Bella (Australian band)
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Bella were an Australian country music trio from Newcastle. They were formed as Anam Cara by Kate Ballantyne, Lyn Bowtell and Karen O'Shea (all on vocals) in 2002. They issued a sole album, ''Gravity'' (January 2005) before disbanding in 2006.


History

Bella were formed in 2002 as Anam Cara (Celtic for "soul mate") in Newcastle as a country music trio by Kate Ballantyne Lyn Bowtell and Karen O'Shea. All three had previously entered the Star Maker Quest at Tamworth Country Music Festival: Bowtell won in 1997, Ballantyne won in 1998 and O'Shea was a grand finalist in 1999. Ballantyne (born Katrina Aitken, February 1970, Newcastle), on guitar and vocals, had started performing professionally from 14 years-old and issued her debut single in 1991. She released three solo albums, ''Tomorrow's Girl'' (1994), ''Too Hot to Handle'' (1998) and ''Flowers for Love'' (1999). Bowtell and O'Shea had both graduated from the CMAA College of Country Music in 1997. Bowtell (born ,
Kleinton, Queensland Kleinton is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Kleinton had a population of 1,617 people. Geography Kleinton is on the Darling Downs. The area contains three bands of separate land use types. In the south ...
) on vocals and guitar, was a member of Southern Steel, which issued their debut album, ''Headed South'', in 1996. Bowtell and O'Shea co-wrote "I Can Fly", which appeared on the Various Artists' compilation album, ''Outback Adventures'' (1997). Upon leaving secondary school O'Shea started her career in her home town,
Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory. It is the smalle ...
, with a band the Sublimes. As of February 2002 O'Shea and her fiancée, Leo Skliros, owned a mango plantation south of Darwin. Her debut album, ''Wish'', appeared in that year. By mid-2003 Anam Cara had changed their name to Bella. Their debut single, "Tumblin' Down", was issued in September of that year on an extended play of the same name via AgSongs. The label's owners, Barry Harley and Kate Nugent, had caught their show at The Brewery in Newcastle. "Tumblin' Down" was co-written by American country musicians,
Melissa Peirce Melissa Peirce (born 1975) is an American Country music, country and pop music songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Early life and education Peirce was born and raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.Michelle Ross Stephens"Disney Music Publi ...
and
Jerry Salley Jerry Salley is an American country and bluegrass singer-songwriter. Salley won SESAC's 2003 "Country Music Songwriter of the Year" award. Salley has been writing and singing in Nashville, Tennessee since 1982. To date, he has had 300 songs r ...
. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:' Their second single, "About a Girl", was written by Bowtell and appeared in 2004. They have won Golden Guitars for Vocal Group or Duo of the Year in 2004 and 2005 for the songs "Tumblin' Down" and "About a Girl" at the Country Music Awards of Australia. Bella released their debut album, ''Gravity'', on 17 January 2005 via Sony/BMG. It provided the group's third single, "She Still Believes", in August of that year, which reached the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
top 100. The track had been co-written by Bowtell with Salley. Bella disbanded in 2006 due to problems with their label and changes in their personal lives. Bowtell's father died, and she studied a Bachelor of Music; Ballantyne became a school teacher; O'Shea and Skliros had married and moved to the Hunter Valley where they raised their two children. Bowtell resumed her music career in 2011. In October 2014 Bella reunited and undertook the She Still Believes Farewell Tour into 2015. They performed their final show at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January 2016.


Discography


Albums


Extended plays


Singles


Awards


Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973. , - , 2004 , "Tumblin' Down" by Bella , Vocal Group or Duo of the Year , , - , 2005 , "About a Girl" by Bella , Vocal Group or Duo of the Year , * Note: wins only


References

{{Authority control New South Wales musical groups Australian country music groups Musical groups established in 2002 Musical groups disestablished in 2006