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December 2007 It really is high time that I updated this page! Life is, as always, moving so fast....no excuse I know but there it is. I have spent much of the last few years working to give other singers and musicians their place in the sun on Australian Television, working on such programmes as Australian Idol and Australia Day Live for the Ten Network and It Takes Two for the Seven Network. More and more I find myself working as a Music Producer for Television rather than singing my own song. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the challenges of this new road I am taking immensely - learning much along the way from the very talented performers I work with and the amazing production crews who work tirelessly to get things to air. Behind the scenes is a very interesting place to be indeed. This new role has afforded me the chance to step back from my singing and songwriting career and review it carefully, given me the chance to meet some intriguing and influential people and, when I do get to sing, enjoying the fact that it feels so much the more luscious for the sheer joy of being able to......oh and pay my mortgage:-) Highlights have included: finally finishing production of “whatever Lucy says” and playing it live at The Basement with my fabulous band – I love seeing the songs come to life on stage; writing the track, " Still Hoping", with the gorgeous Gary Pinto and my much loved friend, Brydon Stace; singing backing vocals for Anthony Callea - especially the outdoor concert in Perth...; doing a co-write called "If You Were Mine" with St Paul Peterson who was a member of Prince's band "The Time", Rob Arthur from "Five For Fighting" and Brydon (who doesn't need to be from "anything" to be famous to me!!); meeting highly respected keyboard player, Ricky Peterson, when he was out on tour with John Mayer (met John too but it wasn't as exciting as meeting Ricky for me because I have loved his playing FOREVER); singing backing vocals for Sarah Blasko at the Make Poverty History Concert at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne and standing side of stage while U2 and Pearl Jam opened the show for us (still don't really believe that one but I have the pics to prove it!); performances with my sublime Melbourne band at the Spiegeltent - hi to Ben, Gary and Danny :-); meeting Michael Buble - just lovely; winning the Australian Songwriters Association Song Of The Year for "genius of love" from my new album "whatever Lucy says" - yay to my co-writers Tony King, Kris Ralph and Bill Risby and yo to my producer, Sam Hawksley!; getting continual support from my fabulous overseas friends such as Bob Davis at soul-patrol.com, Baldwin Smith at jazzmonthly.com and Chris Rizik at soultracks.com; seeing so much more live music than I have been able to in the past with my handsome and brave concert buddy Ryan; spending quality time with my much loved and forever generous friends; doing an Eagles Tribute concert at Sydney's premier music venue, The Basement, with an amazing group of singers and musos - what fantastic and challenging music it is; getting through Night in Tunisia without any spills (ha ha) at the Manly Jazz Festival with the ridiculously talented Erana Clark, Gary Pinto, John Foreman and The Australian Idol Band; having a few VERY romantic holidays; hanging out with my family and watching my nephews, Oscar and Max, blossom; having Amy Pearson and the young girls from the Life Changing Experiences Foundation Sister 2 Sister programme record my song, " When It's Right For You" - special thanks to all of the people I roped in to make that happen and to my co-writers, Brooke McClymont and Anthony Egizii; getting lots of encouraging emails from people who hear my music - thankyou so much; continually discovering more music and loving the fact that it is so much more accessible than it ever was - go you independent artists!!!!!
Hardly seems like much but there you have it. Wishing you all that you hope for in the holiday season and beyond, Louise x
Updated Monday, April 25th, 2005 NEWSLETTER TO MY MAILING LIST In the last 12 months I have watched with awe as my life
has taken more than a few unexpected turns. I have reached some
milestones, achieved some major goals, hurdled some obstacles and come
out with the twinkle in my eye still intact. I hope you make it through
to the bottom of this newsletter because that's where the very best
news of all is! Be happy, Australian Idol In July 2004, I began a career in television, working on
the hugely popular, Australian Idol. As the program's Music Producer, I was able to employ up to 35 musicians a week which
was so very satisfying. It is so important that our younger generation
see live musicians at work. ..and what better place than the highest
rating programme in Oz to get that job done!?! On The Record Producer, Sam Hawksley and I have been working on an album of folk/pop/blues tunes for some time now. When will we ever finish this Sam? (Totally my fault with my TV commitments). Gordon Rytmeister (drums), Bill Risby (keys, bass) and Matt Fell (bass) are in on the proceedings as well so far. My co-writers include Rachel Gaudry, Kere Buchanan, Bill Risby and, of course, Sam - cast of thousands! We are back in the studio now and are trying to finish before Idol hots up for another season. We have almost completed 8 songs. My young friend Anthony Callea released his second single Rain a few weeks ago. For those of you who are unaware of who Anthony is, he was the runner-up on Australian Idol. Runner-up no more, Rain went straight to Number 1 - an excellent follow up to The Prayer - which is incidentally the highest selling single for an Australian artist EVER! But I digress! The B-side of the single is a song called Don't Tell Me. If you were to purchase the single, there is a good chance that you will hear some familiar backing vocals on it · in Italian no less - bet you didn't know I could do that! Neither did I! The song does not appear on his debut album so purchasing the single is the only way you will hear my foray into a foreign language! On my birthday last year, I stood in a studio and sang with Doug Parkinson. What an honour to sing with such a great Aussie soul singer. His new album is due out soon and I will appear on at least one track. The highly amusing Jeff Duff and his band, Duffo, released Ground Control to Frank Sinatra in July 2004. Imagine Frank Sinatra crooning David Bowie songs out in front of a rock band or David Bowie singing Ol' Blue Eyes favourites with a jazz quartet·.crazy guys they are! I was lucky enough to be a part of the recording as well as subsequent live performances with the lovely Rachel Gaudry as The Duffettes. Rachel and I will be resurrecting our Duffette status again for a second album to be recorded this month. Tony King and Kris Ralph from Making Whoopee released the amazingly soulful acoustic jazz folk blues album, Beautifully Mad. I was so glad to be part of the recording as well as some live performances in Sydney and Melbourne. Loved being a backing chick with the gorgeousness of Leyla Nassif and Genevieve Lemon! Being able to sing with these guys is such a gift. Hayley Jensen was one of the talented young people to come out of Idol 2. She has the most divine voice and has expressed an interest in writing and recording her own album. I am very pleased to say that I will be working with her over the next few months to see what we can come up with. Live Performances Playing with my brand new band at The Thredbo Jazz Festival was an absolute highlight in May 2004. It was so fantastic to be able to perform to an audience that was so eager to hear live music! We must have had it together because I have been asked back again this year. This year I will be doing 3 shows with my band as well as a GOSPEL show, sharing the stage with Armondo Hurley and his band. I made a flash visit to Melbourne in November 2004 to perform at The Famous Spiegeltent. If you ever get the chance to see any performance in this tent, please take the opportunity - it travels all over the world. The gig was magical and the sound production was the most perfect that I have ever experienced. Taking Bill Risby with me from Sydney, I was so excited to have the rest of the band made up with Melbourne players who I have admired for a very long time. A huge thank you to Darryn Farrugia (drums), Gavin Pearce (bass) and Ben Edgar (guitar). Darryn, I still want a copy of that recording!!! And hello to all of my new friends in Melbourne who came to the gig. Erana Clark launched her new album back in November and I sang b.v.'s for her. And yes folks, I danced as well. Louise Perryman singing and dancing - real moves!!! Talent Development I was saying before how much I love watching new talent grow and prosper. So when I received a phone call from Robyn at The Talent Development Project to ask me to be a consultant I was absolutely chuffed. TDP is Australia's most successful entertainment industry program and prepares young performers from NSW Public Schools for a career in the entertainment and music industry. Graduates include John Foreman, Paulini, Human Nature and Emma Pask to name a few. Erana Clark and I were the most recent consultants and spent half a day this week offering tips to the final 12 performers who sang for us who are due to graduate in August. Must say I felt a little bit like an Australian Idol Judge - hmm! Wish this program was around in my day· Soul Patrol & Whisper My Name Where would I be without Soul-Patrol? Whisper My Name continues to sell well all over the world via www.cdbaby.com/perryman. This is in no small way thanks to my dear friends at www.soulpatrol.com who tell anyone who will listen that I am their favourite blue-eyed soul singer. Soul Patrol really has put me on the map in soul music circles and I am now featured on many of the major soul music sites around the world. Incidentally, the internet radio program dedicated to Whisper My Name is consistently in the Top 40 on www.soul-patrol.net alongside such people as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Victor Wooten. The reviews on the album have been superb and continue to come in. In fact, the ones that mean the most are the ones that the people who BUY the cd write up on www.cdbaby.com/perryman. Truly the best reward is having soul music fans appreciate what I am doing - no songwriting award can beat that! But by far the very best thing·. "I wish that I could have a successful artist sing one
of my songs on a major release". I knew you'd make it! See ya x "WHISPER MY NAME" INCLUDED IN "THE BEST OF SOUL TRACKS" Wednesday, June 9, 2004 June marks the 1ST ANNIVERSARY of Soul Tracks. In just one year, the number of visitors to the site has jumped to almost 60,000 (in May) - a far cry from the 200 or so that visited in their first month on the internet. With a goal of serving Soul Music fans by providing a link to the great Soul Music artists of the past 40 years as well as talented newer artists "most of whom are almost criminally under-appreciated by commercial radio", Soul Tracks was launched in June of 2003. It includes artist bios, "where are they now" features on classic soul stars, and introductions to great modern soul artists. Some of my favourite artists are featured on this site. But I digress! In honor of their first anniversary, the good people at Soul Tracks have gone through all of the music that they've heard this year and have chosen "The Best of Soul Tracks" - the best dozen CDs of their first year of operation. Chris Rizik writes "After some depressing years for Soul Music lovers, the quality of music over the past year has been wonderful and encouraging, and so much of it has come from “indies” -- Soul artists who have sacrificed financially and personally to release music without the support of a major record label, but who have attained an artistic freedom that has resulted in extraordinary music. It is also a year in which Contemporary Gospel music continued its credible claim as the rightful heir to the classic Soul music of the 60s and 70s, mixing infectious grooves with meaningful messages. But more importantly, it was a year in which it became clearer that the best music was often the most difficult to categorize, combining elements of Jazz, Soul, Gospel and even Hip-Hop with amazing results." They have even done the list in alphabetical order so that there are no egos bruised in the final selection - I love them! You will notice me in the "P" for "PERRYMAN" section! If you have been reading some of the other propaganda I have been sending out to the world, you will recognize at least some of these names as we keep popping up on "Best of" or "Watch out for" lists around the internet community....Gabrielle and Marlon in particular! Juewett Bostick: It’s Not So Easy – A fine debut album by the veteran guitarist, with excellent vocal contributions by Jean Carn, Denise Stewart and Ali Ollie Woodson. Also notable for the clever accompanying CD-ROM that uniquely demonstrated the power of technology to enhance the musical experience. G.C. Cameron: Shadows - The culmination of a big year for the current Temptations lead singer. With Shadows, G.C. showed he could still knock it out of the park 35 years after he sang “It’s a Shame” with the Spinners. Gabrielle Goodman: Angel Eyes - Gabrielle Goodman’s first disc in a decade was a gem, as she proved again her formidable skills as both a songwriter and a vocalist. A truly great performance. Deitrick Haddon: Lost and Found – With the ambitious, seminal Lost and Found, Deitrick Haddon moved to the head of the class of contemporary Gospel artists. Maybe the best Gospel album of the decade. Angela Johnson: They Don’t Know – The Cooly’s Hot Box singer showed both her soul and her versatility on this great disc, which should be at the fingertips of every Soul radio programmer. Debra Killings: Surrender – Hot session guitarist/singer Debra Killings followed her work with OutKast with Surrender, a fine Gospel/Soul debut. Smokie Norful: I Need You Now – The biggest surprise of the year in the Gospel/Soul world, this album was Exhibit One as to why Smokie Norful dominated the major Gospel awards. Louise Perryman: Whisper My Name – The most soulful singer in Australia is finally getting notoriety around the world with this excellent collection of sophisticated night music. My copy is nearly worn out. Marlon Saunders: Enter My Mind - Jazzhole lead singer Saunders mixed “old school” and “new school” on this excellent solo debut. One of the best vocal performances by anyone this year. Soul Folk: Brothafromanothaplanet – This Bay Area singer had one of the year’s best songs with the title track, and followed with this solid, eclectic album. John Stoddart: Wings to Walk This Road – John Stoddart virtually created a new musical form – Gospel adult contemporary – with this wonderful disc. The lush arrangements and his deep, strong voice made for great nighttime listening. Kevin Whalum: Timetable – In a year of great CDs, this may be my favorite. Kevin Whalum was our May 2004 Featured Artist on the strength of this fantastic disc. Essential listening for lovers of intelligent, accessible Soul/Jazz vocal music. Chris Rizik's final word on the matter... "In a year of great music, these were, I think, the Best of the Best. Congratulations to those artists and albums that have helped make this a VERY fun year to write about Soul Music." If you love soul music, you really should pay them a visit at www.soultracks.com "WHISPER MY NAME" AND BIRDLAND RECORDS Thursday, May 20, 2004 As of May 1, 2004, Birdland Records (in conjunction with Creative Vibes) will be distributing "Whisper My Name" throughout Australia and New Zealand. Birdland Records, the famous store in Barrack St, Sydney, has long been a supporter of the cd and now they are helping me out even more. So...don’t hold back...tell all your rellies wherever they may be across Oz and NZ that they can now get a copy at their local music store. If they don’t have it in stock, they can certainly order it in. I hope you will help me spread the word. THREDBO JAZZ FESTIVAL - MAY 2004 Thursday, May 20, 2004 What a magical weekend in a magical place. Ably supported by the extreme talents of Bill Risby (keys), Libby Bee (bass), David Longo (guitar) and Peter Drummond (drums), we proceeded to rock the jazz festival late into the night with tunes from “whisper my name” and “come on-a my house” as well as some of my favourite covers. We started off very cool and jazz/soul-like but where we ended up each night was anyone’s guess. The audiences at Thredbo sure know how to party! A highlight for me was an outdoor Sunday morning gig by the pool with Jeff Duff and his band and my band joining forces. As most of my gigs didn’t start until 11pm (and Jeff’s until midnight) each night, it was a little tough to rise but once we got going it was superb. I sold an astonishing amount of cds to some great people that weekend. What a pleasure to play at such a great event. “WHISPER” IN MORE COUNTRIES THAN I EVER DREAMED!!!! Thursday, May 20, 2004 It amazes me every day that an independent cd, produced in Australia, can reach so far and wide. My site at www.cdbaby.com/perryman has a great deal of traffic every day and, thankfully, purchases to match! To date I have sold “whisper my name” into the US, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, The Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and even Senegal! A truly sincere thank you to all of you who take the time to send me an email once you have received the cd. I love being able to talk to people all over the world. "WHISPER MY NAME" REVIEW – APRIL 2004 DJ FAZIO at www.thejazznation.com Thursday, April 15, 2004 The good people at www.thejazznation.com work tirelessly to support artists, management, radio, sponsors, promoters, fans, and the youths of jazz. In 1997 President and Founder Albert Khalis Pride reached out to other jazz enthusiasts on the internet to join him in starting a group dedicated to promoting and preserving the genre of jazz. The goal is to make it the most effective grass-roots jazz support organization in the U.S. and abroad. Each month, www.thejazznation.com publishes a unique web magazine that offers in-depth interviews with artists, producers and independent label executives, CD and concert reviews, and a list of new and upcoming CD releases. The site hosts “the jazz nation forum” and operates an online store. They also have a quarterly newsletter, "Jazz Exodus" that delivers more interviews, reviews and news with a strong emphasis on independent jazz musicians to the current membership base. Visit www.thejazznation.com to check out this fantastic site! The Review She’s a voice for every woman and one that every man could listen to. Hailing from Australia, Louise Perryman sings universal emotions, bearing their smooth soul, yet revealing raw edges. Joining her are celebrated Aussie musicians: Peter Northcote (guitar), Bill Risby (piano), and on drums, Kere Buchanan (who co-wrote all but one song). Whisper My Name is Perryman’s 4th album and with it she brings a depth… an honesty, that is so refreshing! Skillfully utilizing life’s experiences, she penned all lyrics and co-wrote all tunes. The message is clear and Louise Perryman delivers it resoundingly on her latest CD Whisper My Name. Opening with the title track, Whisper My Name, this mid-tempo number is the perfect way to begin. With anticipation and confidence, Perryman brings beautiful vocal phrasing while Northcote adds a bluesy feel on guitar. This is a melody with great repose and will dwell on your mind. Play Your Game slows the pace with a more serious tone and offers an epiphany about a relationship in question. Perryman displays a vocal range that is so effortless and her wonderful talent is furthered on the tune Stay, an emotional ballad beginning quietly, then escalating with a crescendo into chafed emotion. Strong guitar lines underscore the musical experience brilliantly on this one! Prayer For You (for Oscar), comforts with gospel elements and powerful/tender words. There’s a strength and conviction of prayer. Perryman then gets vampy on the retro-vibed Everybody Need A Little Love. You’ll love the attitude percolating from this tune as Risby lays down some smokin’ keyboard work (reminding me of the Jeff Lorber style) while Northcote and Leon Gaer get funky on guitars and bass. The award-winning song Thinkin’ Too Much (1999 Australian Songwriters’ Association R & B Song of the Year) is such a pleasure to listen to! These lyrics have a natural rhythm and the hip guitars & scatting by John Bettison, plus keyboard solo by Brendan St. Ledger bring it all together! The tune This Is Heaven gets vulnerable. Layin’ it out there with a true expression of love, this song basks in sentiments! Perryman then concludes her impressive disc with the song, You Can’t Stop Me Now. Bold and in your face, with a big horn section to match, you won’t stop dancin’ to this one! I love it! Perryman’s latest album, Whisper My Name, showcases original music, intelligent lyrics and performances that transcend categorization. Whether you whisper, sing, or shout it out, one thing’s for sure… you won’t forget her name. It’s Louise Perryman, and she’s all that, plus so much more! - D.J. Fazio SONGWRITING AWARDS Thinkin’ Too Much: Australian
Songwriters Association R&B Song of the Year 1999
2002 UK Song Contest runner-up R&B section Whisper My Name: 2000 SCALA Awards Overall Winner of All Competition Entries - All Sections Stay: 2000 SCALA Awards Special Award - Master Section You Can't Stop Me Now: 2000 ASA Finalist Top 5 - Dance/Rap/Hip-Hop/Techno Prayer For You: Billboard Song Competition Gospel 2nd place 2000 ASA Finalist Top 5 - Spiritual/Sacred Merit Award Unisong 2001 2002 UK Song Contest Finalist Gospel section Come Inside: 2000 SCALA Awards Co-winner - Demo Section Crooked Smile: 2000 SCALA Awards Co-winner - Demo Section THE BEST OF JONI MITCHELL Thursday, May 20, 2004 WWW.SOULEXPRESS.NET HARD COPY MAGAZINE Thursday, May 20, 2004 LOUISE IS STILL IN THE TOP 20 RADIO SHOWS AT SOUL-PATROL.NET RADIO Thursday, May 20, 2004 ALOOGA BOOM! Thursday, May 20, 2004 "PLAY YOUR GAME" IS QUALITY CREAM at www.soulexpress.net Thursday, May 20, 2004 "WHISPER MY NAME" REVIEW – APRIL 2004 Patrick Van de Wiele at www.keysandchords.com Thursday, April 15, 2004 "WHISPER MY NAME" IS FEATURED ALBUM AT www2earfm.com Thursday, April 15, 2004 MY NEW LOOK WEBSITE Wednesday, March 3, 2004 EVERYBODY NEED A LITTLE LOVE Wednesday, March 3, 2004 WHISPER MY NAME IS ALBUM OF THE MONTH FOR
MARCH 2004 at www.soulexpress.net Thursday, February 5, 2004 LOUISE IS TOPS AT THE 2003 SOUL-PATROL AWARDS January 12, 2004 ABC SUPPORT - OZTRAX Thursday, February 12, 2004 PIRATE RADIO ME HEARTYS!!!! October 2003 MORE WINS ON THE BOARD! August 2003 UNIVERSAL RECORDS LICENCES THE PAINTER & THE BIRD November 2003 ON-AIR IN THE UKRAINE! September 2003 ON-AIR IN JAKARTA June 2003 SYDNEY TOURISM AMBASSADOR May 2003 BILLBOARD SONG COMPETITION March 2003 QANTAS March 2003 THE AUSTRALIAN RELEASE OF "Whisper My Name" March 2003 WHISPER ALL OVER THE WORLD March 2003 www.makeastar.com October 2002 WHO LISTENS TO THE RADIO? PHOTOS Thanks For Coming! If you've reached here then I guess you've seen most of the webpage, so thanks for visiting! To those of you who come to gigs - thankyou, it makes what I do all the more worthwhile. And a special thankyou to those of you who take the time to share a kind word or two - positive feedback really is the very best motivator, Louise xxx
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