Imagine if the Byrds had managed to persuade Linda Ronstadt to be their lead singer ..... Imagine if Sandy Denny had gone to California and formed a band with Clarence White.... Imagine a voice that combines elements of Linda (passion and warmth) and Sandy (folk credibility and depth) and you have the voice of PENNY DAVIES. Yet she sounds very much like herself - her voice is uniiquely her own - with no false notes, no "bunged on" Texas twang or finger-in-the-ear earnestness.. Combined with the brilliant musicianship and arranging/production skills of the Byrdsian ROGER ILOTT - and the songwriting and perfect song selection they both bring to all their work - you can't IMAGINE anything more powerful, yet sensitive. It's folk and rock - with elements of country. It's poetry with power. It's humour and it's very Australian - yet with universal appeal..... Imagine......! (anonymous fan)
"I could listen to them sing
the telephone book" , commented noted folklorist, the late Alan Scott,
in referring to the music of Penny Davies & Roger Ilott.
Long-time ABC radio presenter David Mulhallen described them as
"Two of Australias great folk artists".
"Australia
All Over", on ABC Radio (Australia, has given millions of Australians the opportunity to hear
and love Penny & Roger songs every week on national radio. Their songs Where The Cane Fires Burn, Beside A Railway Line, Hey Rain, Ridin
On The Fruit Train and The Monkeys Sing Soprano
have been taken to the nations heart. Where The Cane Fires Burn
was voted the Number One Song of 1999 by listeners to the programme.
"And Number One .... the wistful sadness of PENNY DAVIES' voice, ROGER ILOTT's music, and the poetry of BILL SCOTT - for all us drifters – Where the Cane Fires Burn." Mike Broadhurst, ABC Radio, announcing Macca's ‘ Australia All Over' Top 10 for 1999
Their songs have also featured on the bestselling ABC albums Australia
All Over Volumes One and Two, Macca On Air,Macca's
Sunday Best and Macca By Request - Volumes 1 and 2.
Penny & Roger have released 16 albums since 1983. Their 1999 album OPAL
MINER The Songs Of Bill Scott has received overwhelming acceptance
from the Australian public.
They have been featured artists at folk festivals, including Woodford,
Sydney, Sawtell, Yagubi, Illawarra, Bulli, Cabarlah, Helidon and Glen Innes,
as well as various National Folk Festivals, and toured extensively
for the Queensland Arts Council visiting more than 70 outback and far north towns.
"On a Sunday afternoon, as the white cloud puffs drifted overhead .
Penny and Roger transported us down a memory lane, flanked on one
side by a railway line of rattling steam trains and on the other by waterholes
of a meandering creek with a timbered hill behind. (The Pittsworth
Sentinel, November 2002)
"In concert the duo enthral audiences of all ages with their natural
warmth and humour and sparkling acoustic arrangements, using guitars,
banjo and mandolin. Their wide repertoire contrasts powerful and moving
songs of the Australian landscape and its people with light-hearted glimpses
of the Australian character.
"(Penny and Roger in concert)
provide an amazing view of Australia and Australians, with no hint of
a lesson in geography, people or social issues. And yet their material
is almost entirely based on those subjects theres no hype or showbiz
airs and graces about the couple, theyre calm and competent performers
who deliver a provocative and thoroughly entertaining show."(Bauxite
Bulletin)
“Two of Australia 's great folk artists”. National ABC radio presenter David Mulhallen
“You are great performers and I can give you the greatest compliment - you are as Australian as you can get.” Dick Smith, Australian entrepreneur & adventurer
“When Macca plays you the country listens. This Stanthorpe duo has really set up a cottage industry with their prolific series of folk albums…wonderfully authentic and descriptive songs of Australia .” Rick Jenner, Capitol News
“Penny Davies and Roger Ilott occupy a unique place in Australian music spanning the great divide between Folk and Country. They have reinvigorated the bush ballad, kept alive the protest song, and have celebrated all that it means to be Australian without a cork hat, lagerphone or phoney accent on the horizon. “Penny Davies simply has one of the richest voices in Australian folk and country music; add in the integrity of Roger Ilott's gentle delivery, and you have the best harmonies you're likely to hear. “Coupled with Roger Ilott's compelling acoustic guitar and Rickenbacker 12 string artistry, it's little wonder Penny Davies & Roger Ilott, who already have an Australia wide following for their music, are now finding an audience for their songs around the world.” (John Broomhall, Trad & Now).
For over 30 years PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT have being writing and singing songs that are truly Australian. Millions of Australians hear and love their songs every week on Ian McNamara's “Australia All Over” ABC Radio show. Their songs
Hey Rain! Where the Cane Fires Burn, Beside a Railway Line, Ridin' on the Fruit Train, The Monkeys Sing Soprano, and When The Cooper's Coming Down , have become part of the national psyche. They have released 16 albums since their debut album,
Restless, in 1983 - all feature “trademark clean tight vocals, excellent musicianship and high production values.” (Lonnie Martin, Folk Rag)
They have been featured artists at numerous festivals around Australia , most recently the Woodford Folk Festival in Qld, the National Folk Festival in Canberra , the Illawarra Folk Festival in NSW, and the Jondaryan Heritage Festival in Qld. In concert they have the ability to enthral audiences of all ages with their natural warmth and humour and sparkling arrangements. “Carefully crafted lyrics, narrative impetus and beautiful close harmonies are strong features of their overall sound.” (Lonnie Martin, Folk Rag)
Current CD's available: BIG WATER (2006) JUST A BIT OF QUARTZ (2003) HEART OF TOWN (2001) OPAL MINER – THE SONGS OF BILL SCOTT (1999) OUTBACK CAFÉ (1998) DVD: HEY RAIN – THE SONGS & STORIES OF BILL SCOTT (2007) Download photos at: www.restlessmusic.com.au Download an album track at www.mp3.com.au/pennydaviesandrogerilott For more information or to arrange interviews with Penny & Roger please contact: .
For bookings or enquiries: phone 61 746 837 18, email us at restless_music@yahoo.com.au or write to P.O. Box 438, Stanthorpe, Qld., 4380, Australia.
For a full
list of our releases see the Catalogue page.