On Friday June 27, at the tender age of 69, Melbourne-based singer, songwriter, guitarist Steve Ryan-Gledhill will release his debut self-tiled album. It’s been a labour of love for Steve in creating this record which contains 13 Americana-flavoured, honest, heartfelt tales of a life well lived.
“An ARIA nomination would be nice … best new Emerging Artist, when I’m 69 years old would be something,” Steve quips to us in our interview about his goals and dreams for the record and the irony of a newcomer ARIA possibility.
The album will be released on Friday, June 27, 2025, with a full-band Melbourne album launch planned for the same night at St Kilda’s George Lane.
Ahead of his debut album release and launch gig, Steve Ryan-Gledhill caught up with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips for a zoom chat about his career and the making of his self-titled record
MORE ABOUT STEVE RYAN-GLEDHILL
Steve Ryan-Gledhill is probably one of the more interesting people you will come across for a while. He has an IQ of 142, a B.A. Degree majoring in Psychology, with minors in Economics and Statistics, and spent most of the 70’s right through to the early 00’s as a high-flying international finance executive. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Dr Henry Kissinger, Walter Mondale (VP to President Jimmy Carter), David Rockefeller and more while flying between all parts of Asia to New York and Los Angeles. He has also, in more recent times, been diagnosed with both Asperger’s and Parkinson’s.
Steve, 69, is also an ‘almost life-long’ musician, releasing his first full-length eponymous LP on June 27. A richly flavoured and authentic ride across 13 original country, gospel, blues and roots songs, the album also features a very talented team of musicians on-board for the ride.
Bruce Haymes (Ross Hannaford, Renee Geyer, Paul Kelly) on Keyboards, Amy Valent-Curlis (Jack Howard and Tanya Lee Davies) on Drums and Percussion, Tibor Gyapjas (Joe Camilleri) on Trumpet, and stalwart of the Jazz scene, Anton Delucca on Saxophone. The talented Tracy Kingman (James Reyne, Brian Cadd and many more) provides backing vocals, while Tamworth stalwart John Kendall on Fiddle, and renowned Sydney musician JyPerry Banks on Pedal Steel feature on the song ‘End Of The Line’. As with Steve’s previous recording, 2020’s extended EP The Charlemagne Project, Cameron McKenzie (Horsehead & Mark Seymour) returns as Producer and Engineer, as well as supplying Guitar, Bass, Cello and backing vocals.
This talented group of people are not just there because Ryan-Gledhill has an interesting backstory though. They are there because he’s good – really good. Songwriting skills, guitar skills, and a quintessentially /unique Australian voice that once heard, will stay with you.
STEVE RYAN-GLEDHILL TALKS YOU THROUGH HIS ALBUM:
1. Now I Feel The Rain – “This was a song co-written some years ago – just post the Black Saturday bush fires and speaks to the trauma as the fires approach and redemption at the end as the townspeople start to re-build their town and their lives. We released the single (14 years ago) and donated the proceeds to the Country Fire Authority. Re-imagined on this recording to have a more Gospel Country feel.”
2. Red Sash- “A country-feel song written about a man delusional in his love for a Street Worker, which clearly doesn’t work out.”
3. It Happens Every Day – “A bit of a “swing” feel to this one. Like many of the songs on this album, it explores themes of relationship frustration, and as in the title (and chorus) it happens all the time.”
4. End Of The Line – This is biographical in many ways about the end of a relationship and how we fool
ourselves that we don’t really care and we brush it off. “End of the Line” with a sarcastic Woo Hoo at the end. This is a companion piece to “Shifting Sand” off my last release “The Charlemagne Project.”
5. All Downhill From Here – “an honest country song about an idiotic, delusional partner’s lack of thought or concern for others. Self-absorbed? I think so.”
6. Alexandra –“Semi-autobiographical in places. Justin Smith (author and Melbourne ABC presenter) and I wrote about half the verses each. I recorded it with a Bossa feel, piano accordion in the choruses and Tracy Kingman doubled on vocals all the way through, aiming for an Antinio Carlos Jobim (Brazilian Composer) and
For further information, or interview requests, please contact: Annie @ Annie Johnsson Publicity l annie@ajpublicity.com l 0403 831 809 Astrud Gilberto (Brazilian singer) kind of feel. The only song on the record with nylon string guitar (another nod to Jobim).”
7. Echoes Of The Valley- “Co-write with Tracy Kingman. It’s about the great music made in the late ’60’s and early ’70’s in and around Los Angeles. Has a deliberate ’60’s retro feel and name checks many of my early musical heroes/influencers many who played at venues on Sunset Strip and lived in and around Laurel Canyon. 12 string guitar, interweaving harmonies and a lovely tune, I think.”
8. That’s OK – “Opens with a descending guitar figure (based around a D chord, for those musically minded) talking about a lost relationship in the first verse. It becomes apparent later on, the reason for the relationship end. Pretending that you are dealing with things “That’s O.K.” until, as the song progresses there is an acceptance that one isn’t coping and “I’m not O.K.). Hence the mournful guitar and slide figures and sparse arrangement.”
9. Senorita Sway – “A slight soul treatment about obsession with someone you have seen across a crowded room. This song took me nearly a year to get the feeling and structure close to where I felt it should be. The guitar figure behind the horns is deliberately ambiguous as to the key of the song. It should be A minor but the riff forces it into a more “major” key feel. Grounds in major key in the bridge. Horns and Hammond organ push the “soul” feel.”
10. Back In Balmain – “Not really a song about Balmain (I quite like Balmain, actually) but Balmain is Sydney, Australia and rhymes nicely with again. Guitar borrows from Keith Richards 5 string Open G (with Capo) slightly over driven guitar with a punchy chorus and I love the horns and (Sax solo and piano solo) after each bridge. The song really swings and is great to play live.”
11. One Day – “Medium tempo but moves along nicely. This is totally autobiographical and explores my feelings after receiving an Adult diagnosis of high functioning Asperger’s. “Don’t wanna be different, want to be the same”…Bridge was straight from Cam McKenzie and adds a different and ambiguous tension released as the guitar solo kicks in and lifts the mood.”
12. You’ll Lose Your Shirt – “I played for many years (albeit with 8-10 line-up changes) in an originals outfit called The Broken Sweethearts. After one gig, it was suggested that we play an end of set/encore 12 bar blues song to introduce the Band members and close the show. Let’s stick together or a Chuck Berry song was suggested to which I responded “Why don’t we write our own?” So I did and this is it. It’s not strictly a 12 bar blues format and I changed the structure a bit so it doesn’t go exactly where you think it should. Some songs you agonise over individual words and phrasing to get the feeling just right. This is not one of those. I dashed off 4 verses in less than half an hour. A life on the road song.”
13. Today – “Just vocal and Bruce Haymes on piano and organ. It started as a “stream of consciousness” thing… Cam McKenzie thought it was rambling (it deliberately was) and needed more structure. I added a chorus of sorts “Couldn’t count my mistakes, etc.” snuck in a key change as the Bridge comes in. Today is what you have, you can atone for some past mistakes but they’re in the past. No-one knows how many tomorrow’s we have so remember those who are gone but try to live for today.”
The album will be independently released Friday, June 27 on CD and Digital.
Website: https://www.steveryan-gledhill.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveRyanGledhill
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steveryangledhill
Bandcamp: https://steveryan-gledhill.bandcamp.com/album/steve-ryan-gledhill