Felicity Urquhart

Felicity Ann Urquhart (born 4 May 1976) is an Australian country music singer-songwriter, and a TV and radio presenter. Her single "Big Black Cloud", co-written with Randy Scruggs, reached No. 1 on Country Tracks National Top 30 Singles Chart in 2007. She has won numerous awards including a Centenary Medal in 2001 "For service to Australian society through country music". Urquhart married musician and producer Glen Hannah in March 2009. She has been the host of country music show Saturday Night Country on Australian Broadcasting Corporation Local Radio since March 2010.

Biography

Felicity Ann Urquhart was born on 4 May 1976 to Rex, an upholsterer, and Patricia "Trish" Urquhart.^[1] She grew up in Tamworth in rural New South Wales. Her maternal grandfather, Ernie Walmsley, was a jockey turned horse-trainer and with her grandmother, Anne, ran a pub in Bingara.^[1] Urquhart began busking in Peel Street, Tamworth during the Tamworth Country Music Festival at the age of 11.^[2][3] Aside from learning guitar, Urquhart had piano lessons and performed in musicals.^[4]

In 1992 Urquhart released her debut self-titled album, Felicity Urquhart on Tamworth-based Hadley Records. Her second album, Follow Me appeared in 1995 on Radio Friendly Music. Nothing to Hide was released in 1999 on EMI with New Shadow issued in 2001. On 1 January she was awarded a Centenary Medal by Prime Minister, John Howard.^[5] In 2001, she met Glen Hannah who became her boyfriend. Urquhart performed with western swing group Feral Swing Katz at the Gympie National Country Music Muster in August – the performance was broadcast a year later on Live on Stage by ABC Radio National with Vince Jones presenting.^[6] In 2002, she travelled to Nashville to record tracks for a future album with Hannah providing acoustic guitar, harmony vocals and song writing.^[7] Album plans fell through and Urquhart left EMI. She recorded a six-track extended play, Turn out the Light on Shock Records which was released in 2004.

Shock Records distributed My Life in 2006, which was produced by Hannah (ex-Kasey Chambers touring band). Her single "Big Black Cloud", co-written with Randy Scruggs, appeared in November and reached No.1 on Country Tracks National Top 30 Singles Chart on 24 January 2007.^[8][9] On 5 September, Urquhart performed for Howard, United States President George W Bush and Australian Defence Force personnel at a barbecue Garden Island.^[10]

Urquhart and Hannah married on 10 March 2009 in Vanuatu.^[4] Urquhart released Landing Lights upon return to Australia. Internationally she has opened for country music legends Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.^[11]

From 2005 to 2009, Urquhart was a presenter on Sydney Weekender, a travel show on Seven Network.^[12] She has been the host of country music show Saturday Night Country on Australian Broadcasting Corporation Local Radio across Australia since March 2010.^[13] She had previously filled-in for retiring host John Nutting who had picked her as his replacement.^[13] She lives in Avoca Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast.

Awards and nominations

1998

• Recipient of the Noel McGrugan Memorial Scholarship, awarded from the Sport & Tourism Foundation
• Inducted into the ‘Women's Hall of Fame’, Tamworth, for services to country music

Discography

Studio albums

• Felicity Urquhart (Hadley Records HCDM1308, 1992)
• Follow Me (Radio Friendly Music RFMCD003, 1995)
• Nothing to Hide (EMI Music Australia 7243 4 99510 2 0, 1999)
• New Shadow (EMI Music Australia 7243 5 35015 2 5, 2001)
• My Life (Shock Records FU004, 2006)
• Landing Lights (Shock Records FU007, 17 January 2009)

Extended plays

• Turn out the Light (FU001, 2004)

Singles

• "The First Day of Spring" (1993)
• "Forever True (I'm Sticking with You)" (1997)
• "Sugar Town" (1998)
• "Country Girl (In the Urban World)" (1999)
• "We'll Never Get Along" (1999)
• "Planet of Love" (2001)
• "I Remember You" (2002)
• "The Flood" (2005)
• "Big Black Cloud" (2007)

Video albums

• Felicity Urquhart – Video Collection DVD (Shock Records FU006, 21 January 2008)

Other appearances

• "Keep the Lovelight Shining" (duet with Adam Harvey) – Concert for Slim – Recorded live on 20 January 2004 at Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre (EMI 5999409, released 23 May)
• “Never Mind” a duet with Gina Jeffreys for her 2007 album Walks of Life
• She also appeared at Carols in the Domain 2010, where she sang "Away in a Manger"

References

External links

• Official website
• Profile on ABC Local
• Felicity Urquhart at Tamworth rage page