Ashley wins young star competition

Young country music artist 16 year old Ashley Knight from Woy Woy has won this year's Battle of the Youngstars competition at the Tamworth Country Music Festival held from January 17 to 21.

"Ashley was well received at many local establishments in Tamworth, increasing her fan base across all ages and impressing many experienced musicians and sound technicians," said Ashley's father, Mr Steve Knight.

The Brisbane Water Secondary College student has a number of successes under her belt including finishing as a grand finalist in the Junior Saddles competition held last year for artists under 18 from across Australia, as well as being announced as a regional finalist in the Road to Tamworth competition.

Ashley said she had been dedicated to music since she was nine years old and is currently training for her grade eight piano certificate.

"I was elated to win the Goulburn Valley Battle of the Youngstars.

"This was the inaugural battle and it was surprising the amount of talent and response it received," said Ashley.

"They provided a professional backing band which included the likes of Rod Coe, who was the late Slim Dusty's record producer, music director and original bassist.

"They were great guys and awesome to play with," she said.

Ashley has performed as a listed artist at a number of venues around Sydney and will be performing on the Coast In the near future.

Email, 27 Jan 2011 Steve Knight, Woy Woy