He has played a 3 month residency with the house band in B.B King’s Club in Memphis and Buddy Guy’s Blues Club in Chicago as well as several Southern Blues festivals. While in America Ray recorded with Mark Sallings. Ray has also had the privelge of being asked to play with American greats such as Andy Just, Dave Bowen and Chris Cain.

Chris Cain has said,
“Ray is unquestionably one of the finest musicians I have come across …His song writing has a harmonic and emotional depth that many strive for but few capture. Ray’s guitar work…well, lets just say this cat is VERY dangerous.”

The signing highlights the global appeal of King Tide’s infectious, high energy music. Urban Sedated is committed to scanning the world for the best music out there, and to be recognised amongst that calibre of artists is truly an honour.

Join these mighty kings of rebel music for another Electrifying live Christmas Show with Horns at The Brass Monkey

The signing highlights the global appeal of King Tide’s infectious, high energy music. Urban Sedated is committed to scanning the world for the best music out there, and to be recognised amongst that calibre of artists is truly an honour.

Join these mighty kings of rebel music for another Electrifying live Christmas Show with Horns at The Brass Monkey

While Emma’s voice and style are unique, and individually her own, her performances are reminiscent of the classic era of jazz, when swing was top of the charts.

By request, in 2006, Emma performed the Bridal Waltz for Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s wedding, also performing through the evening with a swinging set of big band numbers with the Sydney All Star Big Band.

Earlier that same year, Emma was awarded the Mo Award for “Jazz Vocalist of the year”.

Emma has been a regular guest on national TV shows like Hey, Hey Its Saturday, the Midday Show, Good Morning Australia, the Today show, and has also sung to VIP audiences including the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Princess Mary of Denmark, and the Prime Minister of Australia.

You’ll often hear Emma’s voice on numerous Television Commercials, movie soundtracks and voice over work.

She has performed to audiences of up to 80,000 people,

Sung in London at The Queen Elizabeth Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra,

In China with The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra,

In Auckland with the NZ Philharmonic,

With Barbara Morrison, Don Burrows, Ed Wilson, Conductor Sean O’Boyle,

With the WA Symphony Orchestra,

Recorded with the BBC Big Band in London,

Performed at the Phillips International Jazz Festival in Kuala Lumpur,

At the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne,

In Cape Town S.A with the Darius Brubeck Trio,

toured her band ‘The Emma Pask Qunitet” through Laos and Singapore, and Rome Italy.

And has performed at the Sydney Opera House, guesting alongside James Morrison with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Following the enormous success of her first 2 albums, “Emma” and “This Madness called Love”, Emma has recently released her latest recording “Some Other Spring”.

Despite her achievements and the international recognition of her talent, Emma retains her natural, refreshing and unpretentious, positive approach to life.

James Morrison says “Whilst it’s fashionable to be a jazz singer these days, she’s the real thing!”

They garnered many accolades and their chart-topping song, ‘Even When Im Sleeping’, won APRA song of the year and was later voted as one of the ‘Top 20 Australian Songs of All Time’.

She went on to make gold selling albums and tour extensively with dance producer wunderkind, Paul Mac.

She has supported Tom Jones, Everything But the Girl, Barry White, Joe Jackson, Neil Finn among others… She has been invited to sing duets with Neil Finn, Daniel Johns, Alex Lloyd, Leo Sayer! and esteemed others, was commissioned to record her songs for the hit TV series, ‘The Secret Life of Us’, and released her highly acclaimed solo album, ‘Rise Up’; Her song “Horses” from that album was voted 2nd in the International Songwriting Competition by esteemed judges - Robert Smith of The Cure, Tom Waits, Robbie Williams, Timbaland, and more…
More recently, she has been doing commissions for lyric writing for a new American film and also a Broadway musical!

Abby also has a delicious new side-project called Baby et Lulu in which she sings French songs in harmony with the lovely Lara Goodridge of Fourplay fame in front of an extraordinarily swinging band .

She recently returned from 5 months in Paris where she drank more tequila and wrote new songs for her next solo album.

PRESS QUOTES

Revolver – live review
“ her vocals croon, float, gristle, belt and i swoon as she effortlessly plays with syncopation and phrasing, melody, and the beating hearts of the audience.”

The Age, Melbourne
“Abby Dobson is blessed with one of the most distinctive voices in Australian music — a smoky, intrinsically romantic instrument that she’s used to bewitch audiences over the years”” -

Sydney Morning Herald
““Abby Dobson knows how to own a stage! “

Canberra Times
““Thought provoking and sometimes heartbreaking lyrics, lush sounds, beautiful melodies and soaring vocals” “

The Independent, England
““A mega watt powerful voice which conjures melancholy, romance and sex, seemingly out of the ether””

If this album was a recipe it would read:…………………….

Take one heaped teaspoon of Seasick Steve, a liberal helping of Catfish Keith, a pinch of Joni Mitchell. Finish well with a dusting of Blind Willie McTell and put into a studio at gas mark 5. Bake for one week. What you get is an eclectic pie with so many flavours that perhaps shouldn’t work together, but just do!

Both artists have vast experience behind them and have been able to gently influence each other without taking control. The variety of this recording is refreshing and the excitement comes from a sense that this is just the start of what is destined to be a large brood of musical offspring. The blending of pre war hill country and delta blues with early Australian folk and traditional Celtic styles has produced a truly unique sound and has enhanced their reputation as one of the world’s most interesting and musically appealing combinations.
MUSIC IN A JUGULAR VEIN !

“ This is a loud feral stomp down a Queensland dirt road………….the sort of unpretentious music that doesn’t care whether your pissed as a maggot or sober as a judge……….the players sound like they’re beating their instruments to within an inch of their lives” - Jeff Lang.

“My sincere compliments on the quality of the music. I listened and liked what I heard, this is music I can and do enjoy.” - Bruce Iglauer, President, Alligator Records, Chicago, USA.

“Fitzy would have to be Australia’s foremost purveyor of authentic pre war blues” - Al Hensley, Rhythms magazine.

1977- 16th August (the night Elvis died). MENTAL AS ANYTHING (Reg Mombassa, Greedy Smith, Martin Plaza, Wayne ‘Bird’ Delisle and Peter O’Doherty) perform together for the first time at the Cellblock Theatre, East Sydney Tech. Start a year long residency at the Unicorn Hotel, Sydney (using the pool table as their stage).

1978 - Move to the Civic Hotel, Sydney, for another year long residency on a larger stage.

1979 - The Nips Are Getting Bigger and the album Get Wet hit Top 20 in Australia. Nips released in UK, reaches indy Top 40.

1980 - Come Around off the album Espresso Bongo hits Top 20. Release another hit single (Just Like) Romeo and Juliet Dec ‘80

1981 - If You Leave Me Can I Come Too? & Too Many Times, two of the year’s biggest singles off the Platinum Album Cats And Dogs. Too Many Times goes to number 19 in Canada.

1982 - Tour USA. Release single I Didn’t Mean To Be Mean (produced by Elvis Costello). First single, Close Again, from the album Creatures Of Leisure. Band tours U.S and Canada.

1983 - Spirit Got Lost & Brain, Brain released off Top 10 album Creatures Of Leisure. Also release cover of Roy Orbison’s Working For The Man. Too Many Times hits Top 20 in Canada as the band tours Canada and USA - First Group Art Exhibition, with works by each of the band members, held at Watters Gallery, Darlinghurst (Sydney). Buyers included Patrick White and Elton John. (White later bequeathed one of Reg’s works to The Art Gallery of NSW)

1984 - Apocalypso (Wiping The Smile Off Santa’s Face) the band’s only Christmas single

1985 - Fundamental As Anything - Platinum Best Selling Australian Album - Live It Up - Best Selling Australian Single - singles You’re So Strong( No. / Date With Destiny(No. 18) - multi platinum Greatest Hits Vol I goes to No. 2 on the charts - Live It Up received Apra award for most performed work and Countdown award for best single and song writer.

1986 - Live It Up -no.1 in Scandinavia No.2 in Germany and No.3 in the U.K - Band tours UK, Holland, Spain and Italy (Band wins coveted Telegatto award on Italian TV)

1987 - Release Top 20 album Mouth To Mouth. Singles Let’s Go To Paradise & He’s Just No Good For You also enter Top 20.

-Also release a Top 40 cover of Elvis Presley’s Love Me Tender

- Band tours UK again and then N.E. USA and Canada with Robert
Palmer.

1988 - Rock & Roll Music from the film soundtrack YOUNG EINSTEIN reaches No. 6 on the charts

1989 - Another Top 40 Album - Cyclone Raymond with the No.15World Seems Difficult and top 5 hit Rock n Roll music.

1990 - Then deputy Prime Minister, Paul Keating, opens second Mental As Anything Art Exhibition with works by all five Mentals attracting huge critical acclaim. It tours Tamworth at the Country Music Festival, travelling on to Melbourne, Lismore, Campbelltown and back to Sydney.

1993 - Release B Sides and rarities album Chemical Travel

1994 - Bicycle EP Tour - limited copies of the EP given away to loyal fans around the country - Radio picks up Mr Natural off the Bicycle EP CD sampler

1995 - The album Liar, Liar Pants on Fire enters the top 40, to glowing reviews, and the single Mr Natural hits Top 30. Two other singles are released - Nigel, which instantly becomes a radio hit, and Whole Wide World, a cover originally written and recorded by Reckless Eric.

1996 - Marianne, the final single from Liar, Liar…, is released and the band retreat into the studio to work extensively on their new album., An appearance at the Mountain Rock Festival in New Zealand, followed by the Australian Tour with Chris Isaak and a tour of New Zealand with The Exponents.

1997 - Release Garage LP. Mentals III art exhibition opened in Sydney by ex- PM Gough Whitlam. This exhibition then tours Australia continuously till late 2002.

1998 - Tour UK

1999 - Bass Player Peter O’ Dougherty leaves the band after 22 years to concentrate on his painting. He is replaced by the Exponents’ Dave the” Duck” Barraclough.

1998 - Band plays in Vietnam. Reg Mombassa leaves the band after 24 years to concentrate on his painting and his artwork for Mambo surf wear. While touring heavily around Australia. Mentals find the time to record Beetroot Stains.

1999 “Fine line” single is given high rotation on Triple J. Album Beetroot Stains released followed by the Borscht EP. Band plays London, Glasgow and Dublin.

2000 Kiwi Guitarist Mike Caen (Credits include Dragon, Margaret Urlich and Jenny Morris) joins to replace Murray Cook. Late in the year the Roadcase album is released.

2001 - Roadcase tour of Australia. Twenty sixth anniversary show at the Basement in Sydney is recorded for a live DVD release.

2003 - Band records Basemental DVD at the Basement

2004 - Band finishes recording “Songs The Lord Tortoise” it is a toe- tapping collection of some of the classic tunes that have inspired the Band. Includes favourites like Ruby (Don’t take your love to town), Lonesome Train, Hangin Five and many more. To be released in late 2004. Band releases The Basemental DVD in May.

Featuring members of Australia’s premier zydeco band Psycho Zydeco, blues virtuoso Chris Mawer, and members of Petulant Frenzy (Zappa show), the music is presented by musicians who are original artists in their own right, dedicated to the blues.

The greatest hits of blues, funk, soul, and zydeco are on the menu featuring such tunes as ‘What I Say’ by Ray Charles, ‘Goin Back To New Orleans’, by Dr John and ‘The Thrill Is Gone’ by BB King. The uplifting style called zydeco is in the mix along with the deep blues of
John Lee Hooker (One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer), Howling Wolf (Killing Floor), and New Orleans masters of funk, The Meters (People Say, Hey Pocky Way).

The Louisiana Road Show presents a multimedia element using film and video to enhance the atmosphere of this incredible music, bringing a modern touch to the earthy soul of this timeless music.