LANCE W TOOHEY – A SONGWRITER'S SECOND CHANCE
My name is Lance W Toohey, I live in Cairns Far North Queensland, Australia.
I'm a 75-year-old retired signwriter, father of four, grandfather of fourteen, and great-grandfather of seven. For more than thirty years, I've been writing song lyrics and poetry, creating a catalogue of over 1,400 songs.
Along the way, I was fortunate to collaborate with Grammy-nominated songwriter Max T. Barnes and Nashville songwriters Mason Douglas and David Alex Barton. One of those collaborations reached Number One in Italy.
In 2017, everything changed when I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Although I beat the disease and am now cancer-free, I lost my passion for writing. For years, the words stopped coming.
Then, unexpectedly, a new technology helped me reconnect with my creativity. While I still write every lyric myself, AI has allowed me to create music and vocal demos, bringing my songs to life and reigniting a passion I thought I'd lost forever.
Today, my challenge isn't writing songs—it's being heard. Despite decades of dedication and a lifetime of stories to tell, I'm still considered an "unknown quantity" in an industry that rarely opens doors to newcomers, especially those in their seventies.
“I write lyrics and poetry that tell stories — shaped by a lifelong love of country music, Australian landscapes and characters, gritty realism, and the complexities of the human experience.
My work explores love, resilience, compassion, corruption, and hope, with many songs inspired by my partner Michelle (Chelle), who remains my muse and greatest inspiration. At the heart of it all is my belief that lyrics are the foundation of every great song.”