Perplexing, provocative, and challenging original songs, combined with a deep respect for the origins of the traditional music of his native land, are trademarks of this pioneer of Australian roots music.
An award-winning singer-songwriter and founder of the seminal Australian roots band Country Radio, which scored hits with "Gypsy Queen", "Wintersong" and "Fleetwood Plain", and recorded four groundbreaking albums in his homeland in the 1970s, Greg Quill has headlined at the Sydney Opera House, and shared stages with many musical icons of the era, including Fairport Convention, Elton John, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Santana, J.J. Cale and Stephen Stills, among others. His music has been described as “a defining event in Australian rock and folk.” (ABC Radio).
In Canada, first as a solo artist on the prestigious Elektra label, then heading up the formidable Toronto-based country-rock outfit, Southern Cross, Greg continued playing through the mid-1980s, before embarking on a career in arts journalism with The Toronto Star.
In 2001 he teamed up again with Country Radio songwriting partner and multi-instrumentalist Kerryn Tolhurst, then a prominent roots music producer and session musician in the U.S., to write and record the CD so rudely interrupted, which was released in Australia in April 2003 during a tour of their homeland, their first performances together there in 30 years.
Greg and Kerryn headlined more than a dozen concerts, including the Port Fairy Folk Festival and the Brunswick Music Festival in Victoria. Canada’s major roots music label, True North Records, subsequently released so rudely interrupted. Greg was also profiled on Bravo! TV’s national arts documentary program, Arts & Minds.
Greg plays regularly in and around Toronto solo, and with his modular band Ironbark, regularly featuring Australian expat. trailmate, bassist Terry Wilkins, slide guitarist Cam MacInnes and drummer Bucky Berger, among other Canadian roots music veterans.
Greg has appeared at numerous festivals in Canada, including Summerfolk and Winterfolk, as well as at The Flying Cloud Folk Club, Graffiti’s, Lee’s Palace with Paul Kelly, and several times at Toronto’s premier concert club, Hugh’s Room, sharing the stage with Guy Davis, Colin Hay, Murray McLauchlan and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, among many others.
He toured Australia again in 2009 and introduced Toronto songwriter Jon Brooks to homeland audiences during a 15-date tour of Australia's east coast in 2011.
Greg is currently recording an album of new songs.