Troy Cassar-Daley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Troy Cassar-Daley
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 18 May 1969 Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, singer, author |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, harmonica |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Sony Music, Liberation Music |
Troy Cassar-Daley (born 18 May 1969) is a famous Australian country music singer, songwriter, and entertainer. He is known for his amazing voice and heartfelt songs.
Over his career, which has lasted more than 30 years, Troy has released many albums. He has won lots of awards, including five ARIA Music Awards, forty-five Golden Guitar awards, and nine Deadly Awards for Indigenous artists. He has also been named Entertainer of the Year four times by the Country Music Association of Australia.
Contents
Early Life and Music Journey
Troy Cassar-Daley was born on 18 May 1969 in Surry Hills, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney. His father was Maltese-Australian, and his mother was an Aboriginal woman from the Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung communities.
When he was very young, Troy moved with his mother to Grafton, New South Wales. He first visited the Tamworth Country Music Festival when he was just eleven years old. The next year, he went back to Tamworth to play music on the streets for tips.
By the time he was 16, Troy and his band, Little Eagle, were touring around the North Coast of New South Wales. He even made it into the top 10 of Tamworth's Toyota Star Maker Quest. In 1986, he won the "Search for a Star" competition. After that, he toured with another musician, Brian Young, for seven months. This is when Troy really started to develop his skills as a songwriter. When he returned home, he became the leader of The Blue Heeler Band.
Becoming a Solo Star
By late 1993, Troy Cassar-Daley had written enough songs for his first collection of music, called an EP. His first song, "Dream Out Loud," came out on 24 October 1994. It quickly became a number-one hit on the Australian country music charts.
His first full album, Beyond the Dancing, was released in January 1995. This album won the ARIA Award for Best Country Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995. The next year, at the 1996 Country Music Awards in Tamworth, Troy won the award for Best Male Vocalist. He also appeared briefly in the movie Race the Sun, where he sang a song in a bar scene.
In June 1996, Troy was part of an Australian Country Music Showcase in Nashville, USA. This led him to record his next album, True Believer (1998), in the US. His album after that, Big River (1999), won another ARIA Award for Best Country Album. He continued to release successful albums like Long Way Home (2002), Borrowed & Blue (2004), Brighter Day (2005), and I Love This Place (2009). The last two also won ARIA Awards for Best Country Album.
Troy sang the national anthem at the 2003 NRL grand final. In 2006, he teamed up with actress Kate Ritchie for the TV singing show It Takes Two. He appeared on the show again in 2007. Troy also appeared in Wiggles music videos for songs like "Old Dan Tucker" and "Turkey in the Straw".
In 2009, Troy performed with Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Sound Relief. This was a big concert to raise money for people affected by the Victorian Bushfire Crisis.
Troy continued to release popular albums such as Home (2012), The Great Country Songbook with Adam Harvey (2013), and Freedom Ride (2015). In August 2016, he released his first book, an autobiography called Things I Carry Around, along with an album of the same name. In 2017, Troy was honored by being inducted into the prestigious Australian Roll of Renown.
In October 2018, Troy released a big double album called Greatest Hits. In June 2020, he signed a new deal with Sony Music Entertainment Australia, the same record label he first joined in 1995. He then released Christmas for Cowboys in 2020 and The World Today in 2021. The World Today won the Best Country Album award at the 2021 ARIA Music Awards. His latest album, Between the Fires, was released in May 2024 and also won awards.
Family Life
Troy Cassar-Daley is married to Laurel Edwards, who is a radio and television presenter. They have two children together. One of their children, Jem Cassar-Daley, is also a singer-songwriter.
In 2020, Troy appeared on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?. On the show, he explored his family history, tracing his father's roots back to Malta and learning more about his mother's Aboriginal Australian ancestors.
Music Releases
Troy Cassar-Daley has released many albums throughout his career. These include thirteen studio albums, two live albums, and five compilation albums. Some of his albums have been very successful, like The Great Country Songbook, which sold enough copies to be certified platinum. His albums often reach high positions on the Australian music charts.
Awards and Achievements
Troy Cassar-Daley has won many awards for his music. He has received five ARIA Music Awards, which are some of the biggest music awards in Australia. He has also won an incredible forty-five Golden Guitar awards, making him the artist with the most wins in this category.
He has also been recognized for his Indigenous heritage, winning nine Deadly Awards and two National Indigenous Music Awards. These awards celebrate the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Troy was also inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown in 2019, which is a special honor for country music artists.
