Album Notes

BIOGRAPHY ~ NIGEL FOOTE

Nigel Foote grew up in Sydney, Australia, in a home filled with laughter, music and candlelight. Although he played piano as a child, he fell in love with the guitar at sixteen, listening to his mother's Andre Segovia records.

But instead of following a classical path, Nigel was drawn into the embrace of folk music and the sound of the steel-string guitar. The instrument has been his constant companion ever since - and a fertile seed-bed for his songwriting.

Nigel married Dawn Egan, a folksinger he met in the rural, gold-rush town of Bathurst, and the couple settled in the Blue Mountains where they established themselves as full-time folk musicians, finding that they were in much demand for their peaceful, atmospheric music.

During the International Year of Peace (1986), Nigel released an anti-nuclear single in association with the Greenpeace Organisation. Both songs on the record won songwriting awards, including a prestigious Pater Award presented at the Sydney Opera House, and on the strength of that critical acclaim, Nigel released his debut album, Dangerous Game.

The album established Nigel as an original and evocative singer-songwriter, and a reputation throughout the mountains as an outstanding folk-blues guitarist.

Nigel's latest album, Home By Dark, consecutively won the Folk Award in 2006 and 2007 at the Blue Mountains Music Awards. Home By Dark is the first release on the Folksinger Label - Nigel and Dawn’s independent label.
 
Some comments people are making about Home By Dark:

“Home By Dark quietly matures to surprise you in it’s depth and intricacy ... respectful of the past, yet always lyrically inventive, Home By Dark is beautiful, subtle and intimate” ... Morris Bryant, Blue Mountains Review, April 2006
 
"The great marriage of words and music is too often discarded for the lure of making quick money in today's lucrative music market. But, if you are willing to explore further beyond the tease of commercialism, there are still artists in this world writing and performing works of a truly exceptional standard, songs that inspire and touch us, melodies which will echo through the years. Nigel Foote is one of these artists"... Paul Jarman, Stix Magazine, July 2006
 
“Nigel Foote’s long-awaited second album, Home By Dark, is exceptional. Nigel is a gifted folksinger and songwriter and a consummate guitarist. The songs were written over the last ten years, and each one is inspired and beautifully crafted. One of our finest musicians"... Radio BLU FM, September 2006
 
“Beautiful songs ... wonderful musicianship ... worth the wait!” ... Judy Small, Songwriter
 
“Beguiling ... evocative ... highly recommended” ... Pat Drummond, Songwriter

 
Songwriting Awards
2007 2nd Place TSA Songwriter's Salute ~ Sleeping Like An Angel
2007 Finalist ~ Victorian & National Country Music Awards ~ Home By Dark
2006 Winner ~ Folk Award ~ Blue Mountains Music Awards
2005 Finalist ~ Musicoz Awards ~ 'The Ballad of C F Martin'
2003 Honorable Mention John Lennon Song Contest 'Just The Way It Goes'
2003 3rd Place ~ ASA Song Contest ~ 'Home by Dark'
2003 2nd Place ~ Musicoz Awards ~ ‘Martin's Song’
2003 Finalist ~ ASA Song Contest ~ ‘She Wore No Shoes’
2001 Finalist Johnny Dennis Music Awards ‘The Water Smoothes the Stones’
2000 Finalist ~ ASA Song Contest ~ ‘Treasures’
2000 Finalist ~ ASA Song Contest ~ ‘Home by Dark’
1995 Finalist ~ ASA Song Contest ~ ‘It's a Sad Song a Broken Heart Sings’
1995 Finalist ~ ASA Song Contest ~ ‘Shadows of the Moon’
1994 Winner ~ Rudi Brandsma Award ~ Various titles
1994 2nd Place ~ ASA Song Contest ~ ‘Dangerous Game’
1987 Winner ~ PATER International Award ~ ‘Going Somewhere’
1987 Winner ~ PATER International Award ~ ‘A Long Way from Parramatta Road’
1987 Finalist ~ PATER International Award ~ ‘For the Birds’
1987 Finalist ~ PATER International Award ~ ‘Watching Our Love Grow’
1986 Finalist ~ Declan Affley Award ~ ‘Dangerous Game’
1986 Winner ~ PCDAO Literature Award ~ ‘Say No, Say No’