Beccy Cole and Melinda Schneider have had very successful solo careers having completed 18 albums between them, won 15 Golden Guitars, Female Vocalist of the Year and APRA Song of the Year.

On November 7, they will release their first album together, “Great Women of Country and the songs that made them”.  We recently sat down with them to discuss the new album and their “Great Women of Country” concert dates.

Tell us a bit about “Great Women of Country”.

BC – These are the songs that shaped us as artists.  Many of them were songs that my mother sang on TV out of     Adelaide in the 60s and ’70s.  She then went on to have a successful country covers band in the 80s, and I was hugely influenced by the music.  I love having the opportunity to tip my hat to these amazing women.

MS – Beccy and I had both been approached separately over the years to record an album like this.  The timing wasn’t right until now.  We’d often spoken about working together, so in February this year I called Bec and suggested we do it together.  There were so many incredible songs to choose from, and our final tracklist came about quite easily really.  Beccy suggested we make this album sound kind of “old but new”, and I think we’ve achieved that.  We wanted to pay homage to these great women and songs with respect.  I love the way the album has turned out!

Is this the first time you’ve performed together?  Is this the first time you’ve gone on tour together?

BC –  I believe we have sung one duet together on stage at the Gympie Muster many years ago.  This is the first time we have toured or recorded together.

MS  it is the first time we have ever toured together, and I can’t wait to get on the road!

Tell us about your upcoming tour.  What are your hopes for the tour?

MS – It’s going to be fun to take the audience on a journey down memory lane.  There are so many fun songs on this record, and I expect everyone to be singing along.

BC – It’s great to go into the studio and recreate these great songs.  To take them on stage and perform them live will be wonderful.  I love performing and telling stories of my own songs, but paying tribute to the greats and putting our own stamp on female country classics is a wonderful project and such fun.  The shows are going to transport many back to a time when music and lyrics were new and fresh–I can’t wait!

This album has a lot of great songs–Do you have a favourite individually or together?

BC – Dolly Parton has always been my favourite performer, singer, and songwriter.  I love everything about her.  When I was a kid, I had 286 pictures of her on my wall!  My favourite song of all time is Dolly’s “Coat of Many Colours”, getting to sing this song was an absolute pleasure.

MS – There are so many world-class songs on this album.  The favourite of my solos is Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”.  I think our duet version of “Jolene” is pretty dark and haunting too.  I’m really happy with the way that one turned out.  Our duet of “Love Hurts” is really powerful.  I think it may actually be the first time that song has been recorded as a duet by two women.