Allan Caswell Explained

Allan Caswell
Birth Name:David Allan Caswell
Birth Date:9 March 1951
Birth Place:Chester, England
Instrument:Vocals, guitar
Genre:Country
Years Active:1966~present

David Allan Caswell, publishing under pen name Allan Caswell, is an English-Australian songwriter and performer, author, record producer, freelance journalist and teacher. Caswell wrote "On the Inside" (the theme from the television series Prisoner) and recorded by Lynne Hamilton.[1] It was a hit record in Australia and New Zealand in 1979.

In 1983, the single "The Australia's Cup" peaked at number 17 on the Australian charts.[2]

Biography

1952–1978: Early years

Allan Caswell to Stephen Castle[3] and his wife was born in Chester and grew up in North Wales, Berkshire, and South London (Mitcham) before migrating to Australia in 1966. He was educated at Wimbledon County Secondary School and later at South Sydney Boys High School.

Caswell's songwriting career started in 1973 when Chris Gilbey signed a song he had written with his brother Brian Caswell to Albert Music in Sydney. However, it was 6 years later when Allan Caswell had a song recorded.

1979–present: Music Career

In 1979, Caswell wrote "On the Inside", which became the theme for the television series Prisoner and later a major international hit song. The success of "On the Inside" triggered a succession of recordings by Patti Page, Cilla Black, The Irish Rovers, Max Bygraves and Acker Bilk, Slim Dusty, The Living End, Chad Morgan, Lynne Hamilton, James Blundell, Anne Kirkpatrick, Don Spencer, Graeme Connors, The Delltones, Doug Ashdown and Ricky May.

Caswell won his first Golden Guitar in Tamworth for Best New Talent in 1980.

In September 1983, Caswell released "The Australia's Cup", which peaked at number 17 on the Australian chart. His first and only top 100 single.[2]

In 1995, Caswell was asked by Don Spencer, on behalf of his Australian Children's Music Foundation, to work with children in Juvenile Detention teaching music and songwriting. He has helped set up similar programs in other centres. He also worked with the Foundation in their aim of making music accessible to underprivileged children.

In 2006, Caswell published his first book, "Writing Great Song Lyrics".[4]

In 2014, Caswell announced he had lost a 10-year legal battle with Sony music over similarities between his song "On the Inside" and Alabama's "Christmas in Dixie"; a song from which Alabama are estimated to have earned over $700,000.[5]

In 2016, Caswell celebrated the 50th Anniversary of his arrival in Australia in 1966 with an album called 50 Years in Oz.

In 2019, he released his autobiography My Version Of The Truth and moved to Queensland where he lives with his wife Marian in Varsity Lakes.

In 2020, Caswell released his 20th album, Tequila Amnesia.[6] He also released his third book, Secrets of Stronger Songwriting.

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected detail
Title Details
What Happened to Love?
  • Released: 1982
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Country Man (CML1003)
Handwritten
  • Released: 1987
  • Format: LP
  • Label: EMI (EMX 490059)
Heart Written
  • Released: 1990
  • Format: LP, CD, Cassette
  • Label: True Blue Records (466734 1)
Different Eyes
  • Released: 1995
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Larrikin Records (LRF 380)
Caswell Sings Caswell
  • Released: 2001
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Shoestring Production
Don't Count on It
  • Released: 2002
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Shoestring Production (SR39)
Al's Bar And Grill
  • Released: 2006
  • Format: CD
  • Label: ORIGiN (OR 079)
Rules for Love
  • Released: 2008[7]
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Allan Caswell
Behind Bars
Just Kidding
  • Released: March 2012[9]
  • Format: CD, DD
  • Label: Allan Caswell
It's a Country Song
  • Released: 2012[10]
  • Format: CD, DD
  • Label: Allan Caswell
Sometimes When Lose When You Win
  • Released: January 2014[11]
  • Format: CD, DD
  • Label: Allan Caswell
My Version of the Truth
  • Released: 2015
  • Format: CD, DD
  • Label: Shoestring Production (SR111)
50 Years in Oz
  • Released: July 2016[12]
  • Format: CD, DD, streaming
  • Label: Allan Caswell
Carpenter Caswell
(as Carpenter Caswell)
  • Released: 10 November 2017[13]
  • Format: CD, DD, streaming
  • Label: Carpenter Caswell/WJO (BRR20173)
Mexico
  • Released: 11 May 2018[14]
  • Format: CD, DD, streaming
  • Label: Allan Caswell
Tequila Amnesia
  • Released: 2020
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
  • Label: Chihuahua Records (KEV9301)

Live albums

List of albums, with selected detail! Title! Details
Warm January Morning
  • Released: 1986
  • Format: Cassette
  • Label: Allan Caswell Music (ACMe C001)
  • Note: Live at The Tamworth & District Workmen's Club (January 1986)

Singles

Year! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:32em;"
TitlePeak chart
positions
Album
AUS
[15]
1979"Take Me Back to Yesterday (Dedicated to a Decade Without The Beatles)"/"King of the Rodeo"-rowspan="4"
1980"We Used To Call It Heaven"/"First Time in My Life"-
"Sign on the Dotted Line"/"Poor Side of Heaven" -
1981"One Armed Bandit"/"Loco Friday Night"-
1982"Used to Be a Gold Song"/"Isn't That Like You" -What Happened To Love?
1983"What Happened to Love?"/"It's Not Such a Bad Idea"-
"The Australia's Cup"/"Lonelyheart's Waltz"17
1984"Moruroa"/"Beyond the Blues"-
1985"Bulldust"/"Spirit of the Green & Gold" -
"The Garden"
(with Australia Too)
27
1987"(You Can Be) Somebody's Shadow"/"Black Jack Blues Again"-Handwritten
1988"Have You Read to Your Children Today?"/"This is Gonna Be the One"-
"Are We Having Fun Yet?"/"Funny Thing About Rainbows"
(as Allan Caswell Band)
-
1989"You Still Take My Breath Away"/"Bald Is Beautiful"-Heart Written
1990"I'm Gonna Take a Heartbreak"/"Still Crazy Over You"-
"Proud"/"(I've Got Those) 12 Bar Blues"-
2006"A Little Bit of Country in Us All"[16] -Al's Bar And Grill
2007"Strong Enough"[17] -
2008"Rules for Love"-Rules for Love
2011"It's a Country Song"-It's a Country Song
2012"I'm an Aussie Shark"-Just Kidding
"Brave Enough to Dream"[18] -It's a Country Song
2015"One Last Muster"-My Version of the Truth
2016"Back When I Was Older" [19] -Carpenter Caswell
2017"Life Like It's a Trainwreck" [20] -
"High Hopes" [21] -
"Want That Back Again" [22] -
2018"The Roses Fall" [23] -Mexico
"Feeding the Crew"[24] -
2019"Train to Godforsaken"[25] -
"Country Copper"[26] -Tequila Amnesia
"Bad Politics" [27] -
2020"Hard Times and Struggle"[28] -
"Bordertown"[29] -
"I Do" [30] -
"That Holden Saved My Life"[31] -rowspan="2"
"Spin" [32] -

Awards and nominations

Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards and originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. Caswell has won eight awards (wins only).[33]

|-| 1980| "King of the Rodeo"| New Talent of the year| |-| 1981| "One Armed Bandit" (with Brian Caswell)| Song of the Year| |-| 1983| "Used to Be a Gold Song" (with Keith Potger)| Song of the Year| |-| 1986| "The Garden"| Song of the Year| |-| 1988| "Black Jack Blues Again"| Male Vocalist of the Year| |-| 2007| "A Little Bit of Country in Us All" (with Drew McAlister)| Vocal Collaboration of the Year| |-| 2016| "One Last Muster"| Bush Ballad of the Year| |-| 2020| "Country Copper" | Bush Ballad of the Year| |-

Tamworth Songwriters Awards

The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. They commenced in 1986. Allan Caswell has won sixteen awards.[34] (wins only)|-|rowspan="2"| 1988| "Black Jack Blues Again" by Allan Caswell| Contemporary Song of the Year | |-| "When We Were Kids" by John Williamson and Allan Caswell| Country Song of the Year | |-| 1989| Allan Caswell| Contemporary Song of the Year | |-|rowspan="2"| 1990|rowspan="2"| "You Still Take My Breath Away" by Allan Caswell| Contemporary Song of the Year | |-| Country Song of the Year | |-|rowspan="2"| 1991| "Panda" by Allan Caswell and Don Morrison | Children's Song of the Year | |-| "Proud" by Allan Caswell| Contemporary Song of the Year | |-|rowspan="2"| 2011|rowspan="2"| "Behind Bars" by Allan Caswell| Country Song of the Year | |-| Contemporary Song of the Year | |-| 2012| "The Road That Brought Me Here" by Karen Lynne and Allan Caswell| Contemporary Song of the Year | |-| 2013| "Skin" by Allan Caswell| Comedy/ Novelty Song of the Year | |-|rowspan="3"| 2017|rowspan="2"| "Golden Days" by Andrew Wriggleswroth and Allan Caswell| Contemporary Song of the Year | |-| Country Song of the Year | |-| "Back When I Was Older" by Andrew Wriggleswroth and Allan Caswell| Contemporary Song of the Year | |-| 2019| "The Roses Fall" by Andrew Wriggleswroth and Allan Caswell| Country Ballad of the Year| |-| 2022| "Youngie" by Allan Caswell| Local Heroes Song of the Year | |-

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: DOUGHTY J . ALLAN CASWELL LOVES HIS COUNTRY . COURIER-MAIL . 8 October 1987 . Nationwide News Pty Limited.
  2. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 22, 58.
  3. Web site: TalilkingPerisoner. . 15 July 2023 .
  4. "Writing Great Song Lyrics, http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3585393, National Library of Australia's online catalogue
  5. Web site: Allan Caswell Loses 10 Year Legal Battle With Sony ATV. noise11. 7 July 2014. 16 September 2020.
  6. Web site: New Album … Tequila Amnesia. allancaswell. 3 May 2020. 16 September 2020.
  7. Web site: Rules for Love LP (DD). allancaswell. 2008. 16 September 2020.
  8. Web site: Behind Bars (DD). Apple Music. 2010. 16 September 2020.
  9. Web site: Just Kidding (DD). Apple Music. 2012. 16 September 2020.
  10. Web site: It's a Country Song (DD). Apple Music. 2012. 16 September 2020.
  11. Web site: Sometimes When Lose When You Win (DD). Apple Music. 2014. 16 September 2020.
  12. Web site: 50 Years in Oz (DD). Apple Music. 2016. 16 September 2020.
  13. Web site: Carpenter Caswell(DD). Apple Music. November 2017. 16 September 2020.
  14. Web site: Mexico (DD). Apple Music. 2018. 16 September 2020.
  15. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 58.
  16. Web site: A Little Bit of Country in Us All (DD). Apple Music. 2006. 16 September 2020.
  17. Web site: Rules for Love. allancaswell. 2008. 16 September 2020.
  18. Web site: Brave Enough to Dream (DD). Apple Music. March 2012. 16 September 2020.
  19. Web site: Back When I Was Older (DD). Apple Music. September 2016. 16 September 2020.
  20. Web site: Life Like It's a Trainwreck (DD). Apple Music. January 2017. 16 September 2020.
  21. Web site: High Hopes (DD). Apple Music. 19 June 2017. 16 September 2020.
  22. Web site: Want That Back Again (DD). Apple Music. 19 June 2017. 16 September 2020.
  23. Web site: The Roses Fall (DD). Apple Music. April 2018. 16 September 2020.
  24. Web site: Feeding the Crew (DD). Apple Music. 7 May 2018. 16 September 2020.
  25. Web site: Train to Godforsaken (DD). Apple Music. April 2019. 16 September 2020.
  26. Web site: Country Copper (DD). Apple Music. August 2019. 16 September 2020.
  27. Web site: Bad Politics (DD). Apple Music. 20 September 2019. 16 September 2020.
  28. Web site: Hard Times and Struggle (DD). Apple Music. 9 March 2020. 16 September 2020.
  29. Web site: Bordertown (DD). Apple Music. 1 June 2020. 16 September 2020.
  30. Web site: I Do (DD). Apple Music. 14 August 2020. 16 September 2020.
  31. Web site: That Holden Saved My Life(DD). Apple Music. 21 August 2020. 16 September 2020.
  32. Web site: Spin (DD). Apple Music. 21 August 2020. 16 September 2020.
  33. Web site: CMAA Winners. 16 September 2020.
  34. Web site: Tamworth Songwriters Association. Tamworth Songwriters Association Online. 23 March 2022.