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The new studio cd, ‘Each Step On The Way’, released in October 2005 was produced and recorded by Davy Stuart in his Christchurch studio. It features a group of international and well known musicians, including: Bob McNeill; Davy Stuart; Karen Tweed; Tapani Varis; Chris While and Julie Matthews. The album takes a fresh perspective on a few traditional favourites and has some exciting new arrangements of the best singer/songwriter material from Britain and the USA. “The new CD by Tony Hillyard is just great. This man has a voice like hot creamy chocolate. The songs chosen are beautifully balanced and the excellent accompanying musicians are just where they should be and so often aren't, behind the singer. Wonderful work by Davy Stuart. Grab one while stocks last. Dick Coker†"Each Step On The Way, Tony Hillyard's cd is bloody beaut. I love it. The first track made me cry at first hearing. Add this cd to your collection folks. You'll cry and laugh and dance. He tino pai nga tangi e hoa Tony. he tino ataahua koe. Hei kona ra Mahinarangi Tocker" I was brought up with music. My Dad was a ‘crooner’ and was the lead singer for a 1940’s big band that played in the Concert Parties for the British Army in India during the war. Gran was a piano teacher and played piano for the silent movies! At family gatherings it wasn’t long before the radio got turned off, song sheets handed out and the singing round the piano usually lasted ‘til breakfast. Not surprisingly then, when I got introduced to the folk movement in and around London in the late sixties it wasn’t long before I plucked up the courage to do the occasional floor spot. As for many budding singers, the Folk Clubs were a safe place to learn some basic stagecraft. Songs recorded by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and The Clancy Brothers seemed to dominate my repertoire in those early days! Together with some friends, we started our own folk club in Wandsworth and not long after, I joined a band: ‘Nostradamus’ and we played gigs around London and the Home Counties from 1975 until 1978. When Malcolm, our lead musician tragically drowned in Italy we didn’t have the heart to carry on without him so I started performing on my own, singing a more traditional set of songs. I went to a Frankie Armstrong voice workshop and learnt how some of the traditional English folk songs and ballads could be brought to life, (Frankie is still the best at ‘story telling’ with a traditional ballad) and then started singing regularly at Bromley Folk Club. I was lucky enough to team up with David Benton, one of London’s best acoustic folk guitarists and all-round musician. Dave’s eclectic taste exposed me to a much broader range of material and I started singing compositions by contemporary writers (including Dave) with a leaning towards more lyrical material; tragic love songs a specialty! We played regularly at Catford and Battersea Folk Clubs and over the years built up a very mixed collection of material. We gig’d together until I left for New Zealand in December 1985. Arriving in NZ, I got involved in the Wellington Folk Club which quickly helped me get established in the folk music scene here. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed performing in many of New Zealand’s folk clubs (Wellington, Upper Hutt, Kapiti, Pukerua Bay, Levin, Palmerston North, Blenheim, Nelson, Christchurch, Devonport and the Auckland Irish Society) as well several of the New Zealand Folk Festivals. I’m usually performing solo but I worked as a duo for a time with singer and multi-instrumentalist, Tui Award Finalist John Sutherland, performing as ‘Both Sides of the Wall’. We recorded my first cd: ‘Hidden from the Eye of Chance’ when we were touring. I also had the pleasure of supporting Margaret Farrelly on three of her radio broadcasts; her ‘Once in a Blue Moon’ and ‘Bright Blue Rose’ recordings; various concerts and the National Folk Festival in Wellington. Recently I’ve performed with good friend and Double Tui award-winning Wellington musician, Bob McNeill, playing the Invitation Concerts at Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington Folk Festivals as well as several club concerts. Check out the artist's website: http://www.TonyHillyard.com Track List: 1. Sweetgrass Moon 2. Wisteria 3. The Blue Cockade 4. She Loves Me (When I Try) 5. The Road To Jericho 6. Icarus 7. Down Where The Drunkards Roll 8. Lord Franklin 9. So Says The Whippoorwill 10. Pacing The Cage 11. When First I Came To Caledonia 12. West - Each Step Of The Way 13. Show The Way 14. Annie's Lover 15. Margarita Other Genres:
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