TV Times

TV Times

Gary Ellis’ new song a hit Down Under Lankan Heroes
Melbourne based Singer Gary Ellis hit high in Aussie Music scene with his song ‘Sri Lanka Heroes’. Gary was featured in all Melbourne papers and his song was given much limelight on paper as well as on air.

Songwriters Gary Ellis and Norm Burke are top singers in that part of Australia. Their song Sri Lanka’s Heroes has been among the top 10 best-sellers in the Down Under for 17 weeks and the best seller since the start of May this year.

Mr. Ellis sings the song on his latest album “Man In the Hat”. Broadcaster Harold Fernando said much of the popularity of Sri Lanka’s Heroes came with the naming of top local cricketers in the lyrics, including record-breaking bowler Muttiah Muralitharan. Mr. Fernando is host of the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation’s Sunday night radio programme in Sri Lankan Hit Parade. ‘During the recent Sri Lanka/Australia Test Cricket series, Heroes was played extensively.

Positions on the bestseller list are determined by listeners’ votes. Sri Lankan Heroes is a rewrite of Norm Burke’s song the Name of our Heroes, a lyric run down of Aussie heroes, which was originally recorded by Alan Hawking in 1988. Gary Ellis is now compiling a CD for release later this year. It will include several of Burke’s songs.

Mr Ellis is no stranger to Australian radio, the radio circuit and television. At various times, he has been a racehorse trainer, showman, racing journalist and raconteur.

He followed the radio circuit all over Australia and his first stage appearance was at the age of eight, when he sang Daunt Fence Me In to a town hall audience.

He was an outstanding boxing prospect but swapped his gloves for the guitar, and at the age of 19 polled 10,000 votes to win the prestigious Australian Amateur Hour.

It was at this point his career really took off. He travelled around Australia starring in Ern Smith’s Western Revue, and his performances were so polished he accepted a recording contract and a weekly television show.

He was selected to entertain the Allied Troops at the front, and appeared on television with the legendary Johnny Ray.

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