Based in Brisbane since 2000, Parlane had collapsed after a gig and it was revealed he was suffering from the deadly cancer associated with exposure to asbestos. It was thought he had been exposed to fibres while working for a tyre company as a teenager in Dunedin.
Noel Parlane’s early-70s band The Sundowners recorded 'The Wahine Song’ with lyrics written by Parlane’s aunt, who had been on the Wahine ferry when it ran aground in April 1968, killing 52 people. A second single – ‘All I Want’ b/w ‘Nobody Cares’ – was produced by Robert Penty and released on his own Penty Productions.
Noel Parlane's gold-selling Music World release Old Time Country Music was his sole entry in the official NZ album chart top 20, peaking at No.9 in May 1981.