Beccy Cole "Poster Girl" & Songbirds: 2006-2009 What happened in 2006? Cole joined the Tour de Force series of concerts in Iraq and "across the Middle East" for Australian Defence Force "personnel What was Poster Girl? ". In May 2006 she issued a single, "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)" in response, she declared her support for the Australian diggers but not the Iraq War. Was the single a success? Single of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)". What was Songbirds? In 2007, Cole, Jeffreys and Storer combined to form Songbirds.
Did the band see any success?
Did Songbirds see any success?
During the festive season of December 2005 and January 2006, Cole joined the Tour de Force series of concerts in Iraq and "across the Middle East" for Australian Defence Force "personnel serving in Operation Catalyst". Also performing at the concerts were Little Pattie (patron of Forces Advisory Council on Entertainment, which organised the tour's entertainers), Angry Anderson, Bessie Bardot, Hayley Jenson, and comedian Lehmo. They were backed by the Royal Australian Navy Band. Anderson later recalled "[Cole] struck me from the beginning, I mean she's a born entertainer, and I thought, this chick is as funny as hell. The songs that she was singing, original tunes, and just funny and witty".  Upon return to Australia Cole received a letter from a disgruntled former fan who objected to her Tour de Force appearances and declared "I've taken your poster off of my wall and I won't be listening to your music any more". In May 2006 she issued a single, "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)" in response, she declared her support for the Australian diggers but not the Iraq War. Also that month she re-released Feel This Free, with bonus tracks, on Warner Records. In January the following year, at the 35th Country Music Awards of Australia, she received three Golden Guitar trophies for Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)". On 17 March 2007 Cole appeared on celebrity quiz show, RocKwiz, she performed "Rockabilly Fever" and a duet with Mark Lizotte on "A Good Year for the Roses".  On 12 October 2007 Cole issued her debut live album, Live @ Lizotte's, with guest appearances by Chambers, Jeffreys and Sara Storer. The deluxe version included a DVD of seven live performances and a Behind the Scenes documentary. In 2007, Cole, Jeffreys and Storer combined to form Songbirds. A live concert film Songbirds: You've Got a Friend was recorded at the Tamworth Country Music Festival on 22 January 2009 and the related DVD was released in May by EMI Music Australia. The DVD went gold in 2009. Susan Jarvis of Capital News noted that the "friendship between the three girls is very much in evidence" where each "performs some of their songs solo, but the three come and go in a wonderfully fluid and organic way, providing a feeling of warmth and spontaneity". CANNOTANSWER
A live concert film Songbirds: You've Got a Friend was recorded at the Tamworth Country Music Festival on 22 January 2009 and the related DVD was released in May
Beccy Cole (born Rebecca Diane Thompson, 27 October 1972), also known as Beccy Sturtzel, Rebecca Diane Albeck and Bec O'Donovan, is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has released ten studio albums, with six reaching the ARIA Albums Chart top 40, Little Victories (January 2003), Preloved (September 2010), Songs & Pictures (September 2011), Great Women of Country (with Melinda Schneider, November 2014), Sweet Rebecca (April 2015) and The Great Country Songbook Volume 2 (with Adam Harvey, April 2017). Her video album, Just a Girl Singer (August 2004), peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Top 40 DVD Chart. Cole has received nine Golden Guitar trophies at the CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia. During December 2005 to January 2006 she performed for Australian Defence Force personnel in Iraq. Her related single, "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)" (May 2016), expresses her support for the troops. It won the 2007 Song of the Year at CMAA awards, and its music video was listed at No. 1 on Australia's Country Music Channel. In March 2015 she published her autobiography, Poster Girl.

Life and career

Early life: 1972–92

Beccy Cole was born as Rebecca Diane Thompson on 27 October 1972 in Glenelg. Her mother is a country music singer, Carole Sturtzel, and her father, Jeff Thompson, was saxophonist for the Strangers. Cole attended Blackwood Primary School. At the age of 14 years she started performing in her mother's group, Wild Oats, as Beccy Sturtzel. She also performed solo on the South Australian festival circuit. Aside from her mother, Cole's inspirations are Dolly Parton and The Eagles. In 1991, Cole joined a country music group, Dead Ringer Band, led by Bill Chambers; she had met his daughter, Kasey Chambers, in Adelaide in mid-1989. Cole and Chambers performed as a duo at the Port Pirie Country Music Festival, and by 1991 they had busked together on the streets of Tamworth. As a member of Dead Ringer Band, Cole provided rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals and occasional drums.

Career beginnings and first album: 1993–2000

On the advice of her manager she changed her performance name to "Beccy Cole". In January 1993 at the Country Music Awards of Australia she won the Star Maker award, singing Reba McEntire's "Just a Little Love" and Slim Dusty's "Bushland Boogie". As a result of winning the Star Maker award, she had to perform at a special concert opening for Gina Jeffreys. This was the commencement of a lifelong friendship. Cole moved to Sydney in 1993 to pursue her music career and to record a single. She was advised by studio owners Deniese and Martin Cass that her self-penned tracks were not good enough, so she recorded "Fooling' Around", which was written by Perth songwriter Mark Donahoe. The single spent two weeks at number 2 on the country charts. At the 1994 Country Music Awards of Australia, Cole won the Golden Guitar trophy for Best New Talent. and signed her first record deal in 1994. Later that year, she spent four months touring remote Aboriginal communities in northern Australia. In 1995 Cole toured with Slim Dusty. Cole featured on the ABC-TV documentary Doesn't Everyone Want a Golden Guitar? and her song "Take Me Home the Long Way" appeared on the associated soundtrack album of the same name. Cole supplied backing vocals for an album, The Circle Game, by country music duo Rod McCormack and Mick Albeck; another guest vocalist was Gina Jeffreys.

In 1996, Cole signed a new record deal with Harvestone Records on the Sony label and began working on her debut album. The album was produced by Rod McCormack. Cole issued two singles, "Hearts Changing Hands" and "Rest in Pieces". The latter single's B-side, "Big Girls", was co-written with Chambers; it was promoted by a music video which featured Albeck as Cole's love interest. On 11 July 1997 her debut album, Beccy Cole, was released and peaked at number 122 on the ARIA Charts in November. The album generated lukewarm responses and Sony decided not to record a second album.
Cole married Mick Albeck late in 1997 and gave birth to a son on 2 March 1999. Cole and Albeck divorced in 1999. Later in 1999, Cole began touring with Darren Coggan, Felicity, and Adam Harvey as the 'Young Stars of Country'. In 2000 at the Gympie Music Muster the four artists recorded their live cover version of Dolly Parton's "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind".

Commercial success: 2001–05

Cole's second album, Wild at Heart, was issued on 15 January 2001 by ABC Country and distributed by Universal Music Australia, which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Country Albums Chart. It included contributions by Chambers and Jeffreys on vocals, and McCormack on guitars, keyboards, piano, Hammond organ, mandolin, banjo and backing vocals, as well as producing the album. Rosie Adsett at Country Update felt "[she's] never been in finer voice, and the enjoyment of finally recording just shines through this one". While The Sydney Morning Heralds Katrina Lobley noted that Cole "unashamedly examines every corner of a recently broken heart. The album's not entirely miserable – her sense of fun bursts out in wild ditties". At the ARIA Music Awards of 2001 Wild at Heart was nominated for Best Country Album. By November 2002 it was re-issued with a five-track bonus disc, including her single, "Life Goes On". For her gigs she also performs on lead guitar, drums, bass guitar, fiddle or piano. In December 2003 Wild at Heart was accredited with a gold certificate for shipment of 35,000 copies.

On 20 January 2003, Cole released her third studio album, Little Victories, which reached the top 30 on the ARIA Albums Chart and No. 4 on the Country Albums Chart. It was again produced by McCormack, who also provided banjo, dobro, guitars (acoustic and electric), mandola, mandolin and percussion as well as mixing and engineering. On the End of Year Charts – Country 2003, the album reached No. 18. Cole co-wrote eight of its tracks with Tamara Stewart (aka Tamara Sloper). Capital News described the work as by "a more mature, more reflective and more confident" artist. At the ARIA Music Awards that year it was nominated for Best Country Album. In December 2005 it was accredited with a gold certificate.

On 2 August 2004, Cole issued a video album, Just a Girl Singer, which included interviews, live concert footage, music videos and archival footage. The album was written, produced and directed by Lindsay Frazer; which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Top 40 DVD Chart. It provided Cole's next single, "Sorry I Asked". In the following year, on 11 April, Cole released her next studio album, Feel This Free, which reached the ARIA Albums Chart Top 100 and No. 3 on the ARIA Country Albums Chart. It includes Albeck on violin and fiddle; McCormack on multiple instruments and producing; and Jeffreys and McCormack co-writing tracks with Cole.

"Poster Girl" and Songbirds: 2006–09

During the festive season of December 2005 and January 2006, Cole joined the Tour de Force series of concerts in Iraq and "across the Middle East" for Australian Defence Force "personnel serving in Operation Catalyst". Also performing at the concerts were Little Pattie (patron of Forces Advisory Council on Entertainment, which organised the tour's entertainers), Angry Anderson, Bessie Bardot, Hayley Jenson and comedian Lehmo. They were backed by the Royal Australian Navy Band. Anderson later recalled that "[Cole] struck me from the beginning, I mean she's a born entertainer, and I thought, this chick is as funny as hell. The songs that she was singing, original tunes, and just funny and witty".
Upon her return to Australia, Cole received a letter from a disgruntled former fan who objected to her Tour de Force appearances and declared "I've taken your poster off of my wall and I won't be listening to your music any more." In May 2006 she issued a single, "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)" in response, she declared her support for the Australian diggers but not the Iraq War. Also that month she re-released Feel This Free, with bonus tracks, on Warner Records. In January the following year, at the 35th Country Music Awards of Australia, she received three Golden Guitar trophies for Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)". On 17 March 2007, Cole appeared on celebrity music quiz show RocKwiz, performing "Rockabilly Fever" and a duet with Mark Lizotte on "A Good Year for the Roses".

On 12 October 2007, Cole issued her debut live album, Live @ Lizotte's, with guest appearances by Chambers, Jeffreys and Sara Storer. The deluxe version included a DVD of seven live performances and a behind the scenes documentary. In 2007, Cole, Jeffreys and Storer combined to form Songbirds. A live concert film, Songbirds: You've Got a Friend, was recorded at the Tamworth Country Music Festival on 22 January 2009 and the related DVD was released in May by EMI Music Australia. The DVD went gold in 2009. Susan Jarvis of Capital News noted that the "friendship between the three girls is very much in evidence" where each "performs some of their songs solo, but the three come and go in a wonderfully fluid and organic way, providing a feeling of warmth and spontaneity".

Continued success: 2010–present

On 3 September 2010 Cole issued a covers album, Preloved, on Sony BMG Australia which peaked in the top 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Included are her renditions of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", Deborah Conway's "It's Only the Beginning" and Leiber and Stoller's "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care". Cole's version of Parton's "Here You Come Again" was released as the lead single, she told Anita Beaumont of The Newcastle Herald that "[it] is the least covered song of Dolly's, and I believed the lyrics stand the test of time". Beaumont felt the album showed "quite a bit of country influence ... but some of these songs weren't originally intended for a country audience. They sound pretty rootsy".

Cole's sixth studio album, Songs & Pictures, appeared on 30 September 2011 and reached No. 24 on the ARIA Albums Chart – her highest position. It was produced by Shane Nicholson (Angie Hart, Catherine Britt). The album includes a duet with Chambers, "Millionaires", which they had co-written; Chambers later recalled "It's really the story of our friendship". At the ARIA Music Awards of 2012 Songs & Pictures was nominated for Best Country Album. In May 2013 Cole released her first compilation album, Beccy's Big Hits. She promoted the album with an Australian tour and invited aspiring artists to perform a song on stage, via the Beccy's Search for a Shiny Star competition. In 2014, Cole released Great Women of Country a duet album with Melinda Schneider was released, a tribute and covers album of Beccy's idols and legendary female country singers and songwriters. She and Schneider performed one of the tracks, Dolly Parton's "9 to 5", on The Morning Show. In 2015, Cole released Sweet Rebecca through ABC Music.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation announced on 22 January 2021 that Cole would become the new host of Saturday Night Country, its long-running national country music radio program, heard on regional ABC stations and on ABC Country. From Saturday 13 February 2021, Cole will present the program from studios at ABC Radio Adelaide.  The show has a history of retaining its hosts for long time periods with Cole having only two predecessors, John Nutting and Felicity Urquhart.

Personal life

During the mid-1990s, Cole and Gina Jeffreys were flatmates, while Mick Albeck and Rod McCormack were also flatmates. Cole was married to Albeck for one-and-a-half years (1998–99), writing songs as Rebecca Diane Albeck. The couple have a son. Not long after he was born, Jeffreys and McCormack married each other. Cole's second album, Wild at Heart, dealt with her divorce; the track "Lazy Bones" was written about Albeck and their short marriage. According to Albeck, "it was tough sometimes when we were touring together, living together, bringing up the baby together and having to be on stage together at night. I guess I decided I didn't want the relationship anymore. That was pretty tough for Bec at the time".

By August 2004, Cole was living in the Central Coast region with other country musicians nearby including Kasey Chambers, Jeffreys and McCormack, Lyn Bowtell and Adam Harvey: the artists call the local area, Hillbilly Heaven. Albeck, Bowtell, Jeffreys and McCormack have assisted Cole on her albums. As of April 2012, Cole lived in Copacabana, New South Wales. In July of that year, she revealed that she is a lesbian on the ABC-TV series Australian Story. In October 2013, Cole was the inaugural ambassador for the Adelaide-based Feast Festival, and in the following month, she presented her show The Queer of Country. She explained to Suzie Keen of InDaily that "I was concerned that there may be a lack of understanding towards my sexuality. How wrong I was. What Australians appreciate more than anything is honesty".

By April 2015, Cole was living in Adelaide with her domestic partner, Libby O'Donovan, a cabaret singer. She published her autobiography, Poster Girl, in the previous month. Cole and O'Donovan were married on 2 February 2018 with fellow country musician, Tania Kernaghan, officiating. The civil ceremony was attended by Adam Harvey, Gina Jeffreys, Kasey Chambers, Lyn Bowtell, Chris E Thomas, Bec Willis, Kym Warner, Trev Warner and Gina Timms. It was announced on Cole’s Facebook on the morning of 5 February 2022 that her marriage to O’Donovan had unfortunately ended.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Video albums

 Just a Girl Singer (2 August 2004) ABC Country / Universal Music Australia No. 6 AUS DVD

Singles

 "Foolin' Around" (1993)
 "Hearts Changing Hands" (1996)
 "Rest in Pieces" (1996)
 "This Heart" (2000) No. 227 AUS 
 "Life Goes On" (2002)
 "Little Victories" (2003)
 "Men Don't Dance Anymore" (2003)
 "Sorry I Asked" (2004)
 "Rainbows, Dreams And Butterflies" (2005)
 "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)" (2006)
 "Lifeboat" (2007)
 "Here You Come Again" (2010)
 "Shiny Things" (2011)
 "Waitress" (2012)
 "9 to 5"  (with Melinda Schneider)  (2014)
 "Love Hurts"  (with Melinda Schneider) (2015)
 "Broken Soldiers" (2015)
 "Sweet Rebecca" (2015)
 "F U Cancer" (Catherine Britt with Kasey Chambers, Lyn Bowtell, Josh Pyke, Wes Carr and Wendy Matthews) (2016)
 "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight"  (with Adam Harvey)  (2017)
 "Lioness" (2018)

Music videos
 "Foolin' Around" (1993)
 "This Heart" (2000)
 "Life Goes On" (2002)
 "Little Victories" (2003)
 "Sorry I Asked" (2004)
 "Rainbows, Dreams And Butterflies" (2005)
 "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)" (2006)
 "Shiny Things" (2011)
 "Waitress" (2012)
 "Love Hurts"  (with Melinda Schneider) (2015)
 "Broken Soldiers" (2015)
 "Sweet Rebecca" (2015)
 "Lioness" (2018)

Awards and nominations

ARIA Awards
he ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.

|-
| 2001
| Wild at Heart
| Best Country Album
| 
|-
| 2003
| Little Victories
| Best Country Album
| 
|-
| 2012
| Songs and Pictures
| Best Country Album
| 
|-

AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's independent music sector.

|-
| AIR Awards of 2019
|Lioness
| Best Independent Country Album
| 
|-

Country Music Awards of Australia
The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973.

|-
| 1994
| Beccy Cole for "Foolin' Around"
| New Talent of the Year
| 
|-
|rowspan=2|2001
| This Heart
| Female Vocalist of the Year
| 
|-
| "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" with Darren Coggan, Felicity and Adam Harvey
| Vocal Collaboration of the Year
| 
|-
| 2002
| "Too Strong To Break "
| Female Vocalist of the Year
| 
|-
|rowspan=3| 2007
|rowspan=3| "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)"
| Female Vocalist of the Year
| 
|-
| Song of the Year
| 
|-
| Single of the Year
| 
|-
|rowspan=2| 2012
| "Waitress"
| Female Vocalist of the Year
| 
|-
| "Millionaires" (with Kasey Chambers)
| Vocal Collaboration of the Year
| 
|-
| 2017
| "FU Cancer" (with Catherine Britt)
| Vocal Collaboration of the Year
| 
|-
| 2019
| Lioness
| Female Vocalist of the Year
| 
|-

 Note: wins only

References

External links
 
 

1972 births
Living people
Australian country singer-songwriters
Australian women singer-songwriters
LGBT singers from Australia
LGBT songwriters
Lesbian musicians
Musicians from Adelaide
Songbirds (group) members
Dead Ringer Band members
21st-century Australian singers
21st-century Australian women singers
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people
Comeback is the fourth and final studio album by German all-female pop-rap band Tic Tac Toe, released in 2006 by A One Entertainment. The album was their first in nearly a decade recorded in the original line-up, after Ricarda "Ricky" Wältken had re-joined the band.

The album was preceded by the single "Spiegel" in 2005 which became a top 10 hit in German-speaking countries. However, the second and final single, "Keine Ahnung", was a commercial failure and did not enter any charts. The album itself was a moderate top 40 chart success.

Track listing

Charts

References 

2006 albums
German-language albums
Tic Tac Toe (band) albums Goombay Dance Band is a German band created in 1979 by Oliver Bendt, named after a small bay on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Their music has a distinctive sound (somewhat similar to Boney M.), which is a mixture of soca, calypso and western pop. The group enjoyed greatest commercial success at the beginning of the 1980s, spawning such number 1 hits as "Sun of Jamaica", "Seven Tears" and "Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again". Goombay Dance Band built up a fan base across Europe and proved very popular in South Africa too, where "Sun of Jamaica" and "Aloha-Oe" entered the charts.

History
The band released the song "Sun of Jamaica" at the end of 1979. It topped the German single charts for nine weeks in 1980 and has sold 11 million copies. Their next single was "Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again", based on a Liliuokalani's composition "Aloha ʻOe". The song charted within the top 5 in European charts, including the number 1 spot in Austria. The group's debut album Zauber der Karibik, internationally known as Sun of Jamaica, was met with commercial success, reaching the top 5 in several countries. The second album, Land of Gold, performed much worse, only charting outside the German top 40, but spawned hits "Eldorado" and "Rain".

In 1981, the band released the album Holiday in Paradise, which featured the song "Seven Tears". When released in the UK next year, "Seven Tears" became the band's breakthrough hit on the British market, where it topped the singles chart for three weeks and was also a million-seller. This success was followed by the release of the compilation Seven Tears, which was well received in the UK, while in mainland Europe, the band released the retrospective Tropical Dreams to a modest success.

However, the group's subsequent releases did not draw as much attention. The next studio album, Born to Win, failed to chart and did not produce any impactful hits. In 1984 and 1985, Goombay Dance Band released several non-album singles, which were commercial failures. In the 1990s, the band released several albums, including the Christmas Album and the compilation Island of Dreams, which was met with moderate chart success and featured a new version of "Sun of Jamaica". The band celebrated their 30th anniversary with a collection of new songs and re-recorded hits in 2009. The following year, they recorded "Is This the Way to the World Cup" to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Band members
Oliver Bendt
Alicia Bendt
Dorothy Hellings
Wendy Doorsen
Dizzy Daniel Moorehead
Mario Slijngaard

Discography

Studio albums

 A^ In German speaking countries, the album Sun of Jamaica was released as Zauber der Karibik, and in Spain, as Sol de Jamaica.
 B^ Von Hawaii bis Tomé was re-released as Sommer, Sonne, Strand and Montego Bay in 1993.
 C^ Christmas Album was re-released as Christmas by the Sea in 1997.

Compilations

Singles

See also
 Goombay – a form of Bahamian music and a drum used to create it

References

External links
 
 

Eurodisco groups
German dance music groups
German world music groups
Musical groups established in 1979
Musicians from Hamburg
CBS Records artists