NORMA O’Hara Murphy, winner of a National Songwriting Award and Golden Guitar Award Winner has been contributing her brand of rodeo inspired music to the recording industry for over 30 years.
No stranger to life on the range, her grandparents pioneered the Murray Valley region in Victoria.
Norma was born and bred in the bush, and her love for horses saw her leave school at the age of 15 to spend several
years as a jillaroo in the Riverina.
During these early years her travels helped her gather some wonderful material and stories for future songs.
Warwick Tourism and Events CEO, Tracy Vellacott, is excited to bring a stalwart in Australia’s country music
scene to this year’s rodeo festival.
“Representing the hard-working, hard playing world of camp drafting and rodeo through her lyrics, Norma is a perfect fit for the Warwick Rodeo and it is an honour to welcome a performer of her calibre to center stage on Friday night,” Mrs Vellacott said.
“After releasing over a dozen albums since 1985 and winning several prestigious awards, Norma’s career spans into China, the UK and Germany, where she represented Australia in international folk and songwriting festivals.
“We are particularly honoured that the mardi gras will be the first gig for Norma and her band after the launch of her very special album, Solid Gold, at the Warwick Rodeo on Wednesday night.”
Norma’s new album offers a collection of songs, such as Warwick Gold Cup (written in 1998 after watching Geoff Schroeder win on Bernie), and contributions from Australia’s best country musicians.
This is truly an album celebrating the year of the horse.
Norma O’Hara Murphy will perform at the rodeo mardi gras at 7.15pm tomorrow, on the stage in front of the Town Hall.
The mardi gras will offer up a great mix of entertainment, food, amusement rides and the running of the infamous Buchner Cup Celebrity Horse Race, which is also sure to be a crowd favourite.
