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City crooner right on top Down Under: The Indian Express
New Delhi, Nov 16: When India line up for the fourth Test against Australia in Sydney next January, there will be 11 men on the field with hands on their hearts. And the 12th man will be singing his heart out-and making history, as Delhi`s Bobby Cash will become the first Indian to lead the singing of the national anthem before an international test match anywhere in the world.
New Delhi, Nov 16: When India line up for the fourth Test against Australia in Sydney next January, there will be 11 men on the field with hands on their hearts. And the 12th man will be singing his heart out—and making history, as Delhi’s Bobby Cash will become the first Indian to lead the singing of the national anthem before an international test match anywhere in the world.
‘‘I will be there with my guitar and I will sing the anthem my way,’’ says country singer Cash (42). His trademark Stetson may be missing in deference to the occasion, but the goosebumps, he promises, will be very much in evidence.
Australia has had a long tradition of established singers leading the players and spectators in singing the anthem at international sports events, but this is the first time that an Indian will do the honours, confirms Sean Cadd, media liaison officer of Cricket Australia.
‘‘It is an acknowledgement of his immense popularity here, and in India,’’ Cadd told The Sunday Express over the phone from Melbourne. Australian country major John Williamson will lead the singing of the Aussie anthem Advance Australia Fair.
While there is little doubt that many more voices will join in the rendition of the home anthem, spectators are likely to be equally divided in their applause for the two singers. In the past year, Cash, born Bal Kishore Das Loiwal, has emerged as one of the most-applauded voices in country music in Australia.
‘‘It was just about a year ago when things started falling into place,’’ says Cash, looking comfortable in his cowboy hat, boots and fringed leather jacket in a New Delhi room. ‘‘In January, I was at Tamworth Country Music Festival, Australia’s biggest, walking through the crowds and busking (playing the guitar and singing for the public). The appreciation was almost instant.’’
Getting the idea that something big was happening here, Colin Bromley, an independent Australian television producer/director, began filming a documentary on the singer. ‘‘Bobby was a chance to look at fame and what it takes to achieve it,’’ says Bromley, who first heard Cash at a five-star bar lounge in Delhi and then badgered him to travel to Tamworth.
The real-life storyline surpasses fiction. As media coverage post-Tamworth elevated Cash to a minor celebrity, a local millionaire with a missionary India connection suggested he cut a CD and donate part of the proceeds to charity. ‘‘Some of Australia’s topmost country musicians collaborated with me on that CD, Cowboy at Heart,’’ says Cash. ‘‘I worked with pianist Laurie Muhoberac, who played on Elvis Presley’s Suspicious Mind, and I sang with Smoky Dawson and Tania Kernaghan.’’
It only gets better. Cash’s next trip to Australia will see him singing the national anthem before an audience of millions worldwide, opening the Tamworth Festival 2004, and performing at National Press Club in Canberra. Mid-year, he expects to sing at the Country Music Association festival in Nashville. The cowboy’s finally going home.
‘‘I will be there with my guitar and I will sing the anthem my way,’’ says country singer Cash (42). His trademark Stetson may be missing in deference to the occasion, but the goosebumps, he promises, will be very much in evidence.
Australia has had a long tradition of established singers leading the players and spectators in singing the anthem at international sports events, but this is the first time that an Indian will do the honours, confirms Sean Cadd, media liaison officer of Cricket Australia.
‘‘It is an acknowledgement of his immense popularity here, and in India,’’ Cadd told The Sunday Express over the phone from Melbourne. Australian country major John Williamson will lead the singing of the Aussie anthem Advance Australia Fair.
While there is little doubt that many more voices will join in the rendition of the home anthem, spectators are likely to be equally divided in their applause for the two singers. In the past year, Cash, born Bal Kishore Das Loiwal, has emerged as one of the most-applauded voices in country music in Australia.
‘‘It was just about a year ago when things started falling into place,’’ says Cash, looking comfortable in his cowboy hat, boots and fringed leather jacket in a New Delhi room. ‘‘In January, I was at Tamworth Country Music Festival, Australia’s biggest, walking through the crowds and busking (playing the guitar and singing for the public). The appreciation was almost instant.’’
Getting the idea that something big was happening here, Colin Bromley, an independent Australian television producer/director, began filming a documentary on the singer. ‘‘Bobby was a chance to look at fame and what it takes to achieve it,’’ says Bromley, who first heard Cash at a five-star bar lounge in Delhi and then badgered him to travel to Tamworth.
The real-life storyline surpasses fiction. As media coverage post-Tamworth elevated Cash to a minor celebrity, a local millionaire with a missionary India connection suggested he cut a CD and donate part of the proceeds to charity. ‘‘Some of Australia’s topmost country musicians collaborated with me on that CD, Cowboy at Heart,’’ says Cash. ‘‘I worked with pianist Laurie Muhoberac, who played on Elvis Presley’s Suspicious Mind, and I sang with Smoky Dawson and Tania Kernaghan.’’
It only gets better. Cash’s next trip to Australia will see him singing the national anthem before an audience of millions worldwide, opening the Tamworth Festival 2004, and performing at National Press Club in Canberra. Mid-year, he expects to sing at the Country Music Association festival in Nashville. The cowboy’s finally going home.