Tony Backhouse
Encyclopedia
Tony Backhouse is a musician
from New Zealand
. He played in NZ bands such as The Crocodiles
, and formed Australian a cappella groups, the Elevators, the Cafe of the Gate of Salvation, the Honeybees and the Heavenly Lights. Currently he lives in New Zealand
and works as a singer, composer, author and workshop leader, in the areas of vocal arranging and Gospel Music
.
, New Zealand, under the tutorship of composers David Farquhar and Jenny McLeod. He later completed a graduate course in Ethnomusicology (focusing on blues and gospel) at University of Memphis
, USA.
Backhouse composes and arranges mainly for a cappella choirs, always with an ear to vernacular traditions - contemporary funk, African choirs, gospel - and to anything polyphonic. Works that typify his style are Jubilation and In the Shadow of Thy Wings, (Café of the Gate of Salvation).
Since relocating to Australia in 1981, Backhouse has sung and/or played guitar with Renée Geyer, Joe Walsh, Jenny Morris, Jackie Orszaszcky and many others, and has arranged and recorded backing vocals for Dave Dobbyn
, Tim Finn, Vince Jones, Justine Clarke and the Umbrellas.
Backhouse's songs have been recorded by Jenny Morris, Renée Geyer and others, and he has contributed to film soundtracks including Sweetie (Jane Campion), Rodney & Juliet (Fane Flaws
) and Brain Dead (Peter Jackson).
Backhouse has received awards from the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America and composer commissions from The Song Company and the Australia Council. In 1990 he received an Australia Council International Study Grant to research Black gospel traditions at Memphis State University. In 2006, his song Lost In The Heavenly Light was nominated for the Australian Classical Music Awards for Vocal Work of the Year.
Since 1987, Backhouse has been running vocal workshops throughout Australia and New Zealand, Canada, the Pacific Islands, France and the UK, and has been a solo performer at festivals throughout Australia. He has published two African American gospel songbooks 'A cappella – Rehearsing For Heaven' (1995; accompanying double CD, 2003) and 'Move On Up' (2005), and a book on directing vocal groups, 'Freeing the song'. His current activities include running workshops in a cappella traditions, composing and arranging for vocal ensembles and choirs, including the Café of the Gate of Salvation, and singing with the Heavenly Lights and recording original music with Peter Dasent
and Fane Flaws
.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He played in NZ bands such as The Crocodiles
The Crocodiles
The Crocodiles was a New Zealand pop band formed in 1979 with lead singer Jenny Morris, who went on to commercial success as a solo artist in Australia; and later included drummer Barton Price who subsequently joined Sardine v and then Models...
, and formed Australian a cappella groups, the Elevators, the Cafe of the Gate of Salvation, the Honeybees and the Heavenly Lights. Currently he lives in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and works as a singer, composer, author and workshop leader, in the areas of vocal arranging and Gospel Music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
.
History
Backhouse completed a B.A. (English), and B.Mus. (Composition) at Victoria University of WellingtonVictoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
, New Zealand, under the tutorship of composers David Farquhar and Jenny McLeod. He later completed a graduate course in Ethnomusicology (focusing on blues and gospel) at University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
, USA.
Backhouse composes and arranges mainly for a cappella choirs, always with an ear to vernacular traditions - contemporary funk, African choirs, gospel - and to anything polyphonic. Works that typify his style are Jubilation and In the Shadow of Thy Wings, (Café of the Gate of Salvation).
Bands
In the early seventies, Backhouse composed and performed music for NZ radio, theatre and film, but most of his energies were spent in NZ funk/soul/pop bands, including Mammal, Rough Justice and the Crocodiles (which won three Recording Industry Awards in 1980).Since relocating to Australia in 1981, Backhouse has sung and/or played guitar with Renée Geyer, Joe Walsh, Jenny Morris, Jackie Orszaszcky and many others, and has arranged and recorded backing vocals for Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn, ONZM is an award-winning New Zealand musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash...
, Tim Finn, Vince Jones, Justine Clarke and the Umbrellas.
Backhouse's songs have been recorded by Jenny Morris, Renée Geyer and others, and he has contributed to film soundtracks including Sweetie (Jane Campion), Rodney & Juliet (Fane Flaws
Fane Flaws
Fane Flaws is a New Zealand musician, songwriter, and artist. He was a member of bands including Blerta, Spats and The Crocodiles.He wrote many of the songs used in the film Meet the Feebles....
) and Brain Dead (Peter Jackson).
A cappella
In the mid-eighties Backhouse became deeply immersed in the Black gospel tradition, and, as a result, increasingly involved in community music, choral directing and running vocal workshops. He founded the a cappella quartet the Elevators, a cappella gospel choirs the Café of the Gate of Salvation and the Honeybees and a cappella quartet the Heavenly Light Quartet.Backhouse has received awards from the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America and composer commissions from The Song Company and the Australia Council. In 1990 he received an Australia Council International Study Grant to research Black gospel traditions at Memphis State University. In 2006, his song Lost In The Heavenly Light was nominated for the Australian Classical Music Awards for Vocal Work of the Year.
Since 1987, Backhouse has been running vocal workshops throughout Australia and New Zealand, Canada, the Pacific Islands, France and the UK, and has been a solo performer at festivals throughout Australia. He has published two African American gospel songbooks 'A cappella – Rehearsing For Heaven' (1995; accompanying double CD, 2003) and 'Move On Up' (2005), and a book on directing vocal groups, 'Freeing the song'. His current activities include running workshops in a cappella traditions, composing and arranging for vocal ensembles and choirs, including the Café of the Gate of Salvation, and singing with the Heavenly Lights and recording original music with Peter Dasent
Peter Dasent
Peter Dasent is a New Zealand musician and composer. He played keyboards in the bands Spats, and The Crocodiles. He leads the chamber-jazz group the Umbrellas, is writing a book on the music of Nino Rota and currently works in music composition for film and television, most notably in the...
and Fane Flaws
Fane Flaws
Fane Flaws is a New Zealand musician, songwriter, and artist. He was a member of bands including Blerta, Spats and The Crocodiles.He wrote many of the songs used in the film Meet the Feebles....
.
External links
- Tony Backhouse Home Page
- Tony Backhouse blog
- http://www.cafeofthegateofsalvation.com.au/ Café of the Gate of Salvation website
- http://www.myspace.com/cafeofthegateofsalvation Café of the Gate of Salvation on MySpace
- Dix, John, Stranded In Paradise, Penguin, 2005. ISBN 0-14-301953-8
- Eggleton, David, Ready To Fly, Craig Potton, 2003. ISBN 1-877333-06-9
- Johnson, E. Patrick, Appropriating Blackness, Duke Uiversity Press, 2003. ISBN 0822331918, 9780822331919
- Lohrey, Amanda, Secrets pp 242–249 Macmillan 1997.
- Dowrick, Stephanie, Forgiveness and Other acts of love, pp 45–47, Viking 1997.