Lucky Oceans 70th Birthday Bash
Celebrating 70 years on the planet and 40 years in Fremantle with Dave Brewer, Peter Evans, Jim Fisher, Ben Franz, Adrian Galante, Jessie Gordon, Sam Lemann, Jon Matthews, David Milroy, Bill Rogers & Mark Turner.
Young Philadelphia-born Reuben Gosfield never dreamed that he would spend most of his life in Western Australia, but his alter ego, the soon-to-be-70-years-old Lucky Oceans thanks his lucky stars every day for the trick of fate that had him meeting Broad Arrow-born photographer Chris Gosfield in Nashville and moving to Fremantle in April of 1981.
At that point, Lucky had already co-founded and toured the world with Asleep at the Wheel and had won his first Grammy with them. He’d also played with Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Emmylou Harris. It was Van Morrison’s praise of Asleep at the Wheel in Rolling Stone that got the band their first recording contract.
But Lucky had had enough of the road life and he loved Western Australia for its friendly people, beautiful weather and beaches, wide open spaces and its youthful possibility. It was a great place to raise their young family. Lucky immediately embedded himself in the music scene where his deep knowledge of a variety of roots music helped shape the Fremantle bands he joined – the Bluegrass of Jim Fisher’s Outlaws and the Swing sounds of the Nansing Quartet and Jam Tarts, whose Sunday Sessions at the Seaview Hotel were legendary. On his first trip ‘over east’ he cemented long term relationships, recording and touring with Paul Kelly and Joe Camilleri. His pedal steel and song-writing helped propel ‘Dude Ranch’ to an award winning self-titled album which is still viewed as a high watermark in Country Music and Western Swing. Wanting to hear some Louisiana music, he founded the Zydecats in 1993. The band’s rocking Sundays at Clancy’s Fish Pub provided inspiration for many young musicians, including John Butler and Tim Minchin.
He kept his ties with the USA, recording an album with Asleep at the Wheel that earned him his second Grammy in 1993. A new album and tour with them is slated for 2021. In 1995 he started working for Radio National’s award-winning music show as a programmer and soon became the presenter of the show, a position he held for 21 years, much of it programming and producing the show himself. He became a cultural icon in Australia for his deft handling of multiple musical strains and for his warm, erudite, no-nonsense delivery.
In 2014, he was invited by visionary ‘art for social change’ group Big hART to Roebourne in the Pilbara to help with writing and recording songs with the residents of the community and the inmates of the nearby prison. He expanded his role to be the Musical Director of Roebourne’s annual concert, ‘Songs for Peace’ and for the 2021 Perth triumph, ‘Songs for Freedom.’ He works with many Indigenous musicians and views that as an unforeseen revelation and privilege. He released his second album and his first of all originals, ‘Secret Steel’ with great blues guitarist Dave Brewer in 2006 and his Aria-nominated album of Hank Williams songs, sung by Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers, Tex Perkins, Vika and Linda Bull, Matt Walker, Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges and Don Walker, in 2019.
Since leaving the ABC in 2017, he has put together many ensembles that feature his pedal steel guitar work – so many that, when curating musical groups for Perth Festival’s Inner Courtyard series in 2021, he played with seven of the nine bands he programmed. Because people in WA might not know what a pedal steel guitar ‘should’ sound like, Lucky has had the freedom to expand the instrument’s voice in many ways, so much so that he is now a headliner at US-based steel guitar concerts. He has been deeply associated with Fremantle’s music scene, being one of the co-founders of the ‘Fly by Night Club’ and a consultant to the ‘Duke of George.’
In his birthday concert, he’ll be celebrating his time in Fremantle with some of his favourite musicians – Jim Fisher, Adam Gare and Sam Lemann of Nansing Quartet, Bill Rogers of the Zydecats, Dave Brewer and more recent playing partners and younger swing phenoms – Jessie Gordon, Adrian Galante and Mark Turner. These musicians share Lucky’s passion for musical excellence and a sense of music as something to be shared in joy. They’re on the same level as the world’s best musicians and represent the ever-growing vibrancy of the Western Australian music scene and Lucky’s multi-genre, collaborative approach to music.
True to his name, he has lived a fortunate life in this amazing seaside town and would like to give thanks to all the people who have shared magical musical moments with him in a night that will be long remembered. Lucky says, ‘Thank you, Fremantle, you have given me the beautiful dream that I never knew I had!’
Gig Info: Lucky Oceans 70th Birthday Bash, 7pm 23 April at Freo Social, Parry Street Fremantle.
Tickets: $33 plus booking fees at Moshtix.com.au Part proceeds to ‘Support Act’ https://bit.ly/3fqoDEw