Ghosts of Bathurst - Matt Williamson

What a great talent and Generous soul Matt is, this is a fantastic
album and wonderful example of Australian folk,
download it and let Matt know what you think.


Hi Bob
It was such a nice surprise to see little songs up on your blogspot
and I hope people enjoy it and I thank you very much.
Its so nice to be able to share my songs with people, the cds I
make are all handmade jobs and the only ones in circulation
I have sold while busking, and I dont do much of that anymore.
Heres another little collection for you hope you enjoy.
These are the ghosts of bathurst they speak for themselves.

Thanks again Bob
best regards Matt

And from a friend of Matts, Gavin we fill in the gaps and
get a lot of insight into Matt

Cheers to you Bob!
Its so good to see someone bringing Matthews songs to a wider
audience.I saw him play at the wiradjuri river dreaming
festival here in Bathurst, he is a great peformer and amazing
story teller.I first met him in 1987 he was setting up emergency
accommodation for prisoner release and for visiting families
to the bathurst gaol, he became heavily involved in
reconciliation in the local area, but I think it broke his heart.
He had a close friendship with one of the local wiradjuri elders,
the old black man, who features in many of his songs.
His songs are full of characters and events that are a very
real part of his life, and they become a reoccuring theme, so
his songs are like one story one song.
What many people may not know is matthews personal heritage.
a great, great grandfather [George Yates] who arrived at
Morton Bay in the 1840s with a violin he had learnt to play
on the voyage over. After arriving, being shocked by the
treatment of the local people by the new settlers,
George went bush and ended up traveling through the back
country with a young companion from one of the South East
Queensland tribes, ending up in Victoria. Georges son
[George Yates jnr] arrived in the bathurst area after gold was
discovered at hill end. John Meredith states in his collection of
"folk songs of ustralia and the men and women who played
them" that Henry Lawson in his story "the songs they used
to sing" heard bullock-driver Jimmy Nowlett singing with
gusto the song "all around my hat" to a George Yates tune.
The third generation of this wonderful musical family can
be heard in the Joe Yates collection archived in the national
library of Australia, with Joe at the age of 91 performing some
150 tunes and songs from his father and
brothers Tom, Bill and Arthur. Bill yYates went to the
Kimberleys and lived and worked with a local tribe there for
43 years. when he died they put him in a canoe and let him
float of into the bye and bye, sending home his only
possessions, a coat a pipe and a ten pound note.
Matthews mother Ena Yates, another wonderful musician
and singer, carried on this wonderful tradition,
this is where Matthew got his grounding in the art of song.
his father Jack Williamson was the last surviving member
of the Ben Chiffly cabinate.
When he died a few years back Matthew said to me that we
not only destroy the most natural and oldest living culture
on earth, but that we continue to destroy our own.
Over the years I have known Matthew he has always given his
time and his home to those members of our society that most
of us choose to ignore. In recent years Matthew himself has
become reliant on welfare after years of hard work and raising
a family, yet he still carries himself with a quiet dignity and
a sense of humility.
I believe he is a true folk song writer in that his songs are so
contempary and as I understand it, all of the music of his that
you have posted has been put together by some wonderful
people on nothing more than a handshake,
he gives special mention to a true friend, pix vane-mason a
recording engineer from Maleny.
it would be an honour for me to sit down with Matthew over
the coming months and help him to archive his songs
and if you are willing, to share them with a wider audience.
There are some you have here that I have never heard,
and there are many I have heard that are not here.
So i will finish up with a verse from one of my favorites from
the late 80s,

"Lucky Man"

So what of our forefathers
tied up in chains
do we feel weve redeemed them
with the things we have gained
now what of our brothers
held up in gaol
life can be hard
yet its easy to fail
lets hope there redemption
comes soon at our hand
cause the only true freedom
is found in each others hands.

Thank you Bob
Cheers Gav!

August 6, 2009
Download Here