Frogtoon Music

I Was Only 19 by Redgum

Artist Biography For Redgum

Redgum Was An Australian Folk And Political Music Group Formed In Adelaide In 1975 By Singer-Songwriter John Schumann Michael Atkinson On Guitars/vocals And Verity Truman On Flute/vocals They Were Soon Joined By Chris Timms On Violin. All Four Had Been Students At Flinders University And Together Developed An Intensely Passionate And Outspoken Outlook. They Are Known For Their Protest Song Exploring The Impact Of War In 1983's "I Was Only Nineteen A Walk In The Light Green " Which Peaked At #1 On The National Singles Charts. The Song Is In The Australasian Performing Right Association APRA List Of Top 30 Of All Time Best Australian Songs Created In 2001. Redgum Also Covered Australian Consumer Influences On Surrounding Nations In 1984's "I've Been To Bali Too" Both Hit Singles Were Written By Schumann. "The Diamantina Drover" Written By Timms Replacement Violinist/vocalist Hugh McDonald And "Poor Ned" Written By Trevor Lucas Of Fairport Convention Are Examples Of Their Bush Songs. Lucas Produced Their Best Performed Album The June 1983 Live LP Caught In The Act Which Peaked At #3 On The National Albums Chart.
Schumann Left The Band And Pursued A Solo Career From 1986 Atkinson Left In 1987 And Redgum Finally Disbanded In 1990. Since 2005 Schumann And McDonald Have Been Performing Together Again As Part Of John Schumann And The Vagabond Crew. History Redgum Were Formed In 1975 When Three Students At Flinders University John Schumann Michael Atkinson Not The Future Labor Politician Of The Same Name And Verity Truman Collaborated For A Musical Assessment Piece For Their Politics And Art Course. The Trio Quickly Gained Fame Around The University Community For Their Forthright Songs And By 1976 Had Been Joined By Violinist Chris Timms Who Had Previously Attended Flinders University. The Group Were Soon In Demand For Parties Pubs And Rallies Throughout South Australia And Victoria. Initially A Part-Time Band Performing Weekends And School Holidays Two Members Were Teachers It Was Only After They Released Their Second Album Virgin Ground Late 1980 To Strong Sales And Critical Acclaim That The Group Became Full-Time And Started Touring Nationally. Edit Music On The First Album If You Don't Fight You Lose 1978 Redgum Showed It Was One Of The Few Australian Bands Prepared To Tackle Domestic Politics And Culture. "One More Boring Night In Adelaide" For Some Will Remain Despite Some Of Its Dated References A Classic Analysis Of Australian Provincial Parochialism. The Group's Success Continued To Grow With The Release Of Their Next Three Albums Virgin Ground Brown Rice And Kerosene 1981 And The EP Cut To The Quick September 1982 And They Weathered Several Line-Up Changes Including The Addition Of A Didgeridoo And The Replacement Of Timms In May 1982 With Hugh McDonald Among Others. They Released A Songbook The Redgum Songbook Stubborn Words Flagrant Vices 1981 . Collaboration With Influential Australian Folk Producer Trevor Lucas From UK Folk Group Fairport Convention Brought The High-Point Of Their Career - The Live LP Caught In The Act Was Released In June 1983 And "I Was Only Nineteen" Aka "A Walk In The Light Green" March 1983 Hit Number One On The Australian Singles Chart. The Song Precipitated A Royal Commission Into The Use And Effects Of Chemical Agents In The Vietnam War By The Australian Military. The Album Included "The Diamantina Drover" And "The Last Frontier" Which Are Indicative Of Their Folk Music Style. The Band Released Their Next LP Frontline August 1984 With Its Single "I've Been To Bali Too" And Started Touring Folk Venues In The UK And Europe With Some Success. Late In 1985 Schumann Announced That He Had Signed A Solo Deal With CBS Records And Would Be Quitting. Redgum Released One More Album Of New Material Midnight Sun 1986 And A Last Single "Roll It On Robbie" 1987 After Which Atkinson Left. The Remaining Members Performed Until 1990 Before Breaking Up.

Frogtoon Music - Song Info: I Was Only 19

John Schumann The Lead Singer-Guitarist Of Redgum Wrote This Song Based On Conversations He Had With Australian Army Veterans Of The Vietnam War. The Song Reflects The Experience Of A Young Australian Man As He Joins The Army Serves In Vietnam And After His Return To Australia. Contrary To The Popular Idea That The Man In The Story Is A Conscript He Volunteers For Service In Vietnam. Due To His Age Of 19 He Is Not Eligible To Be Conscripted As Australian Men Did Not Become Elegible For Conscription Until They Reached Adulthood Which At The Time Was 21. The Song Has Become The Most Widely Recognized Song By Redgum And It Hit The Number One Spot On The Australia-Wide Kent Music Report For Two Weeks After Its Release In March 1983 The Kent Music Report Was A Weekly Chart Of Australian Music That Ran From 1974 Until 1988 . It Also Achieved A Place In The Top 30 Australian Songs Of All Time. The Song Has Been Titled As "A Walk In The Light Green" When Performed Live And Schumann Explained That This Was A Reference To Australian Military Maps Of Vietnam Where Dark Green Areas On The Map Indicated Jungle/thick Forest And Light Green Areas Indicated Light Forest. The Significance Of This Becomes Apparent When It's Understood That Jungle/thick Forest Meant Plenty Of Cover From Enemy Fire And Few Land Mines While The Light Forests Provided Minimal Protection From Enemy Fire And A Much Greater Risk Of Encountering Land Mines. A "walk In The Light Green" Carried Far Greater Risk Of Being Killed Or Injured. Part Of The Reason For The Songs Success Was Due To The Use Of Powerful Evocative Lyrics Such As "And Night Time's Just A Jungle Dark And A Barking M16?" And "A Four Week Operation Where Each Step Could Mean Your Last One On Two Legs". While There Were A Number Of Songs About The Vietnam War Experience By American Singers "I Was Only 19" Is One Of The Very Few Australian Songs About The War And While It Was Not The First It Was The First That Specifically Identified Itself With The Australian Experience In That Conflict*. * Khe Sanh By Australian Group Cold Chisel Is Generally Recognized As The First Australian Song About The Vietnam War

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