Tom Curtain
Tom Curtain is an entertainer, musician, horseman, businessman, entrepreneur and family-man living and working in outback Australia.
Tom discovered his passion for song-writing while working in the stock-camp of Mt Sanford Station, 500kms south of Katherine, NT. What started as some fun singing around the campfire, lead to the release of his first award-winning album ‘Smack Bang’ in 2004. Following this, he split his time touring with some of Australia’s biggest country music names including Sara Storer, The Sunny Cowgirls, Pete Denahy and The Davidson Brothers, and training horses throughout the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Life on the road however was taking its toll so he stepped away from the music to concentrate on his horse-training business and young family. He thought if he setup his horse-training business in Katherine, NT, then the stations would send horses to him, rather than moving from station to station. The gamble of relocating his family paid-off, business was booming. That was until the 2011 Live Beef Export Ban. Overnight budgets were cut on stations which meant Tom was out of work.
This led to the launch of Katherine Outback Experience (KOE) in 2013, a tourist venture on his property that celebrates life on the land through real horse-starting and working dog demonstrations entwined with live music and humorous bush tales. KOE operates in Katherine, NT from April to October. For the remaining five to six months of the year, the team tour Australia with the horses, dogs and music.
After a decade away from the music industry, in November 2017, Tom released his third album Territory Time which debuted at No. 1 on the Australian iTunes Country Music Chart. Never Never Land, a duet with Luke O’Shea, went on to win two Golden Guitars at the 2018 Tamworth Country Music Awards for CMC Video Clip of the Year and Toyota Heritage Song of the Year.
Tom also won the prestigious Australian Independent Artist of the Year at the 2018 Southern Stars Australian Independent Country Music Awards in Mildura, together with Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.
In 2019 Tom released his fourth album, We’re Still Here which had resounding success in the Charts with the title track, In the West and She Gave Us the Song.
KOE was awarded Gold for Best Tourist Attraction at the 2021 Qantas Australia Tourist Awards and 2021 Best Tourist Attraction and Chairman’s Award for Tourism Excellence at the Brolga Northern Territory Tourism Awards.
In 2022, Tom released his latest album, Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us, including singles Why We Live Out Here, a co-write with Matt Scullion and Garth Porter, and When The Rain Comes Down, featuring Robyn Martin of The New Graces.
All hard copies of Tom Curtain’s albums are available to purchase through our online shop. Territory Time, We’re Still Here and Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us are available on digital platforms.
Awards
2021 Qantas Australia Tourism Awards:
- Gold – Tourist Attraction: Katherine Outback Experience
2021 Tourism Northern Territory Awards:
- Tourist Attraction: Katherine Outback Experience
- Chairman’s Award for Tourism Excellence
2021 Finalist for the CMAA Golden Guitar Awards
- Heritage Song of the Year – She Gave Us The Song
2019Â Tourism Northern Territory Awards:
- Tourist Attraction – Katherine Outback Experience
2018 Southern Stars Independent Country Music Awards:
- Artist of the Year – Tom Curtain
- Male Vocalist of the Year – Tom Curtain
- Album of the Year – Territory Time
- Single of the Year – Never Never Land by Tom Curtain and Luke O’Shea
2018 CMAA Golden Guitar Awards:
- Heritage Song of the Year – Never Never Land
- Video Clip of the Year – Never Never Land
2018 Australian Tourism Awards:
- Bronze – Tourist Attraction – Katherine Outback Experience
2018Â Tourism Northern Territory Awards:
- Tourist Attraction – Katherine Outback Experience
- Visitor Experience – Katherine Outback Experience
2017Â Tourism Northern Territory Business Growth Brolga Award – Katherine Outback Experience
2013 The Ultimate Colt Starting Horsemanship Challenge Winner – Young Guns Division
Dolly's Dream Ambassador
Speak Up was inspired by the words of Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett – “Speak even if your voice shakes”. Dolly was a victim of bullying and ended her young life at just 14 years of age.
I wanted to raise awareness about bullying and the devastating impact it can have. I wrote this song with Garth Porter, who donated his studio and time to record the track in Sydney with Sara Storer. Ted Howard, the Sound Engineer also donated his time and expertise to the cause.
We worked with Pinjarra Primary School and Pinjarra Senior High School in Western Australia (where I was touring at the time) who were involved in the filming and audio recording of the track. The Pinjarra Primary School Choir can be heard in the recording of the Speak Up chorus.
Dolly’s Dream was established by her family and friends in her memory. Dolly’s Dream aims to create positive change, help prevent the lives of other children being lost, and act as a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Proceeds from the sale of ‘Speak Up’ will go to Dolly’s Dream. Hard copies of ‘Speak Up’ including the video clip can be purchased through my online shop. Digital copies are available on iTunes, Apple Play, Spotify etc.
Singer / Songwriter
The multiple award winning singer/ songwriter, Tom Curtain, began playing guitar and writing songs in 2001 while working on a cattle station in the Northern Territory. Long days in the saddle, wide-open spaces, nights sleeping under the stars and the unique characters of the Top End provided endless sources of inspiration for his songs. Tom said he couldn’t play guitar when he first headed to the Territory but learned to play around the campfire. The rhythm of the horse’s hooves while mustering cattle, became the beat for the melodies that played in his head.
Tom is passionate about inspiring people through his music, being a positive influence and role model, and most importantly making them smile during times of hardship.
Guest Speaker / Keynote
With guitar in hand, Tom shares his story to inspire his guests that anything is possible with the right mindset. Since rolling his swag and heading to the Northern Territory in 2001, Tom has experienced an industry collapse, reinvented his business, battled a council, and ignored all his mates who said he couldn’t do it. It was a simple matter of combining his skills to create the award winning Katherine Outback Experience.
Despite to odds, Tom released his third album ‘Territory Time’ which so far has won two prestigious Golden Guitars and Australian Independent Country Music Awards including Artist of the Year.
As an ambassador of Dolly’s Dream, Tom enjoys visiting school to spread the ‘Speak Up’ and anti-bullying messages.
He also enjoys sharing his knowledge and philosophies around horse and dog training, relating them to lessons in the everyday workplace.
Please contact us here to enquiry about guest speaking opportunities.
Horseman
Over the last 20 years, Tom Curtain has trained over 2,000 horses in numerous disciplines including campdrafting cutting, eventing, showing and racing. From years of researching and testing different methods, he has developed his own method of horse-starting based on the foundation of trust.
Throughout his career, Tom has won and placed in many significant campdrafts and challenges nationwide, and trained national title winning horses.
Tom enjoys sharing his knowledge together with lessons learnt from working with these amazing animals.