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Growing up in a large family, raised on family singalongs & playing a home-made guitar, Karen's love of music has always been an integral part of her life. Her understanding that dreams come true only with hard work, dedication & determination, has led her to a successful and rewarding professional career. Karen's music comes directly from the heart, speaking about love, Australia and its people. There is a special quality in Karen's voice and this, combined with a mixture of great songs is her secret to success. She works as a soloist, in a Duo with Pat Drummond and in various Bluegrass Band formats. October 2009 has heralded her
first National release thru ABC Music under their new 'Heartland'
Label. The album is a compilation album released under the title
"Wishing Well", which combines two brand new tracks
with tracks from a previous release, and will be distributed
nationally by Universal Music. 2008 brought forth her seventh
album "Long Journey Home", her second collaboration
with singer/songwriter Pat Drummond, a totally acoustic country/folk
style album full of wonderful Australian storytelling songs which
fit perfectly into their duo show. Not surprisingly, this album
gained a Top 5 Finalist Nomination for "Vocal Collaboration"
in the 2009 'TIARA' Awards; a TSA (Songwriting) Top 5 Finalist
Award for Pat for "Gospel Song of the Year"; a Top
5 Finalist Nomination in the Duet Section & a Top 10 Finalist
Nomination in the "Trailblazers Heritage" Section of
the Vic & National CM Awards.
In 2006, Karen was selected as a Grandfinalist in Sydney's "Golden Saddle Awards" and in January 2007 she won a 'TIARA' Award for Songwriting - for the song "Blue Mountain Rain" (Co-written with Richard Porteous). She was also named a Grandfinalist in the 2006 Australian Independent Country Music Awards - in both the 'Album of the Year' & 'Female Vocalist' categories and a Top 10 finalist in the Bluegrass & Traditional Country Category - Vic & National CM Awards . She won the "Female Vocalist" category in the 2006 WARP Gold Medallion Awards (voted by Radio Presenters) and in March 2007, the very prestigious 'Frank Ifield International Spur Award'. This award included an international single release and within just days of it's release the track had entered the UK & European Country Chart at No.3 and was No.1 on the corressponding Independent Top 10. Within two weeks the single rose and gave Karen her first international Chart No.1 on the main chart along side a corressponding Number 1 on the independent chart.
In Feb 2004 she took out Top Honours winning the 'Bluegrass & Traditional Country' category in the VIC & National CM Awards and she also picked up the Award for Top Female Vocalist in the 2003 Australian Independent Country Music Awards. She also received 2 other Finalist Nominations in the 'Single Of the Year' & 'Heritage Track of the Year' categories respectively. She has previously achieved Grand Finalist Nominations in the 'Album of the Year' Category (1999), 'Female Rising Star' Category (1999 & 2000) and the 'Female Vocalist' category (2002). Over her career she has now notched up over 10 Chart Hits. Karen's other achievements include a Top 5 Finalist in the 'New Talent' category and Top 10 Nominations in the 'Female Vocal', 'Vocal Collaboration' (with Pat Drummond) & 'APRA Song of the Year' categories in the 1999, 2001 & 2003 Australian Country Music 'Golden Guitar' Awards. She has also received Award Nominations in the 'Female Vocal' (2003 & 2004), Collaboration (2004), Bluegrass & Traditional Country (2004) & 'Best Independent Release' categories (2003 & 2004) in the Victorian & National Country Music Awards. In the 2003 'TIARA' (Independent Recording) Awards she received finalist Nominations in the 'Female Vocal', 'Collaboration' & 'Bush Ballad' categories and previously, finalist Nominations in the 'Stan Coster Heritage' Category (1999), 'Collaboration' (2000), 'Songwriting'(2000), 'Heritage'(2000) & 'Female Vocal'(2000) Categories. Karen collaborated initially with noted Australian Singer/Songwriter, Pat Drummond in 2000 and from this partnership came a highly acclaimed Duet Album "Six days in December", released in 2000. Tracks from this album are all Australian penned and have notched up an impressive record with wins in three categories of the QLD National Songwriting Competition - 'General Country', 'Best Contemporary Song' and 'Overall Best Contemporary Song'. 10 of the 11 songs have been penned by Pat and/or Karen & in January 2000 it also reached the Grand Finals of the TSA Australian National Country Songwriting Competition where it took out the Award for 'Contemporary Country Song of the year' in the 2001 Songwriter Salute Awards. Prior to this, in 1998 was the release of her debut CD, "Labour of Love" (a blend of traditional & contemporary Country, Australian Folk and Bluegrass styles), which featured 3 of Karen's original compositions, a hauntingly beautiful version of Henry Lawson's poem 'Water Lilly' and an exceptional version of Enda Kenny's 'Colours of Australia'. Karen has spent time songwriting in Nashville, USA a number of times since this first release. So impressed with her talent after hearing her debut release, a noted UK Promoter invited her to tour the UK for a number of weeks in October/November 1999 which she did to rave reviews & has re-visited just as successfully in 2002 and again in 2005. This followed her success in July 1999 when she was the first Australian to enter the Top 10 of the Nashville 'International Country Music Association' - Non-Major Label Chart (at the same time she also made it to No. 28 in the mixed Major/ Non Major label chart). Karen has again spent time songwriting in Nashville, USA writing with some known Nashville writers - including Mark Selby ('There's Your Trouble' - as performed by the Dixie Chicks). She completed another successful UK tour in late 2002 - organised to promote her second solo release "Second Wind" and again in 2005. Karen has also been a Grand finalist in the prestigious Australian Country Music 'Starmaker' Quest, and has won the 'TSA National Songwriting Competition' with the song 'Grandma Used to Say' (co-written with Heather Field and James Gillard). Other songwriting credits include 3rd placing in the Tasmanian TSA Songwriting Competition for a co-write 'Country Home', Finalist positions in the 'Spectacular Progress' and 'Most Popular Female' Categories in the Spirit of Tamworth, Independent Artists Country Music Awards and a number of Capital Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards for performance including twice 'Female Vocalist', twice 'Best Performance of an Australian Composition', and 'Best Band' (with her former band Shades of Grey). Karen's recordings have been featured on a number of high profile Country Compilations including 'Half the Moon' - EMI 'Winners 7' compilation (featuring Australian Country Music Awards winners & finalists); 'Song of the Quilt' - Illawarra Folk Festival Compilation; 'Colours of Australia' - National Folk Festival compilation; 'Grandma Used To Say' - ABC 'Open Road Two - Unexplored Country' compilation; 'The Outback's been Getting the Rain' - EMI 'Send it Down Huey' Compilation (proceeds going towards national Drought Relief); 'The Circle is Small' - ABC Coodabeen Champions "Nightingales" compilation and also the track "Dreams" from Long Journey Home has been included on 'John Nutting's Saturday Night Country 15th Anniversary Edition' Cd released by the ABC in 2009. Download
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This
followed the release of her sixth album in 2007, a compilation
album of many of her Singles released to Country Music Radio
over the years, called simply "The Singles" which not
only contained 15 previously released songs but her video clip
as well, It's a lovely selection of country, folk & bluegrass
and certainly a celebration of a twenty year career in country
music. Songs from it gained her Top 10 Finalist Nominations in
both the "Best Independent Release" & "Bluegrass
& Traditional Country" Categories of the Vic & National
CM Awards. Her lengthy career success was also honoured soon
after with Karen being announced as one of the 2008 inductees
to the Country Music "Hands Of Fame". Being such an
Inductee is one of the greatest honours for an Australian Country
& Bluegrass performer. Previous to this her stunning album
"Changes" (released, January 2006), a contemporary
Bluegrass & Acoustic album was released to rave reviews,
it was produced by Rod McCormack and Herm Kovac - two of the
industry's best producers and features the A team of Australian
Bluegrass Musicians. The first three singles from the album have
reached the top 5 on the Australian CM Chart - a singular achievement
for bluegrass songs in Australia. 
Her
previous album "Second Wind" was a beautiful Country
album and has so far achieved 2 Major Award wins, 11 Major Award
Nominations, two charting & three "Top 10" chart
hits. Her first Video clip showcases the title track and was
released late in 2005. Karen performs as a soloist, in various
duo formats & also works extensively in a Bluegrass band
format. One particular collaboration with Sydney Band 'Acoustic
Shock' resulted in a fine Bluegrass album called "Blue Mountain
Rain" which collectively has now received 9 major Award
Nominations and has also won the Award for 'Best Independent
Release' in the 2003 Victorian & National Country Music Awards.
In July 2005, along with Acoustic Shock Bluegrass Band, she completed
a very successful tour across Europe & UK where they performed
in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Wales & Norway
where they supported Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder.
