With her silky tones and effortless twang, singer-songwriter, Tammy Moxon, is a modern innovator in traditional Country music styles.
Moxon has been performing Country music since before she could even ride a bike – in fact the pocket money she earned from gigs as a child eventually allowed her to buy a pretty flash two-wheeler. She cut her teeth playing alongside her father; an avid Country fan and working musician.
“Dad taught me how to sing and play guitar,” recalls the singer-songwriter, now in her early 30s. “From about 8 to 12 years of age I’d perform gigs with Dad at child-friendly venues.”
Growing up in tropical Townsville, North Queensland, Moxon had an array of influences at her fingertips. “The country music scene in North QLD was pretty strong back then. We had the North Queensland Showcase come to Tamworth and Mildura during the late 90’s and I was a part of that.”
As a teenager she retreated from the stage and briefly pursed a career in early childhood teaching. However, Country music called her home when she entered the Charters Towers Country Music Festival’s talent comp and emerged the victor. “I withdrew from uni and quit my job. Dad still had his old gigging equipment and so with his permission, I sent flyers and demos to any pub, club, tavern etc within a 300 km radius to try and get gigs.”
In 2016 Moxon released her debut album ‘Fall in Time’, produced by Roger Corbett of the iconic ‘Bushwackers’. The freshman effort was saddled with stories from Moxon’s formative years and was showcased as Album of The Week on ABCs long running, Saturday Night Country.
3 years later she teamed up with highly sought after Australian producer and award-winning artist, Shane Nicholson, for her sophomore record. Drawing from her love of Alison Krauss and Union Station, 2019s ‘Drive Me Sane’, expertly blended Tammy’s down-to-earth songwriting with modern and traditional tones. It spawned the #1 radio single, Rocky Ride, while subsequent single, Wyangala Ain’t Wyangala, reached the #2 spot.
Like her list of collaborators, the names of those she chooses to share the stage with form nothing short of an A-List. She’s opened concerts for Felicity Urquhart, The Bushwackers, Drew McAlister and toured North QLD with living legend, Bill Chambers, who joined her band when launching Drive Me Sane in her hometown.
She’s ticked festivals like Music in the Mulga, The Gympie Muster and The Tamworth Country Music Festival off her bucket list. In May 2023, she notched another big one – opening for Lee Kernaghan in Townsville for the Tropic Fiesta Festival.
Now Moxon has joined forces with Shane Nicolson once again to deliver her most explorative album yet. “I see my music as alternative, and when this new album is released, I think people will see that.” As a songwriter she’s constantly in motion – always looking for a new angle. “Artists like Billy Joel – he never wrote the same-sounding song twice – and that’s my aim as a songwriter. To grow and to create something different to what I’ve done previously.” 8 of the album’s 11 tracks were penned by the songwriter herself, whilst others enlisted the help of her father. It also features a duet between Moxon and Bill Chambers.
One of the songs from the upcoming album, Fighting Chance, was released in April – appearing on the Australian Country Radio Top 10 chart for several weeks, peaking at number 1. Comfy soon followed, also peaking at Number 1.
When it comes to Country music, Tammy Moxon has lived it her entire life. Any creative knows that it’s no simple thing to bear one’s soul for judgement in their art, yet in that process she finds peace. “There were times where I didn’t want to sing and I didn’t for years. But when I really needed it and felt extremely lost in this world, it’s what saved me from myself.”
When Moxon’s expert songwriting comes alive in her combined, modern meets traditional Country music, you can hear its power to save. It wasn’t created for fame or money. Tammy Moxon is a truly authentic artist.
Tammy’s third album, Fighting Chance, is set to be released on May 31st, this year.