Gleny’s Story
A Country Girl with an International Heart
Gleny Rae is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music educator whose work is as expansive and surprising as the country she calls home.
Now based in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Gleny brings together folk, bluegrass, country soul, rhythm and blues and calypso influences to create music filled with energy, humour and emotional honesty. Armed with a fiddle, accordion, guitar, piano and a powerful storytelling voice, she has developed a sound that is unmistakably her own.
Finding Music in Western NSW
Gleny grew up near Nyngan in western New South Wales, where she completed much of her early schooling by correspondence and had limited access to formal musical opportunities.
Those beginnings helped form her belief that music should be available to everyone—not simply as entertainment, but as a source of confidence, connection and possibility.
Gleny later completed a Bachelor of Education through Southern Cross University while touring Australia with Gleny Rae Virus and her Tamworth Playboys. The band became known for its energetic mixture of hillbilly swing, bluegrass, western swing, gypsy jazz and blues, accompanied by Gleny’s cheeky humour and stories drawn from rural Australia.
“Music should rattle your bones, loosen your feet and open a door into somebody else’s story.”
Songs with Something to Say
Storytelling and social conscience have always run through Gleny’s work.
Her songs explore hidden places, resilient people, relationships, drought, childhood dreams and the contradictions of Australian life. Humour and lively musicianship may draw audiences in, but underneath lies a thoughtful songwriter unafraid to question assumptions or stand up for what she believes.
In 2011, Gleny appeared in the acclaimed SBS documentary series Go Back to Where You Came From. The experience strengthened her advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers and reinforced her belief in the importance of hearing people’s stories before judging their lives.
That same openness, empathy and quietly rebellious spirit continue to shape her music.
Drawn to the Centre
In January 2021, Gleny left Australia’s east coast and moved to Mparntwe/Alice Springs to teach music and work with young people in Central Australian communities.
Living in the Red Centre brought together many threads of her life: music, education, travel, community and an enduring connection with remote Australia. The desert landscape and the people she has met there have become an important source of creative inspiration.
Alongside performing and recording, Gleny has worked as a music teacher and conducted choirs in Alice Springs and surrounding communities. She sees music as a shared experience in which teachers, students, musicians and audiences all have something to contribute.
An Award-Winning Instrumentalist
In 2023, Gleny was named Instrumentalist of the Year at the Australian Folk Music Awards.
That same year, The Playboys with Gleny Rae received the Golden Fiddle Award for Best Fiddler with a Band, recognising the spirited playing and musical personality that have become central to her live performances.
These honours acknowledged what audiences had known for years: Gleny is a distinctive and accomplished musician whose playing combines technical skill with personality, freedom and joy.
Building Momentum
Released in 2026, Momentum brings the many sides of Gleny Rae together.
The album’s first half, “This Side”, is grounded in bluegrass and folk, with acoustic arrangements and Gleny’s vibrant fiddle at its centre. “The Other Side” ventures into country soul, rhythm and blues, horns, rich harmonies and deeper grooves.
The recording brings together musicians and studios from Alice Springs, Newcastle, coastal New South Wales and Nashville. It is Gleny’s most eclectic album to date and her first full-length release on vinyl.
Gleny Rae Virus Today
Today, Gleny performs in several musical configurations, from intimate solo appearances to the string-powered Grass Brazoos and the full-bodied country soul sound of the Country Ace Soul Band.
Whatever the line-up, the essence remains the same: vivid storytelling, feisty fiddle, musical curiosity and a generous connection with the audience.
Gleny Rae Virus makes music for people who like their songs honest, their genres blurred and their live performances full of life.
Watch
Lively, Unpredictable and Full of Heart
A Gleny Rae Virus performance is much more than a collection of songs. It is an invitation into a world of colourful characters, resilient people, unexpected stories and irresistible rhythms.
Whether appearing solo, with the string-powered Grass Brazoos or alongside the horns and grooves of the Country Ace Soul Band, Gleny brings warmth, irrepressible humour and an infectious energy to every stage.
Expect feisty fiddle, honest songwriting, lively stories and a few musical surprises along the way.
