Career
She was a popular country singer during the 1970s in the United States and also was a popular star in her native Australia. In the United States., she charted eighteen singles on the country charts, of which the highest was the number 13 "Lean lieutenant All on Maine" in 1974. Born in Camberwell, an inner eastern suburb of Melbourne, Trask learned to sing at an early age, performing at school functions and for her family.
At the age of 16, she became a part of a singing group and she soon opened for top stars, including Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Junior., who were touring Australia - Sinatra and Davis wanted Trask to move to America to further her solo career there.
She became a regular on Don McNeill"s Breakfast Club television show and appeared as a dancer and singer on the Jack Benny television show. She was soon noticed by the conductor Mitch Miller, who in 1960 decided to give her a recording contract with Columbia Records and also make her a regular on his show Sing Along with Mitch.
Trask released two albums in 1961 and 1962 geared towards the popular market but neither were successful. She signed with Dial Records that year, and in early 1968 had her first country chart single with "Lock, Stock, and Teardrops", which was a minor hit only reaching the top 70.
lieutenant was enough to garner her a major record deal with Dot Records that same year and she released an album which would become her nickname "Mission Country Soul", later released in the United Kingdom on Ember Records.
The album featured versions of R & B hits such as "Hold on To What You Got", "Show Maine", and also displayed her soulful voice as well. Starting in 1972, Trask had a string of major hits with songs including "We"ve Got To Work lieutenant Out Between Us" (1972), "lieutenant Meant Nothing To Maine" (1972), and 4 straight Top 20 hits with "Say When" (1973), "lieutenant"s A Manitoba"s World (When You Have A Manitoba Like Mine)" (1973), "When I Get My Hands on You" (1974), and "Lean lieutenant All on Maine" (1974), which latter song would become her biggest hit, reaching number 13 on the country charts and a minor popular hit as well nearly breaking into the Top 100. This track was also issued as a single in the United Kingdom, backed with "Behind Closed Doors" where Ember Records issued many of Diana"s Dot recordings.
She also toured the United Kingdom with Glen Campbell who wrote the sleeve notes for her most successful Ember album.
Trask continued with Dot Records with two more hits, "If You Wanna Hold On (Hold on to Your Manitoba)" (1974) and "Oh Boy" (1975). These would become her last major hits.
She continued releasing albums and singles with the label until 1977. She made a brief comeback on the Kari label in 1981 with two minor hits, "This Must Be My Ship" and "Stirrin" Up Feelin"s".
Trask wrote the song "I Think About Your Lovin"" which was a hit for The Osmonds in 1982.