When Jimmy Little was in the charts back in the 60s, many people loved his music, especially the exceptional voice he put behind each song. An amazing 4 decades into his career, a number which many bands would have a hard time comprehending, Jimmy, with the aid of Karma County staple Brendan Gallagher has recently released what has begun a new stage in his career, his latest album Messenger. It's an album which has attracted much attention not only because of the man behind it, but also because of the stunning cover versions of what have become classic songs.

I recently had the chance to catch up with the man himself & as his reputation precedes him, Jimmy is a true gentleman & is as focussed on his music as any artist & have ever spoken to.

First up, I asked how Jimmy felt about returning to the music scene in such a big way.

"Well, to tell you the truth, it feels very good. It's a bit strange, I'm getting compliments from a lot of people who still remember my music from years ago & I have to say thank you to them & to people like yourself who are urging me to continue to work on new songs. The reception my album had had is a great joy to me & I would also have to thank Brendan Gallagher for his work with me. Brendan is very good to work with & over the weeks & month working together, we became good friends."

For those unaware, Jimmy's album, Messenger features some truly amazing cover versions of some classic Australian songs, from artists such as Ed Kuepper, Nick Cave, The Reels & others. I asked what Jimmy's opinion of cover versions was.

"I think if a song is good, then any artist can add their own personality to it & I hope that's what I've done here. Back when I started out in music, the industry was a little different in some ways. Today, a songwriter is almost always the person who will first sing their own song, but in my early days, it was usually someone like myself who put the voice to the songs. I've always sung other people's songs. I think my talent lies more in performing a song, rather than trying to put my own words out."

With discussion of Jimmy's early career, the question begged to be posed about differences in recording methods between then & now.

"There is definitely a different way of actually producing music now. I don't mean the recording process, which I think is about the same, but new technology like computers certainly gives a lot more control over the finished product, but it also lets it be put together a lot quicker. Of course sound quality is a lot better now than it was then, because the equipment is so much better now."

Jimmy was also lucky enough to meet with the writers of some of the music found on his album.

"Yes, I met with four of the people who wrote some of the songs, such as Dave Mason from the Reels & Ed Kuepper. We all had a great evening & it was so good to be able to meet & talk with these people & meet the faces behind the music so to speak."

Lastly, I had to ask Jimmy about his plans for the future & whether they include going overseas.

"I've always been truly an Australian at heart & when I had success early on in my career, I had the chance to go overseas & I guess make some more money there, but I've always been happy in my choice of staying here. I've been lucky enough to earn a living out of my music & I hope I've served my fans well. I certainly hope to make another album, perhaps Messenger 2, but if people outside Australia like my music enough, I think I'd like to go overseas & see what happens, but it's not really that important to me. I think the most exciting thing for me is that at my age I'm entering a new phase, I suppose in line with the new millenium. I have to again thank every one of you that continues to encourage me in my music & hope you'll all enjoy what I do in the future."

Catch Jimmy's new album Messenger out now through Mushroom or see him in performance near you soon.