THE LE-GARDE TWINS

Country music stars Tom and Ted LeGarde were a pair of identical twins, born on 15 March 1930, in Mackay, Queensland. The twins left home at the age of 15 and after trying their luck on the rodeo circuit as cowboys, they began playing music (they both sang and played guitar) and performed throughout Australia with the nickname "Australia's Yodeling Stockmen". They were signed to the Rodeo label from 1950 to 1952, after which they released a string of hits in the 1950s on Regal Zonophone Records.

In 1957, they left for North America, initially for Canada (they had acknowledged Canadian country singer Wilf Carter, or "Montana Slim", as an influence); they were even rumoured to get their own TV show on the Canadian channel CTV. Soon, however, they left for Hollywood, performed on Doye O'Dell's Western Varieties TV shows, and hosted a TV show on KTLA in Los Angeles, before settling down in Nashville. Their recording output was significant releasing many albums and singles on a variety of labels. Only a trickle of their American output found their way to Australia.

In the 1970s they were touring the United States, part of a revival of interest in the music of the old western movies. In 1972, they signed with American Heritage Records, and in 1980 with the Australian label Festival Records. In later years, they opened up the LeGarde Twins Country Music Theatre in Twitty City, in Hendersonville, Tennessee; after the death of Conway Twitty, they moved the theatre to the Quality Inn Hall of Fame Hotel in Nashville.

They were still active in the first decade of the 21st century, playing in the Nashville Palace in 2007, at the Williamsburg Film Festival in 2008, and at a festival in Franklin, North Carolina in 2008; in 2009 they played with Tommy Cash in Corydon, Indiana. They won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 CMC Rocks the Hunter festival, where they stole the show with their performance. Their autobiography, ‘Showbiz Hustlers’ was published in February 2016. Ted LeGarde, died at the age of 87 after a brief illness in 2018. Tom Le Garde died in 2021.

SINGLES

''Where Can The Lovelight Be (#43) / Baby Sitter'' 1960 London
''Coo - Ee Call / Happy Valley'' 1962 RCA
''Bonanza (#93) / I'm Movin' On'' 1962 Columbia
''Don't Let Me Cross Over / I Shall Not Be Moved'' [with Reg Lindsay] 1963 Columbia
''Faded Love (#92) / Bluebird Of Happiness'' 1963 Columbia
''Trouble's Back In Town / The Frozen Logger'' 1963 Columbia
''Ballad Of Ned Kelly / Take Time'' 1964 Columbia
''Night Bloomin' Jasmin / (And Her Name Is) Scarlet'' 1968 Festival
'' From New South Wales To Nashville / Another Glass Of Beer'' 1971 Dot
''Matilda The Boxing Kangaroo / Coo-EE Call'' 1978 Fable
''Australia's Country Hall Of Fame / Sad Eyes (Tribute To Vietnam Veterans)'' 1986 Interfusion

ALBUMS

'Ballads Of The Bushland' 1959 Columbia

'Twincerely Yours' 1963 Columbia
'Sing Songs By Slim And Buddy' 1963 Columbia
'Down Under Country' 1981 Interfusion
'Australia’s Country Hall Of Fame' 1986 Powderworks

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legarde_Twins

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/