“It’s exciting to share the songs that have had an inspiration on my life,” Troy Cassar-Daley tells Apple Music about this handpicked playlist. Here, the Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung man and country music veteran has shared the tracks that’ve had a major impact on his life, both personally and professionally. “Whether they’re really old or really new, I made sure there was a good mix of both,” he says. Read on for more on some of Cassar-Daley’s selections. Merle Haggard, “Seashores of Old Mexico” “I first heard it when I was very, very young. I loved his vocal, and I love the guitar. I don’t know who played on it. It might have been Grady Martin. I reckon it’s one of Merle’s best vocals he’s ever done.” Cold Chisel, “Never Before” “I’m a huge Cold Chisel fan. Having a chance to tour for about a year and a half with Ian Moss was a huge thrill, and one of the highlights was playing this song. Ian said he was asked by Don Walker, one of the predominant songwriters, if he had a song for a particular record. He said no, so we went home that night, wrote ‘Never Before’, and came in and put it down on the record. It’s one of the best songs I’ve ever heard Ian sing, and it was such a pleasure to hear him sing it every night.” Goanna, “Four Weeks Gone” “Shane Howard has been a major influence on my life. I was sent home to do a project on my acoustic guitar by my teacher, Leonie Hayes. Instead of learning the piece that she sent home, I learned ‘Four Weeks Gone’, the introduction that Shane played on the record Spirit of Place. Get your ears around this. It’s about a bloke going away, doing his thing, rounding up cattle, but he realises that he can’t be away for too long because his wife can’t hang around forever.” Dan Sultan, “Story” “I had to have Dan Sultan in this list. There’s a whole myriad different Indigenous artists here, but Dan is one of my favourites. He’s the younger-generation fella with an endless range and a beautiful voice. I did a show with him in 2023, and it blew my mind to hear this song about racism. It’s about things that affect people’s lives, that might not affect everybody, and unless you’ve been vilified or called something, you don’t really understand what racism’s all about. When you have a listen to this story, hopefully it can open your mind and your heart.” Guy Clark, “Stuff That Works” “‘Stuff That Works’ is such a brilliant old song written by Guy Clark and Rodney Crowell. I was sucked in as soon as I heard the line ‘The kinda stuff I like to be around.’” Pigram Brothers, “Johnny Walker’s Shoes” “The Pigrams are Broome’s own mega band in my eyes. Their family make you feel like you belong whenever you hear their songs. I love their sound!”