Whatever Happened to Diana Trask

This is the story of a beautiful young girl from Melbourne Australia with an outstanding voice who is invited to tour Australia as a support act for Frank Sinatra in 1959. At the age of eighteen Diana Trask flies alone to New York to make her debut at the famous Blue Angel Night Club. Diana succeeds in popular music and then re-invents herself to carve out a new career as a successful country singer, touring the world and performing for fans in the USA, UK, Europe, Australia and Japan. But, it was not all smooth sailing.
Diana was one of the first popular Australian singers to be successful in the USA and many others followed: Helen Reddy, Olivia Newton-John and in recent times Keith Urban. American audiences have fond memories of Diana’s appearances on the television series Sing Along with Mitchthen her hit songs on the Country Billboard charts and her Australian fans will remember The Di TraskShow.
In the book, Diana talks about her friendships and collaboration with superstars such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Bob Hope, Glenn Campbell and many others, and reveals her struggles to find success in music and love.

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‘Curtain in ten!’
I drew another shaky breath. From my spot in the wings I looked out across the stage…I knew what that was about. I’d done my share of climbing to get here. This was the Frontier Hotel. This was the Strip.
This was big time Vegas.
‘Curtain in five.’
The audience was buzzing behind the thick velvet. I knew the house was packed with show business critics…and agents by the score.
They were here to sit in judgment: Country music on the Strip? Are they serious? Voices came up from the past...
…‘What are you going to be when you grow up, Diana?’
A famous singer!
…‘What are your ambitions, young lady, now that you’ve won this competition?’
To go to America!
…‘Just say the word, kid, do you want my help?’
No, thanks anyway, Frank. I need to do this on my own...
And here I was. Opening night at the Frontier on the Strip with The Roy Clark Show. Country music was going mainstream and I
was part of the breakthrough.
I’d climbed the slippery show business ladder since I was sixteen, a girl from Melbourne, Australia, where my parents still lived, always waiting for news and longing to know I was okay. I’d belted out jazz tunes in countless clubs and restaurants, on small town tours and no-name radio stations. I’d skipped several rungs at once in coming to the States, starryeyed from a successful tour with Frank Sinatra. I’d climbed out of the pit of crushing loneliness as I made my faltering way in New York. I’d landed prime time television exposure on Sing Along with Mitch, recording contracts with Columbia and toured alongside Jack Benny, Tony Bennett and many other greats, and then slipped right back to near show business oblivion. ...
Country music had given me a second shot at my dreams. It had also brought me blessings I hadn’t expected and my heart suddenly filled with gratitude for all I had. The journey continues. The climb takes you places you never expected. …
‘Here she is, ladies and gentlemen, a country star in the Vegas sky - Miss Country Soul!’