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Biography

2017 promo image by Kane Hibberd Performing at the 2018 Australian Country Music Awards
Performing at the 2018 Australian Country Music Awards | 2017 promo image by Kane Hibberd

Hamish and Lachlan Davidson grew up in the rural Victorian town of Yinnar. Raised in a musical family, the brothers began playing music and performing from a young age. With eight albums under their belt, they have built the reputation of being one of Australia's hottest Bluegrass acts – multi instrumentalists on banjo, fiddle, mandolin, dobro – and great entertainers with an enormous respect for the traditions of the genre. The have also written the majority of their repertoire - 68 of the 101 tracks they have commercially released are original songs.

With five Australian Country Music Awards (Golden Guitars) to their name and a handful of Australian Bluegrass Championship titles, the Davidson Brothers are favourites at folk and country festivals nation-wide, taking the music they love to a whole new generation of music lovers. Troy Cassar-Daley describes them as being “the best young bluegrass pickers we have seen for a long while in Australia and a very exciting live act.”

Their latest album All You Need is Music was recorded in Nashville Tennessee. Half the album (Side A) is accoustic and the other half (Side B) is electric, showcasing a wide variety of the music they love to play. Twelve of the thirteen songs were written by Hamish and Lachlan.

Children of the 1980s, they have toured extensively throughout Australia, Europe and America, which includes representing Australia at the IBMA World of Bluegrass in the USA (2004, 2009, 2014, 2018) and headlining at the European World of Bluegrass in The Netherlands. They have had the honour of being invited to perform back to back with Ralph Stanley, performing at Bill Monroe's childhood home in Kentucky, and presenting at the 2010 International Bluegrass Awards in Nashvillie's historic Ryman Auditorium.

Jamming on stage with Joe Camilleri at The Palms @ Crown in Melbourne Victoria (Picture: Sean Clohesy)
Jamming on stage with Joe Camilleri at The Palms @ Crown in Melbourne Victoria (Picture: Sean Clohesy)

The brothers have performed and recorded with many music industry veterans. It is a lengthy list, but includes Joe Camilleri (Black Sorrows), Andrew Farriss (INXS), Troy Cassar-Daley, Lee Kernaghan, Melinda Schneider, Tommy Emmanuel, Kasey Chambers and Dan Sultan. They were featured on The Man From Snowy River soundtrack in their teens, and have appeared on many national television programs including Spicks & Specks and Good Morning Australia.

Both Hamish and Lachlan are graduates of the Australian Country Music College. In 2003 they won the State Final and were Runner Up in the Grand Final of the National University Band Competition, which also saw Hamish win Best Overall Musician. At the Australian Bluegrass Championships, Lachlan took out the Mandolin Championship three years in a row from 2008 – 2010, with Hamish winning the Fiddle Championship in 2000, then later, the Banjo Championship in 2009. Together, they were selected as finalists in the Most Outstanding Musicians category of the 2010 Melbourne Prize for Music.

From making their first formal recording in 1998, to being inducted by the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame into their prestigious Hands of Fame in 2017, the Davidson Brothers have already achieved a lot, but as Hamish says, "We feel like we are just warming up."


Awards

GOLDEN GUITAR AWARDS
Australian Country Music Awards
2018 - Bluegrass, Back Where I Started
2018 - Instrumental, Evelyn's Kitchen
2012 - Instrumental, OMFG
2010 - Instrumental, Fox on the Freeway
2009 - Instrumental, Left Hand Drive

TIARA AWARDS
Australian Independent Country Music Awards
2012 - Album of the Year, HERE TO STAY
2012 - Group, My Heart Can't Believe My Eyes
2012 - Best Instrumental, OMFG
2009 - Best Instrumental, Left Hand Drive
2007 - Album of the Year, RAISED ON THE ROAD
2007 - Best Instrumental, Scrub Turkey
2005 - Best Instrumental, Hunter Valley Breakdown
2004 - Best Instrumental, Orange Blossom Special

Melbourne Prize for Music
2010 - Most Outstanding Musicians (Top Ten)

THE SOUTHERN STARS
Australian Independent Country Music Awards
2010 - Group of the Year, Born to Play

Australian Bluegrass Championships (Tamworth, NSW)
2010 - MANDOLIN Champion - Lachlan
2009 - MANDOLIN Champion - Lachlan
2009 - BANJO Champion - Hamish
2008 - MANDOLIN Champion - Lachlan
2008 - Horizon Award / Best Overall - Hamish
2000 - FIDDLE Champion - Hamish

27th Annual Smokey Mountain Fiddlers Convention
Loudon, Tennessee, USA

2009 - Bluegrass Band Competition - Runner Up

NESCAFE BIG BREAK (Australia & New Zealand)
2005 - Winner


2014 promo images by Robin Sellick

Victorian Country Music Awards
2012 - Bluegrass, Rather Be Gone
2012 - Best Instrumental, OMFG

2011 - Bluegrass, Breakin' New Ground (w Kristy Cox)
2011 - Duet, Breakin' New Ground (w Kristy Cox)
2010 - Bluegrass, Born to Play
2009 - Victorian Group, City Life
2009 - Victorian Entertainer of the Year
2009 - Best Instrumental, Left Hand Drive
2009 - Bluegrass, Just To Get To You
2007 - Bluegrass, Don't Turn Me Down

Golden Fiddle Awards (Tamworth, NSW)
2010 - Best Band Featuring a Fiddler
2008 - Best Composition, Tipsy Gypsy
2008 - Best Band Featuring a Fiddler
2007 - Best Composition, Mojo (Judges Commendation)
2006 - Best Band Featuring a Fiddler

TREV AWARDS
(Tertiary Recreation and Entertainment Victoria Awards)
2003 - Best New Act

National University Band Competition
2003 - Best Overall Musician (Hamish)
2003 - National Final (Runner Up)
2003 - Victorian State Final
2003 - RMIT, Final
2003 - RMIT, Heat 1

Tamworth Country Music Festival (NSW)
2003 - Open Aristocrat Country Entertainer of the Year
2002 - K-Mart Jazzer Smith Memorial Talent Quest, Open Division
1999 - Junior Aristocrat Country Entertainer of the Year
1999 - Junior Golden Swaggie (with Ailsa Davidson)

Whittlesea Country Music Festival (VIC)
Overall Winner - Whittlesea Country Music Talent Search (2003)


Career Highlights

AUSTRALIAN FESTIVALS
Meredith Music Festival - VIC
Port Fairy Folk Festival - VIC
Woodford Music Festival - QLD
National Folk Festival - Canberra ACT
Deniliquin Ute Muster - NSW
Mud, Bulls & Music - Jymna QLD
Redlands Bay Bluegrass Festival - QLD
Tamworth Country Music Festival - NSW
Ya Gubi World Music Festival - Hervey Bay QLD
Gympie Music Muster - QLD
Mountaingrass - Harrietville VIC
Apollo Bay Music Festival - VIC
Meatstock - Sydney & Melbourne
Blue Mountains Music Festival - NSW
Yackandandah Folk Festival - VIC
Cygnet Folk Festival - TAS
Broadbeach Country Music Festival - QLD
White Cliffs Music Festival - NSW
The Gum Ball - Hunter Valley NSW
Healesville Music Festival - VIC
Bendigo Blues & Roots Festival - VIC
Sydney Country Music Festival - NSW
Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival - NSW
Foggy Mountain Bluegrass Festival - Kinglake VIC
Murwillumbah Country Roots Festival - NSW
Melbourne Guitar Show - VIC
Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival - TAS
Mallee Fire Recovery Festival - Rainbow VIC
Warrandyte Festival - VIC
Sydney Road Street Festival - Melbourne VIC
Great Australian Beer Festival - Geelong VIC
NYE on the Hill - Gippsland VIC
Queenscliff Music Festival - VIC
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival - VIC
Darebin Music Feast - Northcote VIC
Dark Mofo - Hobart TAS
CMC Rocks the Hunter - NSW
Jamgrass Music Festival - Melbourne VIC

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
International Bluegrass Music Assoc. - World of Bluegrass
Official Showcase, Raleigh, NC USA (2014, 2018)

European World of Bluegrass
Official Showcase act, Voorthuizen, Netherlands (2011)

Big Bear Festival
Zuidlaren, Netherlands (2011)

GrevenGrass Bluegrass Festival,
Greven Germany (2011)

International Bluegrass Music Assoc. - World of Bluegrass
Official Showcase, Nashville Tennessee, USA (2009)

Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival
Beanblossom Indiana USA (2009)

Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival
Conway Missouri USA (2007, 2009)

Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Festival,
Rosine Kentucky USA (2004, 2007, 2009)

International Bluegrass Music Assoc. - World of Bluegrass
Louisville Kentucky USA (2004)


Tennessee Fall Homecoming
Norris, Tennessee USA (1997)

Tri-State Bluegrass Festival -
Kendallville Indiana USA (2009)

VENUES
Ryman Auditorium - Nashville Tennessee USA
Corner Hotel - Richmond VIC
The Palms, Crown Casino - Melbourne VIC
Meeniyan Town Hall - VIC
Northcote Social Club - VIC
Queen Vic Night Market - Melbourne VIC
Caravan Music Club - Melbourne VIC
Union Hotel - Brunswick VIC

TELEVISION APPEARANCES
Spicks & Specks
Good Morning Australia
Hey, Hey It's Saturday
The Panel
Rockwiz
Burke's Backyard
Carols By Candlelight
Nu Country
Cruisin' The Country
CMAA Golden Guitar Awards
It Takes Two
Australia's Got Talent


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