ve been there before, I don’t have to write that.’
“You can have months where it seems like you’re in a drought, but then you wake up one day and start working again.
“It’s like a long-term relationship.
“There’s moments where it’s ho-hum and then there’s moments when it’s very passionate and exciting.
“That’s what it is for me.”
But, for now, Connors is happy to take his fans on a walk down memory lane.
“From an audience viewpoint, memories and experiences are so entwined with things like North,” Connors says.
“They remember when that song was a part of their life.
“It’s been a learning curve for me as well.”
Graeme Connors performs North at the Civic Theatre, Newcastle, on Friday, March 6, 2015.
Alive has three prize packs to give away, each containing a double pass to the show and a North baseball cap.
For your chance to win simply fill out the coupon in today's Maitland Mercury and return it to the Mercury's office by noon on