The best of Grant
Acclaimed Scottish singersongwriter Isla Grant has included the Wimmera in her Australian tour.
Grant will perform alongside her husband Al Grant and singer and multi-instrumentalist Glen Flynn in Horsham Town Hall tomorrow.
Grant, who hails from Scotland, is a household name in Ireland and has developed a large following in Australia and New Zealand.
She started out as a folk singer and developed into a singer-songwriter whose music style crosses from country-folk to easy listening.
Grant started performing in the folk clubs of Glasgow and Edinburgh at age 14.
“The big acts working the folk clubs, at the time, were Eddie and Finbar Furey, The Dubliners and Billy Connolly, who was a member of the group ‘The Humblebums’,” she recalled.
A few years later Grant took her music south of the border, to the clubs of north-east England.
“It was a tough learning ground for any newcomer in the business, where audiences clearly let it be known if they did not like a performance,” she said.
“Someone once remarked, ‘if you can work these clubs, you can work anywhere’.”
Grant passed her apprenticeship with flying colours.
About this time her music moved away from folk to country and she started listening to the music of Merle Haggard.
“He is possibly the finest country artist of them all, his songs have got me through a lot of hard times over the years,” Grant said.
The club scene also brought her in contact with her husband Al Grant, who was heading up his own band.
They married in 1992, after having worked as Isla Grant and Al Young.
Grant went on to release 11 albums, some of which have gone triple platinum.
She branched out to release her own record label, IGE, and released her first album on her own label in October 2008.
The Horsham show starts 7.30pm and tickets cost $69.
People can visit www.horsham townhall.com.au or call the box office on 5382 9555 for tickets or more information. at