Margret RoadKnight

Margret RoadKnight (born in July 1943) is an Australian singer-guitarist. In a career spanning more than five decades, she has sung in a wide variety of styles including blues, jazz, gospel, comedy, cabaret, and folk. In January 1976 she released a cover version of Bob Hudson's album track, "Girls in Our Town", as a single, which reached the Kent Music Report Singles Chart Top100.

Biography Margret RoadKnight was born in July 1943 in Melbourne. She had no formal singing lessons, "harmonizing with my mother and sister while we did the housework that sort of thing and the usual school choir and church choir." For her secondary education RoadKnight attended Santa Maria Ladies College, Northcote. She became a recreation worker in East Melbourne and "taught art and craft, games and sport to kids from 3 to 17 years old for two and an half years." Her first performance was on Mother's Day, May 1963 at the Emerald Hill Theatre. Her mother was in attendance at the debut gig, but she died in the following year.

In the 1960s and 1970s, RoadKnight appeared on numerous television programmes including Folkmoot, hosted by Leonard Teale, Dave's Place, hosted by the Kingston Trio's Dave Guard, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's national weekly current affairs program, Open-End. RoadKnight's debut album was a live set, People Get Ready (November 1973), which was recorded at Frank Traynor's Folk Club. He felt that "Of all the women I have heard singing the blues Miss Roadknight comes closest to the sound of-the great: exponents... of another generation, Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith." According to Rachael Lucas of Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Open the track "painted a cruel trajectory for teenage girls living in country towns; teenage school drop outs, lonely cashiers and factory workers, with nothing to keep them entertained but vanity and promiscuity." RoadKnight included the single on her third album, Margret RoadKnight, which was issued in October 1976. It appeared on the Infinity label via Festival Records and was co-produced by Russell Dunlop (of Ayers Rock), Simon Heath and Wahanui Wynyard. Late that year she performed in China as a member of the Australian Theatre People's Group.

RoadKnight's first compilation album, Living in the Land of Oz, appeared in 1984, which included her version of the title track – a cover of Ross Wilson's track for the 1976 film, Oz. During 1984 RoadKnight also acted as promoter for the second Australian tour by Ellen Mcilwaine.

In February 1987 she was a member of Je Ne Sais Choir, along with Jarnie Birmingham, Mara Kiek and Moya Simpson. That choir supported Frankie Armstrong's tour of Australia.

By October 1993 Je Ne Sais Choir were renamed as Girls in Your Town and they undertook their own tour. According to Foster the a cappella quartet sing "songs of the '50s and '60s along with gospel, jazz, drinking, and barbershop songs and African chants."

Discography Albums + List of albums, with selected details and chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positions AUS People Get Ready Released: 1973 Format: LP Label: Move (MS 3009) — Australian Jazz of the 70s Vol. 5: The Blues Singers(split album by Margret RoadKnight and Dutch Tilders) Released: 1974 Format: LP Label: Jazznote (JNLP-009/S) — Margret RoadKnight Released: October 1976 Format: LP, cassette Label: Infinity/Festival (L-36045) 83 Ice Released: 1978 Format: LP, cassette Label: Infinity/Festival (L-36334) 93 Out of Fashion... Not Out of Style Released: 1981 Format: LP, cassette Label: Infinity/Festival (L-37538) — Living in the Land of Oz Released: 1984 Format: LP, cassette Label: Infinity/Festival (L-38297) Note: Compilation album — Moving Target Released: 1988 Format: LP, cassette, CD Label: Sandstock Music (SSM 028) — Fringe Benefits Released: 1993 Format: CD, cassette Label: Honky Tonk Angels (HTAS) — At The School Of Arts Cafe Released: 1996 Format: CD Label: Larrikin (lrf468) — Women 'n Blues Released: 2003 Label: Full House Records (FHR 021) Format: CD — Decade: '75-'84 Released: 2013 Format: LP, cassette Label: Festival, Warner (FEST601015) Note: Compilation album — Long Time (Recordings 1988 - 2023) Released: 27 October 2023 Format: CD Label: Chapter Music (CH192) Note: Compilation album —

Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions

Margret RoadKnight Lifetime Achievement Award