Dead Ringer Band were an Australian family country music band. They are best known for their ARIA Award-winning album '' Home Fires'' which won the

Best Country Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the country music ge ...

at the

ARIA Music Awards of 1996 The 10th Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) was held on 30 September 1996 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. Presenters distributed 28 award ...

Background and formation

Dead Ringer Band had its roots in the husband and wife team of

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...

and Diane Chambers. Shortly after the birth of their second child

Kasey Kasey is a unisex given name, nickname and ring name which may refer to: Women * Kasey Boucher (born 1990), American ice hockey player * Kasey Brown (born 1985), Australian squash player * Kasey Campbell, an early member of the group The Pussycat ...

in 1976, and with their three-year-old son Nash, the family moved to central Australia's

Nullarbor Plain The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of 'no' and 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its no ...

. The Chambers earned a living by hunting and trapping rabbits and foxes that raided Nullarbor poultry farms, then selling the pelts. The Chambers home-schooled Nash and Kasey, and taught them American folk and country music by the

Carter Family The Carter Family was an American folk music group that recorded and performed between 1927 and 1956. Regarded as one of the most important music acts of the early 20th century, they had a profound influence on the development of bluegrass, c ...

Jimmy Rogers Jay or James Arthur "Jimmy" Rogers (June 3, 1924December 19, 1997) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters's band in the early 1950s. He also had a solo career and ...

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

and

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...

, as well as Australian country artists,

Slim Dusty Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon, referred to universally as Australia's Ki ...

, Buddy Williams and

Tex Morton Tex Morton (born Robert William Lane in Nelson, New Zealand, also credited as Robert Tex Morton; 30 August 1916 – 23 July 1983 Sydney, Australia) was a pioneer of New Zealand and Australian country and western music, vaudevillian, actor, tel ...

. In 1986 the family moved to

Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

, located on the southern coast of Australia, and they began playing as a band at local public houses. The quartet, initially billed under Bill's name, released two albums, ''Sea Eagle'' in 1987 and ''Kindred Spirit'' in 1991, before changing their name to Dead Ringer Band with teenager, Kasey as the group's lead singer. During those years, the Chambers family lived a nomadic lifestyle.

Commercial releases

In 1992 Dead Ringer Band self-released their debut

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

, ''A Matter of Time''. In November 1993, the band released a debut album, ''Red Desert Sky'', which included 17-year-old Kasey's first recorded song writing effort. At that time, Bill provided lead guitars, Diane on bass guitar, Nash on rhythm guitar and harmony vocals, and Kasey on rhythm guitar and lead vocals. At the Country Music Association Awards of 1995, the group won the award for Vocal Group or Duo of the Year with their song, "Family Man". The band's second studio album, '' Home Fires'', was released in 1995, which featured the single, "Australian Son", which spent seven weeks on the country charts. At the

, the band won

for ''Home Fires''. In 1997, the band's third studio album, '' Living in the Circle'', was released and became the band's first charting release. Geoffrey Himes observed that it, "makes it clear that Kasey was the Dead Ringer Band's most valuable asset. At 21, her voice had blossomed into the dramatic instrument it is today. And her songwriting—especially on 'Things Don't Come Easy', 'The Last Generation' and 'Already Gone' had found the simple, emotionally naked approach that proved the perfect vehicle for her voice". At the

ARIA Music Awards of 1997 The 11th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards) were held on 22 September 1997 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. The event was hosted by Australian actor–comedian Paul McDer ...

, the album was nominated for Best Country Album. Contractually obligated to provide another album for their label, Massive Records, the Dead Ringer Band released, ''Hopeville'', in 1998 consisting entirely of songs by other writers. Following ''Hopeville'', Bill and Diane Chambers separated and subsequently divorced, and the Dead Ringer Band broke up. Dead Ringer Band's contract with EMI Australia that included a solo contract for Kasey.

Band members

* Bill Chambers (lead guitars) *Diane Chambers (bass guitars) *

Nash Chambers Nash Chambers (born 8 May 1974, Mount Gambier) is an Australian record producer, talent manager, audio engineer and multi-instrumentalist. He is a former member of the family country music group, Dead Ringer Band (1986–98), with his father B ...

(rhythm guitar and harmony vocals) *

Kasey Chambers Kasey Chambers (born 4 June 1976) is an Australian country music, Australian country singer-songwriter and musician born in Mount Gambier, South Australia, Mount Gambier to musicians Diane and Bill Chambers (musician), Bill Chambers. Her older ...

(rhythm guitar and vocals)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

are an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. Dead Ringer Band won one awards from two nominations. , - ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, ''Home Fires'' ,

, , - ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, ''Living in the Circle'' , Best Country Album , , -

CMAA Awards

The CMAA

Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wale ...

also known as the Golden Guitar Awards is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in

Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city and administrative centre of the north-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River (New South Wales), Peel River within the local government area of the Tamworth Regional Council, it is the largest ...

, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. Dead Ringer Band have won four awards. , - , 1995 , "Family Man" , Vocal Group or Duo of the Year , , - , rowspan="2", 1998 , "Living in the Circle" , APRA Song of the Year , , - , "Living in the Circle" , Vocal Group or Duo of the Year , , - , 1999 , "Saddle Boy" , Vocal Group or Duo of the Year , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were last awarded in 2016. ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Dead Ringer Band won five awards in that time. (wins only) , - , 1995 , Dead Ringer Band , Country Group of the Year , , - , 1996 , Dead Ringer Band , Country Group of the Year , , - , 1997 , Dead Ringer Band , Country Group of the Year , , - , 1998 , Dead Ringer Band , Country Group of the Year , , - , 1999 , Dead Ringer Band , Country Group of the Year , , -

References

{{reflist ARIA Award winners 1986 establishments in Australia 1998 disestablishments in Australia Australian country music groups