David Allan Caswell (born 9 March 1951), publishing under the pen name Allan Caswell, is an English-Australian songwriter and performer, author, record producer, freelance journalist and teacher. Caswell wrote "On the Inside" (the theme from the television series Prisoner) and recorded by Lynne Hamilton. It was a hit record in Australia and New Zealand in 1979.
In 1983, the single "The Australia's Cup" peaked at number 17 on the Australian charts.
Biography Early years Allan Caswell was born as David Allan Caswell to Harry Caswell (Steve Castle) and his wife Jean in Chester, Cheshire and grew up in North Wales, Berkshire, and South London (Mitcham) before migrating to Australia in 1966. He was educated at Wimbledon County Secondary School and later at South Sydney Boys High School.
Music career Caswell's songwriting career started in 1973 when Chris Gilbey signed a song he had written with his brother Brian Caswell to Albert Music in Sydney. However, it was 6 years later when Allan Caswell had a song recorded.
In 1979, Caswell wrote "On the Inside", which became the theme for the television series Prisoner and later a major international hit song. The success of "On the Inside" triggered a succession of recordings by stars such as Patti Page, Cilla Black, The Irish Rovers, Max Bygraves, Acker Bilk, Slim Dusty, The Living End, Chad Morgan, Lynne Hamilton, James Blundell, Anne Kirkpatrick, Don Spencer, Graeme Connors, The Delltones, Doug Ashdown and Ricky May.
Caswell won his first Golden Guitar in Tamworth for Best New Talent in 1980.
In September 1983, Caswell released "The Australia's Cup", which peaked at number 17 on the Australian chart. His first and only top 100 single.
In 1995, Caswell was asked by Don Spencer, on behalf of his Australian Children's Music Foundation, to work with children in Juvenile Detention teaching music and songwriting. He has helped set up similar programs in other centres. He also worked with the Foundation in their aim of making music accessible to underprivileged children.
In 2006, Caswell published his first book, "Writing Great Song Lyrics"."Writing Great Song Lyrics, , National Library of Australia's online catalogue
In 2014, Caswell announced he had lost a 10-year legal battle with Sony music over similarities between his song "On the Inside" and Alabama's "Christmas in Dixie"; a song from which Alabama are estimated to have earned over $700,000.
In 2016, Caswell celebrated the 50th Anniversary of his arrival in Australia in 1966 with an album called 50 Years in Oz.
In 2019, he released his autobiography My Version Of The Truth and moved to Queensland where he lives with his wife Marian in Varsity Lakes.
In 2020, Caswell released his 20th album, Tequila Amnesia. He also released his third book, Secrets of Stronger Songwriting.
Discography Studio albums + List of albums, with selected detail Title Details What Happened to Love? Released: 1982 Format: LP Label: Country Man (CML1003) Handwritten Released: 1987 Format: LP Label: EMI (EMX 490059) Heart Written Released: 1990 Format: LP, CD, Cassette Label: True Blue Records (466734 1) Different Eyes Released: 1995 Format: CD Label: Larrikin Records (LRF 380) Caswell Sings Caswell Released: 2001 Format: CD Label: Shoestring Production Don't Count on It Released: 2002 Format: CD Label: Shoestring Production (SR39) Al's Bar And Grill Released: 2006 Format: CD Label: ORIGiN (OR 079) Rules for Love Released: 2008 Format: CD Label: Allan Caswell () Behind Bars Released: 2010 Format: CD, digital download Label: Allan Caswell () Just Kidding Released: March 2012 Format: CD, DD Label: Allan Caswell () It's a Country Song Released: 2012 Format: CD, DD Label: Allan Caswell () Sometimes When Lose When You Win Released: January 2014 Format: CD, DD Label: Allan Caswell () My Version of the Truth Released: 2015 Format: CD, DD Label: Shoestring Production (SR111) 50 Years in Oz Released: July 2016 Format: CD, DD, streaming Label: Allan Caswell () Carpenter Caswell (as Carpenter Caswell) Released: 10 November 2017 Format: CD, DD, streaming Label: Carpenter Caswell/WJO (BRR20173) Mexico Released: 11 May 2018 Format: CD, DD, streaming Label: Allan Caswell () Tequila Amnesia Released: 2020 Format: CD, digital download, streaming Label: Chihuahua Records (KEV9301)
Live albums + List of albums, with selected detail Title Details Warm January Morning Released: 1986 Format: Cassette Label: Allan Caswell Music (ACMe C001) Note: Live at The Tamworth & District Workmen's Club (January 1986)
Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions Year Title Peak chartpositions Album AUS 1979 "Take Me Back to Yesterday (Dedicated to a Decade Without The Beatles)"/"King of the Rodeo" -rowspan="4" 1980 "We Used To Call It Heaven"/"First Time in My Life" - "Sign on the Dotted Line"/"Poor Side of Heaven" - 1981 "One Armed Bandit"/"Loco Friday Night" - 1982 "Used to Be a Gold Song"/"Isn't That Like You" - What Happened To Love? 1983 "What Happened to Love?"/"It's Not Such a Bad Idea" - "The Australia's Cup"/"Lonelyheart's Waltz" 17 1984 "Moruroa"/"Beyond the Blues" - 1985 "Bulldust"/"Spirit of the Green & Gold" - "The Garden" (with Australia Too) 27 1987 "(You Can Be) Somebody's Shadow"/"Black Jack Blues Again" - Handwritten 1988 "Have You Read to Your Children Today?"/"This is Gonna Be the One" - "Are We Having Fun Yet?"/"Funny Thing About Rainbows" (as Allan Caswell Band) - 1989 "You Still Take My Breath Away"/"Bald Is Beautiful" - Heart Written 1990 "I'm Gonna Take a Heartbreak"/"Still Crazy Over You" - "Proud"/"(I've Got Those) 12 Bar Blues" - 2006 "A Little Bit of Country in Us All" - Al's Bar And Grill 2007 "Strong Enough" - 2008 "Rules for Love" - Rules for Love 2011 "It's a Country Song" - It's a Country Song 2012 "I'm an Aussie Shark" - Just Kidding "Brave Enough to Dream" - It's a Country Song 2015 "One Last Muster" - My Version of the Truth 2016 "Back When I Was Older" - Carpenter Caswell 2017 "Life Like It's a Trainwreck" - "High Hopes" - "Want That Back Again" - 2018 "The Roses Fall" - Mexico "Feeding the Crew" - 2019 "Train to Godforsaken" - "Country Copper" - Tequila Amnesia "Bad Politics" - 2020 "Hard Times and Struggle" - "Bordertown" - "I Do" - "That Holden Saved My Life" -rowspan="2" "Spin" -
Awards and nominations Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards and originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. Caswell has won eight awards (wins only).
| 1980 | "King of the Rodeo" | New Talent of the year
| 1981 | "One Armed Bandit" (with Brian Caswell) | Song of the Year
| 1983 | "Used to Be a Gold Song" (with Keith Potger) | Song of the Year
| 1986 | "The Garden" | Song of the Year
| 1988 | "Black Jack Blues Again" | Male Vocalist of the Year
| 2007 | "A Little Bit of Country in Us All" (with Drew McAlister) | Vocal Collaboration of the Year
| 2016 | "One Last Muster" | Bush Ballad of the Year
| 2020 | "Country Copper" | Bush Ballad of the Year
Tamworth Songwriters Awards 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. Allan Caswell has won sixteen awards. (wins only) |- |rowspan="2"| 1988 | "Black Jack Blues Again" by Allan Caswell | Contemporary Song of the Year
| "When We Were Kids" by John Williamson and Allan Caswell | Country Song of the Year
| 1989 | Allan Caswell | Contemporary Song of the Year
|rowspan="2"| 1990 |rowspan="2"| "You Still Take My Breath Away" by Allan Caswell | Contemporary Song of the Year
| Country Song of the Year
|rowspan="2"| 1991 | "Panda" by Allan Caswell and Don Morrison | Children's Song of the Year
| "Proud" by Allan Caswell | Contemporary Song of the Year
|rowspan="2"| 2011 |rowspan="2"| "Behind Bars" by Allan Caswell | Country Song of the Year
| Contemporary Song of the Year
| 2012 | "The Road That Brought Me Here" by Karen Lynne and Allan Caswell | Contemporary Song of the Year
| 2013 | "Skin" by Allan Caswell | Comedy/ Novelty Song of the Year
|rowspan="3"| 2017 |rowspan="2"| "Golden Days" by Andrew Wriggleswroth and Allan Caswell | Contemporary Song of the Year
| Country Song of the Year
| "Back When I Was Older" by Andrew Wriggleswroth and Allan Caswell | Contemporary Song of the Year
| 2019 | "The Roses Fall" by Andrew Wriggleswroth and Allan Caswell | Country Ballad of the Year
| 2022 | "Youngie" by Allan Caswell | Local Heroes Song of the Year
References
External links Allan Caswell