Slim Dusty AOMBE
Dusty at the Golden Guitar awards in Tamworth
Background information
Born	David Gordon Kirkpatrick (1927-06-13)13 June 1927 Nulla Nulla Creek,New South Wales, Australia
Died	19 September 2003(2003-09-19) (aged 76) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Country bush ballad Australiana
Occupations	Singer songwriter guitarist music producer
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1945–2003
Labels	Regal Zonophone EMI
Formerly of	Joy McKean Anne Kirkpatrick Smoky Dawson Buddy Williams The Wiggles South Kempsey Boys Shorty Ranger
Spouse	Joy McKean
Website	slimdustymusic.com.au

Slim Dusty,AOMBE (bornDavid Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was anAustralian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was anAustralian cultural icon, referred to universally asAustralia's King of Country Music and one of the country's most awarded stars, with a career spanning nearly seven decades and producing numerous recordings. He was known to record songs in thelegacy of Australia genre, particularly of bush life, including works by renowned Australianbush poetsHenry Lawson andBanjo Paterson, who represented the lifestyle. The music genre was coined the "bush ballad", a style first made popular byBuddy Williams. Dusty was also known for his many trucking songs.

Slim Dusty "released more than a hundred albums, selling more than seven million records and earning over 70 gold and platinum album certifications". He was the first Australian to have a No. 1 international hit song, with a version ofGordon Parsons' "A Pub with No Beer".^[1] He received 38Golden Guitars and anAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) award. He was inducted into theARIA Hall of Fame andAustralian Roll of Renown. At the time of his death, age 76, Dusty had been working on his 106th album forEMI Records. In 2007, his domestic record sales in Australia surpassed seven million. During his lifetime, Dusty was considered anAustralian National Treasure. He performed a cover ofBanjo Paterson's "Waltzing Matilda" at theclosing ceremony of theSydney 2000 Olympic Games.

David Gordon Kirkpatrick was born on 13 June 1927 in Nulla Nulla Creek west ofKempsey, New South Wales, the son of a cattle farmer. His childhood home, "Homewood", survives and is now heritage-listed. He was known by his middle name, Gordon. He wrote his first song, "The Way the Cowboy Dies", in 1937 and adopted the stage name "Slim Dusty" in 1938 at age 11.^[2] His earliest musical influences included AmericanJimmie Rodgers, New ZealanderTex Morton, and Australia'sBuddy Williams. In 1945, Dusty wrote "When the Rain Tumbles Down in July" and released his first record that year at age 18. In 1946, he signed his first recording contract with Columbia Graphophone for the Regal Zonophone label.^[3]

In 1951, Dusty married singer-songwriterJoy McKean and, with her help, achieved great success around Australia. In 1954, the two launched a full-time business career, including the Slim Dusty Travelling Show. McKean was Dusty's wife and manager for over 50 years.

McKean's sister Heather, half of the McKean Sisters music duo that preceded Joy's association with Dusty, was married to Australian country singerReg Lindsay, before separating and later divorcing in the 1980s, whereupon the McKean sisters re-started their music duo.

Together Dusty and Joy McKean had two children,Anne Kirkpatrick and David Kirkpatrick, who are also accomplished singer-songwriters.^[4]

McKean wrote several of Dusty's most popular songs, including "Lights On The Hill", "Walk a Country Mile", "Indian Pacific", "Kelly's Offsider", "The Angel of Goulburn Hill" and "The Biggest Disappointment".^[5]

Although himself an accomplished writer of songs, Dusty had a number of other songwriters, including Mack Cormack,Gordon Parsons,Stan Coster, and Kelly Dixon, who were typically short on formal education but big on personal experience of theAustralian bush. Drawing on his travels and such writers over a span of decades, Dusty chronicled the story of a rapidly changing postwar Australian nation.

Dusty's 1957 hit "A Pub with No Beer" was the biggest-selling record by an Australian to that time, the first Australian single to go gold and the first and only 78 rpm record to be awarded a gold disc.^[6] (The "Pub with No Beer" is a real place, in Ingham, North Queensland].)^[7] In 1959 and 1960, Dutch and German cover versions of the song became number one hits (even evergreens) in Belgium, Austria and Germany, brought by the Flemish country singer-guitarist and amusement park founderBobbejaan Schoepen.In 1964 the annual Slim Dusty Australia-round tour, a 48,280 kilometres (30,000 mi) journey that went on for ten months, was started. This regular event was the subject of a feature film,The Slim Dusty Movie, in 1984.

Dusty recorded not only songs written by himself and other fellow Australian performers but also classic Australian poems byHenry Lawson andBanjo Paterson, with new tunes to call attention to the old "bush ballads". An example is "The Man from Snowy River" by Paterson. The 1980 album and songsThe Man Who Steadies the Lead andThe Pearl of Them All were the works of Paterson's rival for the title of Australia's bush balladeer, Scottish-Australian poetWill H. Ogilvie (1869–1963). In 1970, Dusty was made a member of theOrder of the British Empire for services to music.^[8] In 1989 Slim recorded 'Murray Moon' by fellow AussieReg Stoneham with vocals by his daughter Anne Kirkpatrick.

In 1973, Dusty won Best Single at the inauguralCountry Music Awards of Australia at theTamworth Country Music Festival (McKean won Song of the Year as writer of "Lights on the Hill"). By March 1976, Dusty had achieved 37 gold and two platinum records, more than any other Australian artist.^[9]

Dusty and his wife were patrons of the National Truck Drivers' Memorial, located inTarcutta, New South Wales.

The general manager of theGrand Ole Opry inNashville, Tennessee, Bob Whitaker, invited Dusty and his wife to perform in 1997, recognising 50 years of contributing to country music.

The following January, Dusty was appointed an Officer of theOrder of Australia for his service to the entertainment industry.^[10]

Dusty recorded and released his 100th album,Looking Forward, Looking Back, in 2000 and became the first artist in worldwide commercial recording history to do so; second wasCliff Richard. All 100 albums were recorded with the same record label, EMI, making Dusty the first music artist in the world to record 100 albums with the same label.^[11]

Dusty was appointed to sing "Waltzing Matilda" at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics; the whole stadium (officially 114,714 in attendance, the largest in Olympic history) sang along with him.^[12][13]

The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards or ARIA Awards) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).Slim Dusty has won one award from 10 nominations. Additionally, Dusty was awarded two achievement awards and inducted into the Hall of Fame.^[14]

The Country Music Awards (CMAA) are an annual awards ceremondy celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. It first commenced in 1973 at theTamworthCountry Music Awards of Australia.

According the Country Music Association of Australia, Slim Dusty won 44Golden guitar plus, an induction into theAustralian Roll of Renown. (listed below). This is more than any other artist.^{[15][16][17][18][19]}

According to Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2022,Troy Cassar-Daley won his 40th, surpassing Slim Dusty's record of 38 awards.^[20]

The King of Pop Awards were voted by the readers ofTV Week. The King of Pop award started in 1967 and ran until 1978.^[21]

• Note: the Most Popular Australian Country Musician award was only presented in 1977 and 1978.

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as theMo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Slim Dusty won two awards in that time. From 2006, the "best country entertainer" award was named in his honour.^[22]

The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at theTamworth Country Music Festival. They commenced in 1986.^[23] Slim Dusty won two awards in that time.^[24]

Dusty's repertoire includedcountry gospel music, with which he liked to finish his shows.^[25] His live albums usually carried the theme, and in 1971 he released the Gospel albumGlory Bound Train featuring the eponymous hitGlory Bound Train and other songs of a Christian theme.Glory Bound Train was in turn the song selected to conclude the tribute concert held at Tamworth after his death. The "Concert for Slim" was recorded live on 20 January 2004, at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre, and an all-star cast of Australian musicians sang out the show with Slim'sGlory Bound Train. The DVD was certified 3× Platinum in Australia.^[26]

He died at his home inSt Ives, New South Wales, on 19 September 2003 at the age of 76 after a protracted battle withColorectal cancer.^[27]

Eminent figures, including thePrime Minister of Australia,John Howard, and the federal opposition leader,Simon Crean, attended astate funeral atSt Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, on 26 September 2003, where thousands had gathered. In the funeral, the Anglican Dean of Sydney,Phillip Jensen paid tribute by leading the congregation of family, statesmen, fans and musicians in the singing of "A Pub With No Beer". Several tributes were featured from Dusty's children as well as words from other national musicians (Peter Garrett andJohn Williamson) and music fromGraeme Connors,Kasey Chambers andTroy Cassar-Daley. Around Australia, thousands of fans gathered to stand outside the cathedral; Dusty was later cremated.

Dusty had been working on his 106th album for EMI at the time of his death. On 8 March 2004 the album,Columbia Lane – the Last Sessions, debuted at number five on the Australian album charts and number one on the country charts. Gold status was achieved after being on sale for less than two weeks.

Columbia Lane is a tribute to the laneway juxtaposed toParramatta Road inStrathfield (near the railway bridge link), where the EMI studios once stood (now aKennards Self Storage store), and where he began his music career.

In 2004, Tamworth hosted the "Concert for Slim" as a memorial tribute featuring more than 30 Australian musical artists includingJoy McKean,Paul Kelly,Keith Urban,Lee Kernaghan andKasey Chambers.^[28]

In 2005, in tribute to the iconic song "Cunnamulla Fella" performed by Dusty with lyrics byStan Coster, an eponymous statue was unveiled in the Queensland town ofCunnamulla.^[29]

EMI Records' Australian sales of Dusty's records surpassed seven million in 2007.^[30]

Slim Dusty was Australia's most successful and prolific musical artist, with moreGold andPlatinum albums than any other Australian artist.^[31] He was also:^[11]

• The first Australian to receive aGold Record.
• Made aMember of the Order of the British Empire and anOfficer of the Order of Australia for services to entertainment.
• On 14 April 1981, onSpace ShuttleColumbia'sfirst mission, Dusty's rendition of "Waltzing Matilda" was broadcast to Earth.^[32][33]
• The Royal Australian Mint issued a coin celebrating his life.^[34]
• Dusty's image was featured on anAustralia Post postage stamp.
• In December 2020, Slim Dusty was listed at number 40 inRolling Stone Australia's "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue.^[35]

• Dusty's life was the subject of a 1984 feature film:The Slim Dusty Movie.
• "Pub With No Beer" was added to theNational Film and Sound Archive'sSounds of Australia registry in 2008.
• The 2010 book100 Best Australian Albums by Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell rankedThe Very Best of Slim Dusty as the 24th best Australian album of the previous 50 years.^[36]
• The Slim Dusty Centre was built in Kempsey, NSW, Dusty's home town, and opened in October 2015.^[37]

EMI Records' Australian sales of Slim Dusty records surpassed 7 million in 2007.^[30]

• Official websiteArchived 27 January 2008 at theWayback Machine (includes a more thorough discography)
• Slim Dusty discography atDiscogs
• Slim Dusty at the National Film and Sound ArchiveArchived 18 October 2015 at theWayback Machine
• Slim Dusty Centre Project
• Listen to a clip from"Pub With No Beer" and read more about it on australianscreen online.
• Slim Dusty atIMDb

• 1927 births
• 2003 deaths
• 20th-century Australian guitarists
• 21st-century Australian guitarists
• Australian acoustic guitarists
• APRA Award winners
• ARIA Award winners
• ARIA Hall of Fame inductees
• Australian country guitarists
• Australian country singer-songwriters
• Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire
• Australian people of Irish descent
• Deaths from cancer in New South Wales
• Deaths from kidney cancer in Australia
• Deaths from lung cancer in Australia
• Australian male guitarists
• Officers of the Order of Australia
• People from the Mid North Coast
• Singers from New South Wales
• Australian yodelers
• 20th-century Australian male singers
• 21st-century Australian male singers
• Australian male singer-songwriters
• Australian Christians
• Burials at Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens
• 20th-century Australian singer-songwriters
• 21st-century Australian singer-songwriters
• Regal Zonophone Records artists

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