Arthur Blanch

Arthur Blanch (1 November 1928 – 26 July 2023) was an Australian country singer-songwriter. He was the father of country music singer, Jewel Blanch, with whom he has performed.

Arthur Blanch was born on 1 November 1928 at Wollun, near Tamworth, New South Wales, where his parents were sheep farmers. In the late 1940's, Blanch began entering talent quests and in 1949 won Australia's Amateur Hour which led to Blanch signing his first recording contract in the 1950's.

Blanch married Berice Collins in Glen Innes, New South Wales on 6 February 1954. In 1958 their daughter Jewel was born.

In 1962 the Blanch Family were signed to W&G label in Melbourne. The three family members becoming known for recording collaborations and touring together, relocating to the United States in 1968 where they established themselves as performers which included appearances on the Grand Ole Opry.

Blanch achieved success in America during the late 1970's with his songs "The Little Man's Got The Biggest Smile" and "Maybe I'll Cry Over You" both entering Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. The family moved back to Australia in 1980 where they based themselves in Queensland.

At both the 1982 and 1983 Country Music Awards of Australia, Blanch won Golden Guitars for Album of the Year, the first of which was a duet album he released with his daughter Jewel, The Lady and the Cowboy, and the other for Too Late for Regrets. Blanch then won Golden Guitars in 1984 and 1985, both being awarded for Male Vocalist of the Year.

Blanch again collaborated with his daughter to write a television special called The Lady and the Cowboy which starred Smoky Dawson, Allan Caswell and Johnny Chester among others, and aired in both Australia and the United States. In 1986, Blanch again relocated to the United States when he and his wife moved to Nashville.

In 2004, Blanch and his wife Berice published a biographical book Woolun One: The Story of the Blanch Family.

In 2001, Arthur was inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown. He was awarded the Tamworth Songwriter's Association Award in 2007.

Arthur Blanch died on 26 July 2023, at the age of 94.

The Australian Roll of Renown honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the Country Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth in January.

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.

The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. They commenced in 1986.