Rachel Gaudry

Born on Christmas Day, the youngest of nine children, Rachel Gaudry grew up in suburban Canberra, Australia. At the age of six, she started piano lessons and at eleven won a music scholarship to study at a boarding school in rural New South Wales. She later returned to Canberra and immersed herself in youth theatre groups, choirs and musical theatre productions. Following highschool, she lived in France for nine months then backpacked around Europe before returning to Australia to take up jazz performance studies at the Canberra School of Music. She graduated in 1994 and headed to Sydney on New Years Day 1995...

Described by The Los Angeles Times as possessing 'angelic grace and voice', Rachel's music first came to wider public attention when her song 'Lonesome Blue' was included on 'Bloomers', a CD compilation featuring some of Australia's brightest female singer-songwriters, released through Roadshow Music/Warner Music in 1999. Her career shifted into higher gear in 2000 when she appeared on the prime time Channel Nine TV show Star Struck, winning her episode and going on to further wow the judges and audience with her striking performance in the grand final. Her performance of 'Take Me To Ride' was later included on a spin-off Star Struck compilation CD released through BMG Australia.

Rachel released her debut album, LEAVING TRACES in 2001. Produced by American drumming legend CHAD WACKERMAN (James Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Frank Zappa), and featuring a host of Australia's finest musicians, (including Wackerman, now based in Sydney, on drums), the album proved to be a confident debut:

Rachel toured North America solo in 1999 and 2001. Performances included the high-profile North By North East festival in Toronto, Knitting Factory in Los Angeles, CMJ Marathon and The Bitter End in New York City. She has also performed in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

After four months of songwriting and performing in the lakeside city of Otsu, Japan in late 2001, Rachel recently returned to Sydney and has since completed work on her second album, produced by songwriter/guitarist, Sam Hawksley. The new album is due for a release in early 2003. In the meantime, Rachel will soon be making her third tour of the USA in September and October 2002 to coincide with the North American release of 'Leaving Traces' on American label, Virt Records.

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