"Etched In Blue", the first solo album for Redgum`s John Schumann, has returned to the Top 10 of the New South Wales album chart after 22 years.
Schumann left Redgum in 1985 and released "Etched In Blue" in 1987 for CBS Records (as it was called at the time, now Sony).The album featured the song "Borrowed Ground". The Australian Performing Rights Association awarded the song the Most Performed Australasian Country Work Award in 1988.
Songland Records owner Brian (Frog) Harris who identified the groundswell of interest after taking a personal interest in John's last album "Behind The Lines" championed the re-release on CD for "Etched In Blue"
Frog says:" independent retail stores all have their own niche musical loves-and Songland is really focusing successfully on Australia's heritage/legendary artists that the media are showing little interest in-but the public still deeply care about. John's "Behind The Lines" was our biggest selling album for 2008. "Lawson", his previous release was our 3rd biggest seller for that year. We've also taken Russell Morris' amazing new album "Jumpstart Diary" back into the charts with sales from just our 1 store...........Australians buy recordings by these legendary performers."
Frog is at ground zero witnessing the passion of people who still love and buy music.
"Just last weekend at the Australia Day Concert in Canberra , the public witnessed the class, songwriting skills and performing poise of Wendy Matthews, John, and Brian Cadd-and 35,000 people went nuts. Talent is talent and age has never been a criteria. Look at the interest shown by the public in Neil Young and Leonard Cohen's recent tours. What we're talking about here-is musical credibility. These artists have it and that is why people have responded to the re-release of John's "Etched In Blue" and ready to buy his 2nd re-release of "True Believers" Special credit should really go to Sony Music too for realising the interest in these artists and classic recordings from their back catalogue."
As well as the renewed interest in "Etched In Blue", Schumann's new release "Behind The Lines" is also gathering momentum, despite a lack of support from traditional media.
"I understand where contemporary media is at nowadays-BUT- there is a HUGE demographic in Australia that listen to the radio and watch tv that are messing out on the wonderful stories, songs and memories that these artists provide. People would tune in, the same way they are happy to hand over their money to purchase these recordings. Songland is proving that every day."
