Gordon Parsons | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-12-24)24 December 1926 Paddington, Sydney, Australia |
| Died | 17 August 1990(1990-08-17) (aged 63) |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1946–1980s |
| Labels | Regal Zonophone,EMI |
Gordon Parsons was an Australiancountry music singer-songwriter, best known as the composer ofSlim Dusty's 1957hit song "A Pub With No Beer". In 1982, Parsons was inducted into theAustralian Roll of Renown.[1]
He was born inPaddington, an Eastern suburb ofSydney in 1926, and moved with his parents to Cooks Creek nearBellingen, New South Wales, in 1929.[2] At age 14, he left his parents' farm and subsequently worked as a sleeper-cutter. Around this time, he entered a well-known radio talent quest, "Terry Dear’sAustralian Amateur Hour", and was awarded second prize.Regal Zonophone Records, as a result of hearing him on "Amateur Hour", recorded six songs with him in 1947.[2]
As a performer, he then toured widely in rural Australia with a number of travelling shows, includingGoldwyn Brothers Circus. While touring he met and married his first wife, Zelda, of theAshton's Circus family. They had a daughter (Gail) in 1949, but the marriage soon ended.[2]
He continued to tour regularly with major country acts such asSlim Dusty,Chad Morgan, andTex Morton, and between tours "went bush" to write more songs, fish, and do menial farm work. He continued to record for Regal Zonophone, and later for various other labels, including Mystery (1950s), Hadley (1960s), CM Records (1970s), and Columbia and Selection (1980s).
In 1956, someone handed Parsons a scrap of paper with the words of a poem, "A Pub Without Beer" (written in 1943 by Queensland farmer Dan Sheahan, on finding that his local pub, the Day Dawn Hotel inIngham, Queensland, had been drunk dry by US servicemen stationed in the area), and suggested that it might be a basis for a song. Parsons wrote "A Pub With No Beer", fleshing the poem out with word-portraits of patrons of his own local pub, the Cosmopolitan Hotel at the tiny settlement of Taylors Arm, about 25 km inland fromMacksville, New South Wales. Slim Dusty heard the song while touring with Parsons, and he asked if he could record it as a novelty filler for his upcoming 1957 recording date, as he was one song short of the required four. Dusty's recording was released as theB-side of his78 rpm release, "Saddle Boy",[3] and much to Slim's surprise, the B-side was soon getting huge air-play, particularly on Sydney radio station 2UE.[4] In 1958 it became a massive hit all over Australia, and remains the first and only 78 to be certified an Australiangold record.[5] In 1959, it reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 1 in Ireland, as well as becoming popular in Canada and the USA.
Parsons wrote numerous other songs, and also contributed the hook and chorus for Chad Morgan’s classic "The Fatal Wedding", but made only a few records in the 20 years after his78-rpm discs of the 1950s.In 1978, he married his third wife, Jeanette, and they settled in Sydney.
Parsons died on 17 August 1990, at age 63, and is buried in Pinegrove Cemetery.[2]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [6] | ||
| "The Garden" (as Australia Too) | 1985 | 22 |
TheAustralian Roll of Renown honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at theCountry Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth in January.[7]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Gordon Parsons | Australian Roll of Renown | inductee |
There is also a bust of Parsons in Tamworth.[8]
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