Edited by Philip Hayward

This volume provides an in-depth introduction to aspects of Australian country music. Individual chapters address topics such as the origins of pre-history of the form in Australia, the development of Aboriginal country music, Christianity and country music, and music industry issues. Other chapters profile and analyse the work of particular Australian performers, such as Slim Dusty, Kasey Chambers, Graeme Connors, Colin Buchanan and Catherine Britt.

The book is targeted at those Australian country fans who wish to explore the roots and contexts of their music and to students and researchers interested in the study and analysis of Australian country.

The editor, Philip Hayward, is professor of Countemporary Music Studies at Macquarie University, Sydney and an industry mentor (research) at Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music. He has published a number of previous books on Australian and Western Pacific music, including From Pop to Punk to Postmodernism (1992), Music at the Borders (1999), Tide Lines (2001) and Hearing the Call (2003).

The anthology is published by the Australian Institute of Country Music at Gympie as a parallel initiative with its annual Australian Country Music Conferences (inaugurated in 2003).