This Album Changed My Life: Brooke Schubert on ‘1959’ by Lee Kernaghan

Born and raised in country Queensland, powerhouse performer Brooke Schubert was ten years old when she first took to the stage, winning the opportunity to sing in front of 25,000 people at the Gympie Music Muster. Since then, Brooke has released an EP and shared the stage with Keith Urban, Travis Collins, and Kasey Chambers among others. She also featured at Winton’s Way Out West Fest alongside Amy Shark, Jon Pardi and Brett Eldredge. Her last single, Here I Am peaked at #2 nationally, and is an empowering, windows down, sing out loud tune, that took Brooke down a new, raw, and edgy path.

Brooke will hit the road with reigning Toyota Star Maker, Sammy White on their eleven date ‘Talk About’ Tour. The tour kicks off tonight, May 6th, and will see the duo travel from Brisbane to Townsville and out west, bringing their music to regional Queensland.

To get to know Brooke a little better, we asked her to tell us about an album that has changed her life.

I was 9 years old, growing up in Central QLD, musical, and obsessed with Lee Kernaghan’s previous albums, but 1959, for me, was different. I’m unsure if it’s because I was older, or because I saw his show 20 times in 1996! I do know that if it wasn’t for Lee touring regional QLD, I wouldn’t be doing what I do right now. 

It was obvious that every song on this album was beautifully crafted. It was like they were written about my family and my home town. Living in Moranbah, we spent thousands of hours in the car, and this album was made for driving. 

The opening lick of Janine was reminiscent of the era of rock’n’roll. Add a fun lyrical tribute to a beautiful, strong, hard working woman of the land, being an unattainable goddess to farm hands. It was an instant classic at the camp drafts out west. 

Freedom Road, as a 9-year-old, I didn’t understand the context of this song. I appreciated that there was a forbidden love story, but that was it. It wasn’t until a while later I realised the song was about a domestic violence situation with a horribly tragic ending. Dramatic, yes, but what a story! Has this been made into a movie yet? It should. 

The crescendo. 1959. It tells the story of how my grandparents courted, and many other people in this country. That’s the lyrical genius of Lee and Garth Porter. The Brill cream, FJs', JOK playing at the concert references are beautiful. To capture Australian history in the lyrics in a love story is an incredible feat. 

Thank you, Lee Kernaghan for the inspiration and a brilliant album, start to finish. 

For more of our This Album Changed My Life series, go here.
And keep up to date with Brooke Schubert on her Facebook page here.

Image: Supplied