Melinder Schneider & Beccy Cole – Great Women Of Country
Two of Australia’s biggest country music superstars and long-time friends, Melinder Schneider and Beccy Cole, are pairing up for a run of shows to accompany their recently released Great Women Of Country And The Songs That Made Them.
Renowned for their successful solo careers, between them they have produced 15 albums while collecting numerous accolades including 15 golden guitars along with Female Vocalist and Song of the Year awards from APRA. Despite this paralleled success the ladies had only ever briefly collaborated for one-off awards ceremony performances.
When the idea for the album first came about, Schneider suggested to Cole they pay tribute to the women of country music that influenced them. “It was simply an idea I couldn’t refuse,” says Cole.
For the album the ladies wanted to highlight some of the most popular female country songs off all time ranging from the 1940s right into the 1990s. This proved to be a somewhat daunting task.“We had to look at it more as a tipping of the hat and tribute through our own interpretations in order to honour and bring these songs back to the forefront,” Cole explains. “Rather than trying to recreate or fix something.”
When speaking about the upcoming shows the ladies appeared to be most excited about the opportunity to perform at such a prestigious venue as the Sydney Opera House and to also be able to bring country music into the capital cities which is a rare occurrence in Australia.
“We’re really excited and it’s fantastic to be able to do that because it doesn’t happen very often since we’re always touring regionally,” says Schneider.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to get country music into such an incredible venue. If someone had told me when I first started that I would be able to sing country music in the city, let alone the Opera House, I may not have believed them,” Cole continues. “It’s quite the dream actually.”
From talking with the pair it’s clear that they have a true friendship which they both said was one of the main aspects of the show that they are looking forward to showing off to the audience in what is set to be a very sentimental show as they explore songs that moulded their early lives and careers and bring back many memories.
“Mel and I tend to spark each other up on stage,” Cole says. “There is a real chemistry when we sing together, so we’re looking forward to bringing that out of the studio and in front of a live audience. People can expect a little fun and frivolity along the way.” (JA)
Dec 14, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney, $69-99+b.f, sydneyoperahouse.com
