Eric Bogle

by Craig Harris
One of Australia's eminent singer/songwriters, Eric Bogle has been sharing his unique Scotsman-goes-down-under view since the late-'70s. His songs, including &And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda,& &Leaving Nancy,& &Nobody's Moggy Now,& and &Little Gomez,& have been covered by a growing list of artists, including June Tabor, the Pogues, Mary Black, Donovan, Billy Bragg, and the Dubliners. The Fureys' rendition of &No Man's Land (Green Fields of France)& spent 26 weeks on the Irish music charts, including ten weeks at the top position. The son of a bagpipe player, Bogle wrote poetry at the age of eight. Influenced by Elvis Presley and Lonnie Donegan, he taught himself to play guitar and joined a series of rock and skiffle bands. A career in music was the furthest thing from Bogle's mind, however. After leaving school at the age of 16, he worked a variety of jobs, including manual laborer, export clerk, and bartender. Moving to Australia, in 1969, to work as an accountant, Bogle soon connected with a folk club in Canberra and became immersed in the country's acoustic music scene. His first song to capture international attention, &And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda,& was inspired by watching an ANZAC march in Canberra, and was originally 15 minutes long. &No Man's Land (Green Fields of France),& which was written after a visit to a military cemetery in northern France, reflected Bogle's continuing fascination with World War I. Residing near the southern Australian city of Adelaide, Bogle performs with a quartet that features drummer Jon Jones; fiddle, guitar, and mandolin player David O'Neill; and former-Pyewackett bassist, keyboardist, and saxophonist Ian Blake.