Shanley Del

Shanley Del Morris was born in Hamilton, New Zealand in 1962, and grew up as the seventh of nine children with three brothers (Alister, Rhys and Tam) and four sisters (Bronte, Maxine, Joanne and Jenny).[1][2][3] She was named for people who had inspired her parents: Mr Shanley was her mother's teacher while Delwyn Miller was her father's favourite race-horse owner.[4] As a 14-year-old she was a soprano for the New Zealand Youth Choir.[4][5][6]

In 1979 Del was working at the Bank of New Zealand in Wellington, where she started dating actor and playwright, Michael Wilson.[1] She worked with Wilson in his travelling comedy revue and started a science degree at a university before taking up hairdressing.[1] She was a member of K-Tel & the Patty Stackers, which sang madrigals, including "Mother, I Will Have a Husband".[1] In 1983 Del, still working as a hairdresser, joined Simon Alexander and Martin Williams in a rock, pop covers band, Gigolo, which had a nightclub residency at a gay bar for two nights a week for a year.[1][4]

With Alexander and Williams she joined a new wave, pop band, Chrome Safari, alongside Brett Adams, Eddie Pausma and Tim Wedde.[1] They released two singles, "Fight" (1986) and "Anything for You" (1987).[1][5] She left the group to work as a TV producer.[1] In 1989 she had her first child, from her brief first marriage, and raised the child as a single mother.[1][4] In 1990 Del sang with a 10-piece country band, the Waltons.[4][5] While in that group Del started writing her own songs and recorded a solo demo of her tracks, "Together Alone" and "Dream Rider".[1][4][5] Her songwriting is attributed to Shanley Del Gregory.[7]

In 1991 Del moved to Sydney to work as a backing singer for her elder sister, Jenny, who had relocated there ten years earlier.[4][5][8] Her other siblings and mother had already moved to Sydney before Del followed.[4] In March 1991 she reflected on performing country music, "If people are closed and unreceptive, they're not going to listen as soon as they hear the word 'country', and that's their problem until they come around. I don't think anything I say is going to affect whether people are going to listen. I just do my thing and hope for the best."[5] On the strength of her demo tape, "Together Alone", she was signed with rooArt records in 1992 as a solo artist.[3][4] Her first EP, Funnel of Love, was issued in that year.[4][5] The title track, "Funnel of Love", is a cover version of Wanda Jackson's 1961 single.

Her debut solo album, What's a Heartache For?, appeared in 1994, which was recorded in Nashville with Canadian producer, Ralph Murphy.[1] Session musicians included David Briggs on piano, Danny Parks on guitar, and Milton Sledge on drums.[1] In the following year she teamed with fellow country singers, Jane Saunders and Genni Kane to form a trio, Saunders, Kane & Del, and record an album, Tea for Three (1995).[1][4] They performed at special events and on TV but did not tour.[4] During the trio's recording sessions they used James Gillard (of the Flood) on double bass guitar; Del and Gillard married in 1998.[1]

Her second album, My Own Sweet Time, followed in September 1997 and was also recorded in Nashville.[4][9][10][11] Session musicians included members of the Dead Reckoners: Kieran Kane, Harry Stinson and Kevin Welch.[1] She won Best Country Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1998.[12][13] Del's third album, The Other Side (2001), appeared under the name Shanley and showed a more pop-orientated sound, which was produced by Matt Fell.[1][4] In January 2019 Shanley and Gillard released an extended play, Shanley Del and James Gillard, which they co-produced.[1]