Annie McGlade

Annie McGlade is a musician with an eclectic style that blends modern acoustic music with its roots in blues, country, jazz and folk. A consummate performer who believes that playing and singing are only part of the story. Annie has a stage presence that commands attention and provides a well rounded, entertaining performance that leaves audience keen for more. She is as at home singing traditional music as she is in a full rock lineup. Although mainly an interpretive artist, Annie does on occasion perform her own work.

Annie will be appearing at the December Live & Local for the GFMC on the 19th at Irish Murphy's Geelong.

In 1992 Annie won the Lawson Patterson award at Port Fairy for “Stand Up” an anthem style song honouring the men and women of the Eureka Stockade and celebrating the Australian fighting spirit.

Annie McGlade has a long history in the folk music industry. She first began performing in bars and folk clubs around the Geelong area in the late 1970s. Moving to Melbourne in 1981 she performed regularly at the Dan O’Connell and Rainbow folk clubs, The Green Man, Heart & Soul Café and many other bars and coffee shops and clubs around Victoria.

In 1982 she joined the Vengeance Dance Band with Rick E. Vengeance and Peter Anderson and with this line up played at Port Fairy Folk Festival, in 1983 at the National Folk Festival, Barossa Valley Wine Festival and the Kapunda Celtic Music Festival where the band took the award for the best Dance Band.

Annie, Peter Anderson and Geoff Lambourne then formed the Snowband which with various lineups included, Di McNicol, Peter Howell, and Ian Clarke. This band performed twice at Port Fairy and Newcastle Festivals touring in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. Their final performance was at the 1985 National Folk Festival in Melbourne.

Annie then worked for three years with John Rasmussen, Maggie Duncan, Charlie Dowley and Leanne Matheson in Eucalypso, a bush/jug/ol’ time dance band that were regulars at Montsalvat artists community in Victoria and numerous community festivals.

Then came Twankydillo with Meg MacDonald and the Late Lis Johnston. 1989/90 was a very busy time for Twankydillo with performances in Adelaide, the Turramurra and Brucknall music camps, Ballarat Begonia Festival, and the Port Fairy Folk Festival. Twankydillo were a special combination of close harmony with a laid back, often comedic presentation. They launched their successful self-titled cassette to correspond with Port Fairy of that year. The band ended with their last performance at the Frankston Folk Club just weeks before Lis’ tragic death late in 1990. Annie worked with Jamie Johnston and a host of other people to produce the Lis Johnston memorial tribute album, the sales from which funded the Lis Johnston Award at the National Folk Festival.

Annie then formed two bands in 1991, Hy Breasil with John Rasmussen and Greg O’Leary and Three Bags Full with Meg MacDonald, Helen Wright and Kelley Johnston. Both bands featured in the 1992 National Folk Festival.

Since these bands broke up, Annie has continued to perform as a soloist and in various trios including a 12 month stint in a 9 piece R&B band performing numbers from Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Wilson Pickett. With Peter Howell and Tony Hargreaves she supported Vin Garbutt in 1998 and with Peter Howell, Ian Clarke and Phil Manning appeared at the Campaspe Downs blues weekend in the same year.

Annie has worked with many musicians over the years. Her vocal contributions can be found not only on the Twankydillo, Three Bags Full and Lis Johnston Memorial albums but also with Rob Bartlett, Meg MacDonald, John Caldwell, Peter Anderson and may others.