Andy Golledge awarded inaugural Americana Music Prize

They are the humble words of Tamworth born and raised musician Andy Golledge, who was recently awarded the inaugural Americana Music Prize of Australia for his single 1170.

The songwriter beat 15 other budding performers to the Shane Nicholson backed award, after meeting Mr Nicholson in Nashville last year before blowing his hair back with some rousingly stirring performances during Tamworth’s Country Music Festival in January.

What’s this Faces of Tamworth all about?

“I don’t even truly know what Americana means, and I know that some of the people I beat work longer and harder than I do – I just write about how lazy and depressed I feel but if you are doing what you love it is not hard work at all,” he said.

The song 1170 “is about a love and a break up that was easier than most, and dealing with the anxieties, the fear and the hope that come with that whole thing – it was a polaroid of time driven by those emotions.” 

Those anxieties and fear almost derailed his passion and career, although a guiding light shone by The Andy Golledge Band guitarist and good mate Leeroy Lee showed him the way.

These days the band are soaring as they prepare to release their debut studio length album later this year.

“A few years ago Leeroy pulled me out of a really deep hole,” he said.

“I was super anxious, and scared of not being perfect at live performances, or that if I recorded something it would not sound like what I wanted it to.

“Leeroy taught me to let go of that, that the key is to just keep playing music and making content because there is no real destination in music - if there was what would you do if you got there, where would you go?”

These days The Andy Golledge Band are staples of the vibrant Newtown and inner-west Sydney scene, but are also making their mark nationally and now globally after being picked up for an Australian Americana showcase tour of Nashville late last year.

They have spent the last six months in and out of the recording studios recording and touching up the long awaited live studio album, which is expected to be released in September.

“It is a really exciting time for the band, and this award and that recognition really adds to that for us,” he said.

“Shane (Nicholson) is a really great guy and has been on board with the band and the songwriting since we met in Nashville.”

This week the band were at the Marrickville Bowling Club to record a film clip for well received single Baby Mumma.

While the “recognition is the prize” the Americana Award also comes with $10,000 worth of prizes which include: