How music and motherhood got under Deborah Conway’s skin

Like most of us in the mid ‘70s to the mid ‘80s Sunday nights were about watching Countdown. Deborah Conway was no different. After all, it was the most popular music program on television.

The Australian performer not only watched the show but appeared on it with her band Do-Re-Mi.  “At that time we would all tap into Countdown on a Sunday night,” Deborah Conway told Starts at 60.  The whole country was watching this one tv show. Whoever Molly Meldrum played you were aware of. You wanted to watch it because everybody else was watching it and then you wouldn’t have been able to join in the conversation if you hadn’t seen it.” Conway recently recorded a voiceover for an archival version of the show, for the year 1986, and remembers mourning the moment that Countdown was no longer on television. “It was a momentary trip down memory lane.”

Before music, Conway modelled from the age 18, and played a role in the Aussie feature film Running on Empty. She gave up modelling as it was a job for her, not a career, to enable her to focus on her music. That focus resulted in hits like ‘It’s Only the Beginning’, ‘Man Overboard’ and later ‘Under My Skin’.

From her first band The Bender to Do-Re-Mi, other compilations and now a solo career often accompanied by husband, fellow musician Willy Zygier, Conway said times had changed a lot over the years for performers, from the days before pokies, where there were lots of venues to play and people loved their live music. She said now music was much more fragmented, with people choosing songs on a varied digital set list and no longer listening to whole albums. 

Something that changed Conway personally was having children. “I think ultimately it does change you.” Conway said having three daughters has made her more patient, gentler, less quick tempered and less intolerant, all skills she needed. They have even been the source of inspiration for her music. “For me it was very positive, becoming a mother.”

Over the 35 years she has been in the industry Conway has evolved her music style. From the pub rock beginnings she was never fond of, to pop and a touch of country with The Songs of Patsy Cline, she now describes herself as being in the moment, heavily leaning towards quality lyrics with an acoustic sound. “It would be terribly dull if I’d stayed in a definable genre stream for the entire time.”

One thing that has stayed constant is her unique fashion style. Laughing that she was once described as ‘high dag’, she found the likes of Katherine Hepburn as her style icons, with a mannish style and shrill voice. “She was incredibly stylish and I wanted to emulate her, but I like to think I have my own style.”

When it comes to music though she said it was Joni Mitchell who had a special place in Conway’s heart. “Hardly anyone can touch her, male or female.” Dorland Bray, who joined her in her first band and continued with Do-Re-Mi was a mentor too. “Dorland was really the first one to say ‘you can write songs’. To that end it was a really great apprenticeship for me.”

Conway had an enormously quick learning curve in her music career, finding success from the start, getting radio play and their song ‘Man Overboard’ becoming a top five hit. “We had success from the get go, so we were doing something right. Dealing with success is easy. Its dealing with failure after success that is a little more difficult.” While she was gaining a name for herself she was also doing uncredited work, recording the soundtrack for the ABC TV series Sweet and Sour, for Tracey Mann’s character in the fictional band The Takeaways. Conway didn’t want a naming credit to prevent confusion with the shows pop sound in contrast with the latest Do-Re-Mi album also due out around the same time. 

You can catch Conway performing, and a whole host of other familiar names too, during the Apia Good Times Tour 2017.  Also featuring The Black Sorrows with Vika and Linda Bull, Mental As Anything and former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, the tour kicks off in May, touring around Australia through to June. Conway said tours like this are always good fun, and it was brilliant to be able to collaborate with others. “Music is a beautiful collaborative activity. When you are doing it with others who are good at what they do there is nothing but joy.”

Read more: Joe Camilleri on the shape he is in. 

What is your favourite Deborah Conway song?