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1971: Glen Stephen Moffatt is born in
Hastings, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. He is the first-born of
truck driver and TQ
midget racer Ken Moffatt and wife Jenny.
1975: The family, now including sister Sharlene, relocates to neighbouring
Napier. Its record collection now consists of New Zealand country
music stars John
Hore Grenell, Ken Lemon and Maria Dallas, several 'Solid Gold Hits' volumes and hits
collections of Freddy Fender,
Glen Campbell, Roger Miller and Johnny
Cash.
1977: Having battered several ukuleles, Glen receives a guitar for Christmas.
1980: Glen finally begins guitar lessons, at Porritt Primary School, under the tutelage of standard-three school teacher Ross Corbett.
1981: Coaxed with the promise of a $10 reward from his father, Glen sings on stage
for the first time, at the Napier City Country Music Club.
He enters and wins the
first of many amateur country music talent contests over the next six years.
1984: Ritchie
Pickett and the Inlaws' 'Gone For Water', with its lyrics about King Country farms and
coal ranges, encourages Glen to get serious
about songwriting.
1986: The simultaneous release of debut albums from Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle and Randy Travis refocuses Glen's attention on real
country
music. Glen's song "Like Father, Like Son" reaches the final two
of the New Zealand Country Music Association's
original song of the year
competition. The song later appears on Glen's debut album.
1987: Glen begins playing in Hawke's Bay pub bands. At the end of the year he is taken on as a cadet reporter by Napier's The Daily Telegraph.
1990: With Ian Turbitt, Glen forms originals/covers band The Colonials, with the
intention of performing 100% country material - a bold move in
provincial Hawke's Bay. As a sideline, acoustic trio These Things Happen is born, covering the likes of
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, James Taylor
and the Beatles.
1991: The Colonials release DIY cassette 'Living In Overdrive', which includes
three of Glen's songs that later appear on his debut album. Having
seen the Al
Hunter Band (featuring Red McKelvie and Cath Newhook) while on holiday in Auckland, Glen
moves to New Zealand's largest city at
the end of the year.
1992: Glen and Red McKelvie form Cajun band Mumbo Gumbo, which sees Glen teaching
himself to sing in pidgin French. He becomes part of
the weekly country jam night at
the Java Jive Cafe, which evolves into his Guns
For Hire band.
1994: Sun Pacific Records invites Glen to contribute two songs to New Zealand
country music compilation album 'Deep In The Heart Of The
Pacific'. After recording
his tracks, Sun Pacific bankrolls the recording of Glen's album, which starts in December. Glen provides vocals for
a Warratahs parody
on the popular 'That Comedy Show' TV programme.
1995: 'Somewhere In New Zealand Tonight' is released in June. Glen does a
solo tour of the North Island. He is invited to perform Dave Dobbyn's
"Language" at the
prestigious APRA Silver Scroll
Awards. Glen becomes engaged to Melissa.
1996: While on a solo tour of the South Island, Glen reaches the finals of the New
Zealand recording industry awards in the country album of the
year, rising star and the
coveted songwriter of the year. It is the one-and-only time a country songwriter has
reached the top three in the latter
section. After three and a half years, new
management puts paid to the Sunday night residency at Java Jive. Glen tours the North Island with guitarist
Rob Galley.
1997: Glen performs at the Norfolk Island Country Music Festival. He begins
recording the follow-up album to 'Somewhere In New Zealand Tonight'.
At the New
Zealand recording industry awards he is again in the finals of the rising star section, as
well as performing Headband's
"Good Morning,
Mr Rock and Roll" during a New Zealand music retrospective on the
televised ceremony. Glen guests on Marian Burns' 'Time For A Change' album,
singing Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down To
Georgia".
1998: 'A Place To Play' is released late in the year with a tour of the North Island by Glen and Guns For Hire.
1999: Glen and the band perform at the enormous Sweetwaters '99 festival,
supporting Texas singer-songwriter Pat Green and
Nashville legends
the Amazing Rhythm Aces.
Glen reaches the finals of country album of the year at the New Zealand recording industry
awards. The band brings in the
new millennium performing at a private Waiheke Island
party before sleeping on the floor of the hall and calling out a mechanic at 8am to fix
the van
in time to catch the ferry back to Auckland.
2000: Another change of ownership sees the Glen Moffatt Band back at the Java Jive Cafe every Sunday night for a year.
Work begins on album
number three. Glen and Melissa's son, Quinn
Hamish, is born in November.
2001: The Guns For Hire moniker is
laid to rest with the release of the album 'If That's What You Want', which is credited to
Glen Moffatt Band.
Glen performs again at the Norfolk Island Country Music Festival,
this time with band in tow.
2002: For the first time, Glen attends Australia's legendary Tamworth Country Music Festival,
performing spots with Bill
Chambers, the Topp Twins
and the Lawrie Minson Band. Glen Moffatt
Band makes its final New Zealand appearance, at Java Jive in May, before Glen relocates to
Brisbane
in August.
2003: Glen is a grand finalist in the Toyota Star Maker Quest at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Glen Moffatt & the Tallboys begin working
around Queensland. Glen tours New Zealand with Bill
Chambers, Ritchie Pickett and Chet O'Connell. December brings Glen and Melissa's second son,
Reuben Cole.
2004: Glen appears on Ritchie Pickett's live album, 'The Wicked Piano Pumpin' Pickett',
which includes two Pickett/Moffatt compositions, launched
with another New Zealand tour by Glen, Ritchie, Bill
Chambers and Chet O'Connell.
2005: "Country Music SOB", written by Glen and Chet O'Connell, features on
Chet and Johnny O'Connell's album 'The Journey'. Glen is special guest
at the Napier City Country Music Club's 30th anniversary celebrations.
2006: Glen's reputation as a songwriter is further enhanced with the inclusion of his and Bill Chambers'
"This Ain't Louisiana" on Chambers' 'Frozen
Ground' CD. Glen and Melissa are finally married, with sons Quinn and Reuben as best men, in December.
2007: Another songwriting
credit with the song "Sandra (Shine On)", written by Glen and guitarist Michael Muchow, opening Michael's
self-titled debut EP.
Glen becomes an occasional member of Brisbane covers band the Smokin' Crawdads.
2008: Glen returns to the
Tamworth Country Music Festival performing shows with the Smokin' Crawdads and rising Queensland star Sinead
Burgess.
Kiwi entertainer Dennis Marsh releases Glen's best-known song "Somewhere In New Zealand
Tonight" on his 'Land of the Long White Cloud' CD. Glen and
Melissa's daughter, Willa Neve, is born in July.
2009: The best of Glen's three
albums are released in New Zealand on the compilation album 'Troubadours -- NZ Country Singer/Songwriter Series:
Vol 1', which also features Al Hunter and
Red McKelvie. Glen features on the Smokin' Crawdads' covers CD 'Straight to the Pool Room'.
2010: The Smokin' Crawdads
win 2010 Queensland Group or Duo of the Year at the inaugural Queensland Country Music Awards for their cover of
Rodney Crowell's "She's Crazy
For Leavin'" off 'Straight to the Pool Room'. Glen quits the band to refocus on his original material.
2014: Glen's new album 'Superheroes & Scary Things' is released in Australia and New Zealand. His "Somewhere In New Zealand Tonight"
is included
on Sony Music NZ's 'Godzone Country: The Very Best of New Zealand Country Music' double CD.
2015: Glen wins the CRS Australian Independent Rising Star Male section of the Southern Stars for the recording "Superman Lunch Box" from
'Superheroes & Scary Things'. The Southern Stars are Australia's biggest showcase of independent country music.
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