IN the late '80s Troy Cassar-Daley was just a kid dreaming of musical glory playing in a covers band around his hometown of Grafton on the NSW mid north coast.
At the same time Cold Chisel lead guitarist Ian Moss was breaking out as a solo star, having scored an ARIA No.1 album with his debut Matchbook, led by the blues-rock hits Tucker's Daughter and Telephone Booth.
Moss and his band were passing through on their Matchbook tour and Cassar-Daley's covers band was chosen to play support at Coffs Harbour's famous Hoey Moey Hotel.
The experience left an indelible imprint on the then 19-year-old Cassar-Daley.
"We stayed out of everyone's way, particularly Ian and the band," Cassar-Daley remembers.
"The good thing was to see road cases with Ian Moss and Cold Chisel on it. We were just in awe. We were 19 or 20.
"Going through the couple of shows, we got to see what we wanted to be. We want to be accomplished players like this."
More than three decades later Cassar-Daley has carved out an esteemed career in his own right as one of Australia's leading country singer-songwriters, having amassed four ARIA awards and 37 Golden Guitars.
He's also become close friends with Moss.
"You tend to forget about that as you get lost in your own world, thinking I better get better and write another song," Moss says, when asked about his influence on Cassar-Daley.
"When someone comes up and tells you how much you've been an influence on them it's rewarding. It makes you think it's all worthwhile."
However, the 66-year-old Moss jokes that Cassar-Daley has an "ulterior motive" in telling people he influenced him "to highlight how much younger he is."
"I look older in the photos," the 52-year-old Cassar-Daley laughs.
The photos Cassar-Daley refers to are to promote the duo's 17-date Alone Together Tour later this year. The shows will feature Moss and Cassar-Daley performing intimate acoustic sets of each other's material and other favourites.
When someone comes up and tells you how much you've been an influence on them it's rewarding.
Ian Moss
The pair have previously recorded a cover of James Carr's blues classic The Dark End Of The Street and earlier this year Moss appeared on Cassar-Daley's latest album The World Today.
But a whole concert together promises to be an intriguing listen, given Moss' background in pub rock and blues and Cassar-Daley is rooted in traditional country.
"Ever since Troy invited me to come around for a sing on a version he did years ago of the famous blues classic Dark End Of The Street, that's when I thought, 'shit, this guy is far more than just a country singer'," Moss says. "I knew there was lots of blues and soul in there."
Similarly, Cassar-Daley says Moss' music contains elements of country.
"You can't tell me that some of the feels in Chisel and Ian's solo stuff doesn't definitely have some country stuff going on," he says.
"Every time I hear [NSW north west town] Narrabri mentioned in Tucker's Daughter I'm taken back to that hot place where I was hanging for a beer driving from Tamworth.
"There's been country themes in what he's done for many many years, so it's not hard to bring it together."
Serious rehearsals are yet to begin, but Cassar-Daley says the cohesion is already apparent when the pair have teamed up for impromptu jams.
"We had a couple of moments having a strum this morning when both the acoustics dropped and there was a real subtle rhythm and Ian was playing some lead stuff, and I thought, 'people need to see this stuff'," he says.
"I'm not saying it as an egoistical person, I'm just saying we wanna share it with everyone.
"That's the whole premise of this tour, to share our styles of music and make them work together on stage."
Troy Cassar-Daley and Ian Moss bring their Alone Together Tour to Newcastle City Hall on October 21.
