When the crowd at GraniteHill in Euroa gave Benalla’s Singing Cowboy, John Arandall, a standing ovation in April it heralded the end of an era.
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He’d stood on that same stage back in January 2004, when the aged care facility was known as Euroaville, giving his first performance in the north east.
Sadly for country music lovers in the region it also heralded his final performance, following a successful 30 year career.
Living with arthritis has made doing live gigs impractical.
Although it hasn’t affected his ability to sing and play guitar, carting equipment to and from different venues has become too difficult.
To those who had the privilege of seeing the Singing Cowboy live, those memories will live on.
Sitting with him at his dining table, in Benalla, his passion for performing is still evident.
His eyes light up when he reminisces about performances, and he sporadically breaks into song - his guitar is never far away.
“When I first started I was known as UJ’s Country Music,” John said.
“My nephew was 16 and was too tough to say Uncle John, so he called me UJ.”
John performed under that name for seven years.
It wasn’t until he was working in the high country that he would get a new name.
“I worked mustering cattle on my snowy river brumby in the morning, then I’d do gigs in the the afternoons,” he said.
“My wife was working as a nurse at one of the places I was performing, and had told them I was coming in.
“When I walked through the door they all said, here comes the singing cowboy, and the name stuck.”
John’s career on the stage had begun almost by accident when he was volunteering at the Dromana nursing home.
“I’d go and visit people there who had no family,” he said.
“As I walked in one day I saw a sign on the door, ‘piano player wanted’.
“I said I haven’t got a piano, but I’ve got a guitar. So they asked if I’d come and do a few songs.
“I ended up singing in there every week for five years.”
John said at that stage they would have different singers coming in, but none that performed country music.
“One day I walked in and said here’s a song by the father of country music and he’d say ”Hello, I’m Johnny Cash’,“ he said.
“I broke into some Johnny, then some Willy Nelson and they loved it.
“Not long after that I started doing paid gigs and I’d have bookings for private parties and RSL clubs. Life was pretty hectic back then.
“One day I wrote a song called You’re the nearest thing to heaven - that was actually in the Ensign. In Poet’s corner a couple of years back.”
You’re the nearest thing to heaven by the Singing Cowboy
I have travelled this big country from Perth to Coleraine,
I’ve lived up north in Queensland and come back home again,
I’ve watch the golden sunsets across valleys wide and green,
But you’re the nearest thing to heaven that I’ve seen.
I have been up on the mountain peaks, across the dessert plains,
I’ve travelled in the scorching sun and through the winters rains,
I’ve seen the mighty Snowy River, been frozen in the snow,
But you’re the nearest thing to heaven that I know.
I have travelled through the outback, been to Uluru, Seen the wild bush horses, the Emu and the ‘ Roo,
I’ve mustered cattle in the mountains, mined at Marble Bar,
But you’re the nearest thing to heaven, yes you are.
Yes, you’re the nearest thing to heaven, yes you are.
John had written that song nearly thirty years ago when he was still UJ. After performing it at a gig he told the audience he just needed someone to sing it too.
He would find that someone, in fact she was there that day,
“I married one of the nurses,” he said.
“Gayelene and I have been married for 26 years.”
The couple eventually moved to Benalla, via Violet town and Euroa.
“Even before we moved to Benalla I was volunteering with council here. I was volunteering with them for 18 years,” he said.
Volunteering has been a major part of John’s life in the Rose City.
“When the L2P program started I chaired the meetings for the first year,” he said.
“I helped get the first car, a Toyota Yaris.”
John’s volunteering was recognised in 2012 when he was nominated for the Victorian Senior of the Year award.
However he said he didn’t get into volunteering to get recognition, and was happy to be doing his various roles for the community.
Of course, the one he loved most was performing to residents at Benalla’s aged care facilities.
And he wanted to clarify that he was not a singer and not a guitarist. He was a performer.
He loved to get the crowd involved and loved being on stage.
However in the future it will only be Gayelene and any visitors to their home that will hear him belt out Johnny Cash, and he’s happy with that.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to the people in the nursing homes that have supported me for more than 30 years.
“The staff, the residents they’ve been marvellous.”
John is also passing on his vast musical knowledge to others and offers guitar lessons.
Although he does say that his clients need to be a bit older with an ear for country.
“I wouldn’t know any of the songs these young ones are into,” he said.
If you’d like to get some guitar lessons from the Singing Cowboy you can contact him on 0408 322 691
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