Flying Emus are an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

/ bluegrass band that formed in 1984 and released four studio albums, including, '' This Town'', which won an

ARIA Award for Best Country Album In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompaniment, normally part of a larger ...

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

. They disbanded in 1990. At the

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 ...

in January 2013, John Kane (guitar,

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

), announced they had reformed with other founders: his younger sister Genni Kane on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Kerin on

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

and mandolin and Ian Simpson on

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

, joined by new member Michael Vidale on bass guitar.

History

1984–1991

In 1984 the Flying Emus were formed in Sydney with Genni Kane and her older brother John Kane, Mike Kerin, and Ian Simpson, as a country, bluegrass group. In 1985 the band released their debut studio album, ''Look Out Below'', which won Instrumental of the Year at the 1986 CMAA Country Music Awards. At the same ceremony they won Vocal Group of the Year for their song "Diamond Creek". Note: source does not specify album or song. At the 1987 CMAA awards, the band took Instrumental of the Year again, for the track "Emu Strut". In October 1986 they supported

Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, ...

in a show at the

Canberra Theatre Canberra Theatre Centre (CTC), also known as the Canberra Theatre, is the Australian Capital Territory’s central performing arts venue and Australia's first performing arts centre, the first Australian Government initiated performing arts cen ...

, where local correspondent Robert Hefner of ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in 1 ...

'' praised the vocals of Genni Kane, violin work by Kerin and banjo by Simpson. In 1987 the band released '' This Town'' and in September of that year they supported

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter of Folk music, folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans 40 years. In the mid-1980s and 1990s she released four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the ...

at the Sydney Town Hall. ''

Tharunka ''Gamamari'' is a student magazine published at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Established in 1953 as ''Tharunka'' at the then New South Wales University of Technology, the publication has been published in a variety of ...

''s Jim Dwyer felt the venue did not suit their intimate style. At the 1988 CMAA awards the group won Instrumental of the Year for the third consecutive year with the track "Jackaroo", and secured another Vocal Group of the Year for "Auctioneer". They won

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 ...

for ''This Town'' at the

ARIA Music Awards of 1988 The Second Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) was held on 29 February 1988 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. Cliff Richard was the host, with Bryan Fe ...

. In 1989 the band released ''Postcards from Paradise'', which was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Country Album in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. Also in that year they released their final studio album, ''Thank You and Goodnight'', before breaking up. At the 1991 CMAA awards they won Instrumental of the Year for the fourth time with the track "Dixie Breakdown".

2013–present: Reformation and ''The Collection''

In January 2013 at the

, band member John Kane announced the group were reforming. In December 2013 the Flying Emus announced a reunion tour for January 2014 with the four original members (John and Genni Kane, Simpson and Kerin) joined by Michael Vidale on bass. A compilation album, ''Flying Emus: The Collection'', was released through Warner Music on 10 January 2014, with tracks from the band's four albums spanning from 1984 to 1990.

4ZZZ 4ZZZ (pronounced "Four Triple Zed" or simply "Triple Zed") is an independent community radio station operating in Brisbane, Australia at the frequency 102.1 FM. As a community radio station, 4ZZZ is a member of the Community Broadcasting Associa ...

said, "Pretty good at whatever they chose to do: country, pop, trad-folk, the Flying Emus were at their best, I think, when doing bluegrass. Bluegrass bands are renowned for their crazy soloing, but even amongst them The Flying Emus have the skills to make you do a double-take."

Members

* Genni Kane (Genevieve Wilby) – lead vocals, guitar * John Kane – guitar,

* Mike Kerin – violin, mandolin, guitar, vocals * Ian Simpson –

, guitar * Hanuman Dass – percussion * Graham Thompson – bass guitar * Michael Vidale – bass guitar * Malcolm Wakeford – drums, percussion * Wayne Goodwin – violin *

Lucky Oceans Lucky Oceans (born Reuben Gosfield, 21 April 1951) is an American pedal steel guitarist and a former member of country and Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel. From 1995 to 2017 he was a broadcaster in Perth, Western Australia with the Austr ...

–

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings, enabling more varied and complex music to be played than with other steel guitar designs. Like all steel guitars, it can play ...

* Michael Rose – pedal steel guitar Credits:

Discography

Singles

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 ...

is 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 ...

. Flying Emus have won one awards from five nominations. , - , rowspan="2",

, , rowspan="2", ''This Town'' , ,

, , , - , Best Indigenous Release , , , - , rowspan="2",

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, , "I Just Want to Dance With You" , , Best Country Album , , , - , "This Town" / "Darling Street" , , Best Indigenous Release , , , - ,

, , ''Postcards From Paradise'' , , Best Country Album , , , -

Country Music Awards of Australia

The

(CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales, Tamworth, New South Wales. The f ...

, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973. Flying Emus have won six awards. , - , 1986 , , "Look Out Below" , , Instrumental of the Year , , , - , 1986 , , "Diamond Creek" , , Vocal Group of the Year , , , - , 1987 , , "Emu Strut" , , Instrumental of the Year , , , - , 1988 , , "Auctioneer" , , Vocal Group of the Year , , , - , 1988 , , "Jackaroo" , , Instrumental of the Year , , , - , 1991 , , "Dixie Breakdown" , , Instrumental of the Year , , * Note: Wins only

References

{{reflist ARIA Award winners Australian country music groups Australian bluegrass music groups 1984 establishments in Australia Musical groups disestablished in 1990 Musical groups established in 1984