SHARON BENJAMIN

Discography

Strike Two - SBE 001

As The Crow Flies - SBE 002

Biography
Late in 1988 and a girl makes her singing debut in a country hotel. Amid the noise, the drinkers and the heat Sharon Benjamin's voice reaches out for the first time to the people of the Australian heartland, an audience she will eventually come to capture in word and song. Way back when Sharon first took to the stage having decided to become a fulltime entertainer, she had little idea the impact her songs would soon come to have on people and the places she knew so well.

Years later and the track record of her career so far tells the tale of talent with a difference, a pure quality recognised from the very start. 1993 brought the release of 'Something for Everyone', her debut. Intended for sale only at live shows, Sharon's songs were picked up by radio right across Australia. It's worth a mention too that this recording was a cassette release! In '97 Sharon and husband Mark Hillier formed a duo called "Strike Two" which recorded a self-titled album boasting nine songs penned between the tuneful partners. The debut single 'Ghost Train' remained in the Australian Country Music charts for over three month, reaching an impressive number 8. A second single climbed to number 31. Sharon's gifts as a singer-songwriter of true ability was officially sealed. But no artist worth their salt is content to rest on their laurels and for Sharon better songs were yet to come.

Having now release her third and most exciting project to date, a six track EP titled "As the Crow Flies", Sharon is creating a flurry of interest in music and radio circles across the country. With five of her best and most heartfelt compositions to date, the EP is dedicated to the memory of her late father, John Benjamin. The title track itself rightfully deserves a place in the pantheon of great country tunes and it is this that shines through on this release, great songs always reach out to touch even the most casual listener, listeners perhaps much like those who saw a girl bring her soul to bear one warm evening in the Riverina.

The upbeat, catchy "Hidden in the Lights" will be released early November, a track already receiving airplay and great forward reviews. "As the Crow Flies" was recently road tested at the huge Mildura Country Music Festival, where the duo were performing over a gruelling ten day program. In show casing the new material Sharon and Mark found they had yet again tapped into the same intense interest encountered before. Only this time word has begun to spread more quickly and much wider. That kind of a buzz, once started, dies hard. This time there is every indication that a whole lot more people are about to hear this lady writer reaching the height of her powers. That can only be good for the listener and for music. 2004 will undoubtedly prove to be an exciting year for Sharon, with promoting "As the Crow Flies", producing video clips, a new recording project and more extensive touring, it seems the sky for this high flying bird may not be quite the limit.

Artist web site www.sharonbenjamin.com.au 

STRIKE TWO

Sharon Benjamin

SBE 001 CD - $25.00

Categories
Ballads (BD), Country Rock (CR), New Country (NC)
Original (OR), )

Track Titles
1.    Straight as an Arrow (Sharon Benjamin) (3.06)
2.    Greyhound (Sharon Benjamin-Mark Hillier) (3.17)
3.    Come Dance With Me (Sharon Benjamin-Mark Hillier) (3.13)
4.    Denim Cowboy (Sharon Benjamin) (3.46)
5.   We Don't Talk Anymore (Sharon Benjamin) (4.15)
6.   Marriage In Trouble (Brent Parlane) (2.58)
7.   On the Outside (looking through) (Sharon Benjamin-Mark Hillier) (3.33)
8.    Ghost Train (Sharon Benjamin) (3.39)
9.    Strike Two (Dale Juner) (3.57)
10.  Lord I'd Forgotten (Johnny Chester) (3.50)
11.  White Line (Sharon Benjamin) (3.52)
12.  Mr. Moon (Sharon Benjamin-Mark Hillier) (3.58)
13.  Every Road Leads Back To You (Keith Potger-Barry Mason) (3.39)
 

CREDITS
Con Settineri - Drums
Victor Rounds - Fretless bass, Bass, Backing Vocals
David Helman - Drums
Mark Scotland - Bass and Acoustic Bass
John Stuart - Guitars, Steel, Dobro, Slide
Anton Korytnyj - Piano
Marcus Holden - Fiddle, Viola, Mandolin, Organ
Juan Jose' Diaz - Percussion
Mark Hillier - Bass
John Hamilton - Guitar, Keyboards
Dianna Corcoran - Backing Vocals
Daryl Byrne - Backing Vocals
Sharon Benjamin - Vocals, Guitar, Tambourine, Backing vocals.

Studio Information
Recorded at Sound Asylum Studios, Bowral
Produced by John Hamilton
Mastered at Sony
Produced assisted by Sharon Benjamin & Mark Hillier

AS THE CROW FLIES

Sharon Benjamin

SBE 002  CD - $12.00

Categories
Ballads (BD), Country Rock (CR), New Country (NC)
Original (OR),

Track Titles
1.    Hidden in the Lights (Composer) (4.43) (category)
2.    This Time (Composer) (3.33) (category)
3.    What Day Is It? (Composer) (3.19) (category)
4.    As The Crow Flies (Composer) (4.42) (category)
5.    Hopscotch (Composer) (3.37) (category)
6.    This Time (remix) (Composer) (3.10) (category)

CREDITS
Sharon Benjamin - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Mark Hillier - Bass Guitar
John "Mean" Hamilton - electric Guitar, Keyboards, Acoustic Bass, Ghost BV's
John Stuart - Remington Steel
Evan "The General" Lee - Slide Guitar
Eric St Fernhill - Drums

Studio Information
Recorded at Sound Asylum 2 Studios
Produced, Engineerd & Masterd by John "Mean" Hamilton
Photography Julienne's Photographics
CD Cover by Red Rabbit