By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
IT WAS a song about Cranbourne that had the Horsham Country Music Festival crowd craving more from local singer-songwriter Sharon Start.
The 56-year-old ukulele music teacher from Cranbourne West wrote the suburban song five years ago to commemorate a special milestone.
Ms Start had notched up 25 years living in the same house, in the same suburb, and named the song Once Was a Country Town as she delved into her memories of the area to write the lyrics.
“I had lived a quarter of a century in Cranbourne and raised my three sons, I wanted to do something special to celebrate,” Ms Start said.
After the words came so effortlessly, Ms Start, who was perplexed on a tune and melody to go with the song, left the project unfinished – until she heard of the busking competition at the Horsham Country Music Festival.
Sharon Start sings Once Was a Country Town.
“I decided to put comedy rock band The Axis of Awesome theory to the test about how all songs can be played using just four chords,” she said.
Ms Start, an active folk musician, had never performed country music but packed her banjolele for the weekend away.
Unable to score a place in the competition, she was delighted after fate stepped in.
“It was so bizarre, the organiser had told me there were no places left, he said unless someone dies you won’t get to perform … I was so disappointed,” she said.
But with her instruments tuned and a spot to be filled at the last minute, Ms Start was the only performer ready to sing.
“I was an unknown singer, in front of unknown audience, singing an original song, to a tune of just four chords,” she said laughing.
“But I got to perform, I achieved my goal and sang the Cranbourne song but all of a sudden the audience started cheering for more.”
Set on singing just one song, Ms Start left the festival having sung three and winning the most popular busker award out of the 23 performers.
Aware of the novelty of it all, a thrilled Ms Start said: “I mean, no one writes a song about Cranbourne!”
