Katherine’s own country music star Tom Curtain has released a new single that makes you want to jump in the car and get out among the red dirt of the Territory.
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Mr Curtain sings about the life he lives in Katherine and celebrates the people and their never die attitude in tough times.
He runs the Katherine Outback Experience and trains horses and working dogs.
His latest track, Never Never Land was co-written and sung with seven-time Golden Guitar winner Luke O'Shea.
Never Never Land is the first single off the upcoming album, Territory Time, produced by former Sherbet keyboard player Garth Porter.
Mr Curtain said the song celebrates the tenacity of people in the outback.
“When we wrote the song, Luke was travelling around Australia with his family and I’d had an idea and written a few verses,” Mr Curtain said.
“He’s on the same wavelength because we both share that passion that there is something up here in the Top End; it’s about the people who are just so hard working and they have a never give up attitude but there is also this element that gets into your system.”
Mr Curtain first worked in the Northern Territory on a cattle station in 2001, went to Queensland then returned to the Territory six years ago where he runs the Katherine Outback Experience show.
The singer-songwriter is the real deal, spending his time training horses and dogs when he’s not entertaining visitors in his show.
“Long days mustering cattle, breaking-in horses and sleeping under the stars every night inspired me to write songs and I couldn’t play guitar when I first came here, but started playing around campfires,” Mr Curtain said.
“There is something out here that got into my system and Never Never Land is about that different way of life, the extreme isolation and the people.”
Mr Curtain said he wants listeners to get a taste of the Territory through the single.
“When they listen to it, I’m just trying to describe the scenery, the wildlife, the hardworking ringers on the cattle stations because the pastoral industry is a big sector up here.
“There are a lot of times where their backs are against the wall and they push on through, but you’ve just gotta keep trying. I also want to get more people up here to experience the Top End.”
The full album, Territory Time, is due out in November.