Diana Roselyn Trask was born on 23 June 1940 in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell and raised in the then-rural town of Warburton. Her father was Lew, who ran a furniture business, and her mother was Thelma (nee Salisbury), who was a music teacher. Trask sang from an early age, performing at school functions and for her family. In August 1949 she won the Under 10 Solo Girls category at the Lilydale Eisteddfod. At 16, she received formal vocal lessons from her mother. She became a part of a singing group. Trask won a talent show, TV Quest, in 1957. She signed with Lee Gordon as her promoter. Her first two singles were "Going Steady" (1958) on W&G and "Lover Is Another Name for Fool" (1959) on Gordon's Leedon label. Gordon arranged for her to open for international visitors, including Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., who each toured Australia in early 1959 and Pat Boone in 1960.
Acting on encouragement from Sinatra and Davis, Trask relocated to the United States. In August 1959 she debuted as a jazz singer at New York City's Blue Angel club. She became a regular on Don McNeill's Breakfast Club TV show and appeared as a dancer and singer on Jack Benny's TV show. Mitch Miller gave her a recording contract in 1960 with Columbia Records and also a regular spot on his TV show, Sing Along with Mitch. By 1961 Trask was earning A£44,000 per year and lived at the Middletown Hotel, NYC. Late that year she became engaged to Thom Ewen, a businessman from Connecticut; they married in Warburton's Roman Catholic Sacred Heart Church, on 7 January 1962.
Trask released two albums, 'Diana Trask' and 'Diana Trask on TV', via Columbia, which were geared towards the pop market but neither was successful. After Miller's show was cancelled in 1964 Trask and Ewen moved to Melbourne to continue her career. She appeared regularly on In Melbourne Tonight on GTV-9 during that year. In 1965 she hosted her own 13-week TV variety programme, Di Trask Show, with Ewen as producer for the same channel. According to Nan Musgrove of The Australian Women's Weekly it "wasn't all that popular here but sold like hot cakes overseas in 26 countries." In 1967 Trask and Ewen returned to the US and initially settled in NYC and then in Nashville; where she started as a country singer. She signed with Dial Records that year, and in July 1968 had her first charting single, "Lock, Stock, and Tear Drops", which reached the top 70 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.
Trask signed a record deal with Dot Records and released an album, 'Miss Country Soul' (March 1969), which provided her nickname and reached #34 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It was produced by Joe Tex and included her cover versions of his work. Her versions of Tex's R & B tracks, "Hold What You've Got" and "Show Me", display a soulful voice. They drew critical acclaim, while the lead single, "Hold What You've Got" (July 1968), reached the top 60. Rubber City Review's Tim Quine opined "I wouldn’t throw away the original, but Trask seems pretty comfortable taking the women's point of view on her version of Joe's hit 'Show Me'."
Trask released her fourth studio album, 'From the Heart', in November 1969, which peaked at #32. It provided her version of Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" (March 1970), which reached #37. She followed with a cover version of George Jones' "Beneath Still Waters" (February), which reached #38. Trask released her seventh studio album, 'Its a Man's World', in March 1974, which peaked at #25. It provided three singles, which reached the top 20 country songs chart, "Say When" (May 1973), "It's a Man's World (When You Have a Man Like Mine)" (August) and "When I Get My Hands on You" (February 1974).
She followed with 'Lean It all on Me' (July 1974) and its title single, "Lean It All on Me" (May 1974) – her highest charting track, reaching #13 on the country charts. It was also issued as a single in the United Kingdom via Ember Records, backed with "Behind Closed Doors". She also toured the UK with Glen Campbell who wrote the sleeve notes for her Ember album. She continued with Dot Records singles, "If You Wanna Hold On (Hold on to Your Man)" (October 1974) and "Oh Boy" (March 1975), which are her last top 40 country hits. Trask continued releasing albums and singles with Dot Records until 1977. She made a brief comeback via the Kari label with two non album singles, "This Must Be My Ship" (April 1981) and "Stirrin' Up Feelings" (September). The Ewen family returned to Australia, where she resumed her career. In 1979 Roger Climpson, host of Australia's version of This Is Your Life, surprised her during a rehearsal for the TV tribute show. Trask wrote the track, "I Think About Your Lovin'", which was recorded by the Osmonds in 1982.
In the 1980s Trask withdrew from performing to look after Ewen, who was incapacitated following a stroke: the couple lived on a yacht and cruised the Caribbean until Ewen's health began to fail in the late 1980s. From 2006 the couple lived in Woodbine GA until Thom Ewen died in 2009, after which Trask resided in nearby St. Mary's. Trask co-authored her autobiography, Whatever Happened to Diana Trask: A Memoir, with Alison Campbell Rate, which was published on 1 May 2010.
''Lover Is Another Name For Fool (#56) / Soldier, Won't You Marry Me'' (#54) 1959 Leedon
''A Guy Is A Guy (#59) / Love Me Now'' 1960 CBS Coronet
''Turn To Me / Long Ago Last Summer'' (#26) 1960 CBS Coronet
''Our Language Of Love (#48) / I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry'' 1960 CBS Coronet
''Jabbin Jabbin / Too Young'' 1964 CBS
''The Road To Gundagai / The Overlanders'' 1965 CBS
''Hold What You've Got / This Heart Was Made For Lovin' 1968 Dot
''Lock, Stock And Tear Drops / Precious Time'' 1968 Atlantic
''Show Me / Build Your Love'' 1969 Dot
''I Fall To Pieces / Long Ago Is Gone'' 1969 Dot
''Shadow Of My Man / World Of The Missing'' 1973 Dot
''Say When / Old Southern Cotton Town'' 1973 Dot
''Oh Boy (#10) / Alone Again Naturally'' 1975 Dot
''Let's Get Down To Business / But He Was Good For Me'' 1976 Dot
''Cry / I Can Take A Little Heartache'' 1976 Dot
''Waltzing Matilda (Short Version) / Waltzing Matilda (Long Version)'' 1977 Dot
''Rising Above It All / You Took Advantage Of My Heart'' 1980 Mercury
''Mothers And Daddies / This Must Be My Ship'' 1980 Mercury
Trask released two albums, 'Diana Trask' and 'Diana Trask on TV', via Columbia, which were geared towards the pop market but neither was successful. After Miller's show was cancelled in 1964 Trask and Ewen moved to Melbourne to continue her career. She appeared regularly on In Melbourne Tonight on GTV-9 during that year. In 1965 she hosted her own 13-week TV variety programme, Di Trask Show, with Ewen as producer for the same channel. According to Nan Musgrove of The Australian Women's Weekly it "wasn't all that popular here but sold like hot cakes overseas in 26 countries." In 1967 Trask and Ewen returned to the US and initially settled in NYC and then in Nashville; where she started as a country singer. She signed with Dial Records that year, and in July 1968 had her first charting single, "Lock, Stock, and Tear Drops", which reached the top 70 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.
Trask signed a record deal with Dot Records and released an album, 'Miss Country Soul' (March 1969), which provided her nickname and reached #34 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It was produced by Joe Tex and included her cover versions of his work. Her versions of Tex's R & B tracks, "Hold What You've Got" and "Show Me", display a soulful voice. They drew critical acclaim, while the lead single, "Hold What You've Got" (July 1968), reached the top 60. Rubber City Review's Tim Quine opined "I wouldn’t throw away the original, but Trask seems pretty comfortable taking the women's point of view on her version of Joe's hit 'Show Me'."
Trask released her fourth studio album, 'From the Heart', in November 1969, which peaked at #32. It provided her version of Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" (March 1970), which reached #37. She followed with a cover version of George Jones' "Beneath Still Waters" (February), which reached #38. Trask released her seventh studio album, 'Its a Man's World', in March 1974, which peaked at #25. It provided three singles, which reached the top 20 country songs chart, "Say When" (May 1973), "It's a Man's World (When You Have a Man Like Mine)" (August) and "When I Get My Hands on You" (February 1974).
She followed with 'Lean It all on Me' (July 1974) and its title single, "Lean It All on Me" (May 1974) – her highest charting track, reaching #13 on the country charts. It was also issued as a single in the United Kingdom via Ember Records, backed with "Behind Closed Doors". She also toured the UK with Glen Campbell who wrote the sleeve notes for her Ember album. She continued with Dot Records singles, "If You Wanna Hold On (Hold on to Your Man)" (October 1974) and "Oh Boy" (March 1975), which are her last top 40 country hits. Trask continued releasing albums and singles with Dot Records until 1977. She made a brief comeback via the Kari label with two non album singles, "This Must Be My Ship" (April 1981) and "Stirrin' Up Feelings" (September). The Ewen family returned to Australia, where she resumed her career. In 1979 Roger Climpson, host of Australia's version of This Is Your Life, surprised her during a rehearsal for the TV tribute show. Trask wrote the track, "I Think About Your Lovin'", which was recorded by the Osmonds in 1982.
In the 1980s Trask withdrew from performing to look after Ewen, who was incapacitated following a stroke: the couple lived on a yacht and cruised the Caribbean until Ewen's health began to fail in the late 1980s. From 2006 the couple lived in Woodbine GA until Thom Ewen died in 2009, after which Trask resided in nearby St. Mary's. Trask co-authored her autobiography, Whatever Happened to Diana Trask: A Memoir, with Alison Campbell Rate, which was published on 1 May 2010.
SINGLES
''Going Steady / Comes Love'' 1958 W&G''Lover Is Another Name For Fool (#56) / Soldier, Won't You Marry Me'' (#54) 1959 Leedon
''A Guy Is A Guy (#59) / Love Me Now'' 1960 CBS Coronet
''Turn To Me / Long Ago Last Summer'' (#26) 1960 CBS Coronet
''Our Language Of Love (#48) / I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry'' 1960 CBS Coronet
''Jabbin Jabbin / Too Young'' 1964 CBS
''The Road To Gundagai / The Overlanders'' 1965 CBS
''Hold What You've Got / This Heart Was Made For Lovin' 1968 Dot
''Lock, Stock And Tear Drops / Precious Time'' 1968 Atlantic
''Show Me / Build Your Love'' 1969 Dot
''I Fall To Pieces / Long Ago Is Gone'' 1969 Dot
''Shadow Of My Man / World Of The Missing'' 1973 Dot
''Say When / Old Southern Cotton Town'' 1973 Dot
''Oh Boy (#10) / Alone Again Naturally'' 1975 Dot
''Let's Get Down To Business / But He Was Good For Me'' 1976 Dot
''Cry / I Can Take A Little Heartache'' 1976 Dot
''Waltzing Matilda (Short Version) / Waltzing Matilda (Long Version)'' 1977 Dot
''Rising Above It All / You Took Advantage Of My Heart'' 1980 Mercury
''Mothers And Daddies / This Must Be My Ship'' 1980 Mercury
EPs
'Just For You' 1966 CBS
ALBUMS
'Diana Trask On TV' 1961 CBS Coronet'Diana Trask' 1961 CBS Coronet
'Just For You' 1965 CBS
'Miss Country Soul' 1969 Dot
'Cry' 1972 Dot
'Lean It All On Me' 1974 Dot
'The Mood I'm In' (#65) 1974 Dot
'Believe Me Now Or Believe Me Later' 1976 Dot
'One Day At A Time' (#50) 1981 Hammard
'Footprints (#64) 1985 Hammard'
'Country Lovin' 2010 Trask
'Daughter of Australia ' 2014 Trask
'Memories Are Made of This' [with Dave Owens] 2016 Trask
'Just For You' 1965 CBS
'Miss Country Soul' 1969 Dot
'Cry' 1972 Dot
'Lean It All On Me' 1974 Dot
'The Mood I'm In' (#65) 1974 Dot
'Believe Me Now Or Believe Me Later' 1976 Dot
'One Day At A Time' (#50) 1981 Hammard
'Footprints (#64) 1985 Hammard'
'Country Lovin' 2010 Trask
'Daughter of Australia ' 2014 Trask
'Memories Are Made of This' [with Dave Owens] 2016 Trask
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Trask
http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/
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