Cassar-Daley was born on 18 May 1969[4] in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills to a Maltese-Australian father and an Aboriginal mother from the Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung people.[5][6] At a very young age, he moved with his mother to Grafton in north-eastern New South Wales. At eleven, Troy went to the Tamworth Country Music Festival and returned the next year to busk on the streets.[7] At 16, he and his band, Little Eagle, were touring the North Coast of New South Wales and he made the top 10 in Tamworth's Toyota Star Maker Quest. He won the 1986 "Search for a Star" competition and then toured with Brian Young for seven months in which he began to develop his songwriting skills. After returning home he replaced James Blundell as leader of country music band The Blue Heeler Band.[4]
Solo career
By late 1993 Cassar-Daley had enough original songs for a debut EP. The first single "Dream Out Loud" was released on 24 October 1994[8] by Sony Music and reached number-one on the Australian country music charts. His first album, Beyond the Dancing, was released in January 1995 and won the ARIA Award for Best Country Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995. At the 1996 Country Music Awards, in Tamworth, Cassar-Daley won Best Male Vocalist. He also made a cameo appearance in the motion picture Race the Sun in which he performed a song in a bar scene.
Cassar-Daley went on to release the albums Home (2012), The Great Country Songbook with Adam Harvey (2013), and Freedom Ride (2015).[4] In August 2016, Cassar-Daley released his first book, an autobiography of his early life and music career titled Things I Carry Around with an accompanying album of the same title.[17] In 2017 Cassar-Daley was the 50th inductee into the prestigious Australian Roll of Renown.[18] In October 2018, Cassar-Daley released his 42-track double album Greatest Hits, along with a new single called "Wouldn't Change A Thing" on the Bloodlines label, part of Mushroom Group.[19] The extensive album was also released on vinyl.[20]
Cassar-Daley is married to radio and television presenter Laurel Edwards with whom he has two children.[24][25] One of their children is singer-songwriter Jem Cassar-Daley.[26]
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. They commenced in 2006.
The Deadly Awards, (commonly known simply as The Deadlys), was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. They ran from 1996 to 2013.
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Troy Cassar-Daley won six awards in that time.[70]
Year
Nominee / work
Award
Result (wins only)
1997
Troy Cassar-Daley
Male Country Entertainer of the Year
Won
1998
Troy Cassar-Daley
Male Country Entertainer of the Year
Won
1999
Troy Cassar-Daley
Male Country Entertainer of the Year
Won
2002
Troy Cassar-Daley
Male Country Entertainer of the Year
Won
2003
Troy Cassar-Daley
Male Country Entertainer of the Year
Won
2008
Troy Cassar-Daley
Slim Dusty Male Country Vocal Performer of the Year
Won
National Indigenous Music Awards
The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. They commenced in 2004.
The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.[72]
^"Country Work of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
