Over the course of his career, he collected more gold and platinum albums than any other Australian artist.
Dusty not only recorded songs written by himself and other fellow Australian performers, but also recorded classic Australian poems by Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson with new tunes, to call attention to the old 'Bush Ballads.' An example is The Man from Snowy River by Paterson.
In 1970, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to music. In 1971 he won Best Single at the Australian Country Music Awards at the Tamworth Country Music Festival (Slim's wife Joy McKean won Song of the Year as writer of the song for which he won best single). In all, he won a record 35 "Golden Guitars" over the years.
He died at home in St Ives, New South Wales on 19 September 2003 after a protracted battle with cancer, at age 76.
The Slim Dusty Story started back in the 1940s on a remote dairy farm in the hills behind Kempsey, NSW, when a 10-year-old boy dreamed of being a country music singer. His name was David Gordon Kirkpatrick... he called himself "Slim Dusty" and began to live that dream.
But even the most optimistic farm boy would never have imagined the life that was to unfold... a life that would establish Slim as the voice of the nation, the chronicler of Australian history in song.
Slim managed to hold on to those early visions of writing and singing about the bush because during his lengthy career, he always stayed in touch with his audience. And he did this in a very real and meaningful way, so much so that his fans would feel that Slim was one of their mates and his songs "just a good yarn you might hear from a mate at the pub, around a campfire in the bush or at a back yard barbie".
He described his music as "songs about real Australians... "I have to be fair dinkum with my audience. I can't see any other way of doing it," he said. "You have to believe in what you are singing about."
Slim Dusty was the first Australian to have a number one hit record and the only Australian to ever receive a 78rpm Gold Record (for A Pub With No Beer in 1958)...
He was the first Australian to have an international record hit and the first singer in the world to have his voice beamed to earth from space (astronauts Bob Crippen and John Young played Slim's recording of Waltzing Matilda from the space shuttle "Columbia" as it passed over Australia back in 1983).
During an amazingly successful career spanning over six decades, Slims' continued popularity saw him rewarded with more Gold and Platinum Awards for sales of his singles, eight-tracks, cassettes, CD's, videos and DVDs... more than any other Australian artist!
He received an unequaled 37 Golden Guitar Awards, two ARIA's (Australian Recording Industry Association awards), inductions into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the Australian Country Music Roll of Renown.
Slim was recognized for his long time services to Australian entertainment with an MBE and an Order of Australia. In 1999, Prime Minister John Howard named Slim Dusty Australia's Father of the Year and Senior Australian of the Year. There were many other awards and honors... too many to name here!
Dusty died at his home in St Ives, New South Wales on 19 September 2003 at the age of 76, after a protracted battle with cancer.
Back Where I Belong
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I pine again for the open plain and my old stock mates of York
I′ve had my taste of the city race
To them I feel all wrong
And the old bush calls like a mother calls
Back where you belong
And there's holes and stones on the road back home but that don′t bother me
It jar and jolt may rattle the bolts
So when the sun comes up in a few days time
Where the plains are wide and long
I'll be way out where a man can shout
Back where I belong
(Yodels)
Instrumental
I'll meet old Ned at the station shed
And pick up the gear I need
Then I′ll stamp for the outer camp
With the boys I′ll share a feed
Where the air is clear
Once again I'll hear
A good old bushman′s song
In the last fire's glow
Once again I′ll know
Back where I belong
Now the wind may blow through the brigalow
And the rain may howl and fall
And the flies may swarm as the days are warm
Won't trouble me at all
I′ll be back to the strife and the kind of life
You take it as it comes along
In the saddle seat in the dust and heat
Back where I belong
(Yodels)
In Slim Dusty's song "Back Where I Belong," the singer expresses his nostalgic longing to return to the Australian outback. He is tired of the fast-paced city life and misses the simplicity of life on the plains. He plans to travel in his Jeep with the aim of spending a week or more with his old stock mates at York. He acknowledges that city life is not for him, as he feels out of place there. He yodels to emphasize his happiness at the thought of getting back to where he belongs.
The singer is not bothered by the poor conditions of the road back home. The bumps and potholes that could be an issue do not deter him; instead, they are a reminder that he is getting closer to his destination. He is looking forward to being back in the open, where a man can shout and be heard. He mentions meeting an old friend named Ned when he gets to the station to pick up the gear he needs before embarking for the outer camp.
He looks forward to hearing a good old bushman's song around the campfire and feeling the warmth of the fire as he enjoys the company of his friends. He reiterates that he is ready to face the often-challenging conditions of the outback, including the wind, rain, and swarming flies, all of which are not an issue. Being in the saddle seat and enduring the dust and heat is where he belongs.
Line by Line Meaning
Gonna load up the Jeep and ride for a week and maybe even more
I am going to prepare my Jeep and hit the road for about a week or more.
I pine again for the open plain and my old stock mates of York
I yearn for the vast countryside and my York stock mates.
I've had my taste of the city race
To them I feel all wrong
And the old bush calls like a mother calls
Back where you belong
I have experienced city life, and it's not a good fit for me. The bush is calling me back to where I truly belong.
And there's holes and stones on the road back home but that don't bother me
It jar and jolt may rattle the bolts
But rattle the blues from me
Although the road has potholes and rocks, it doesn't faze me. The bumps may shake the Jeep, but it merely shakes off my blues.
So when the sun comes up in a few days time
Where the plains are wide and long
I'll be way out where a man can shout
Back where I belong
A couple of days from now, at daybreak, I'll be in the stretch of plains. I'll be shouting, and I'll know I'm back where I belong.
(Yodels)
Instrumental
No meaning
I'll meet old Ned at the station shed
And pick up the gear I need
Then I'll stamp for the outer camp
With the boys I'll share a feed
I'll meet my acquaintance, Ned, at the station shed and collect my supplies. After that, I'll 'stamp' off for the outer camp where I'll share a meal with friends.
Where the air is clear
Once again I'll hear
A good old bushman's song
In the last fire's glow
Once again I'll know
Back where I belong
I'll be in the open where the air is pure, and I'll hear the traditional melody of the bushmen. At the campfire light, I'll feel at home once again.
Now the wind may blow through the brigalow
And the rain may howl and fall
And the flies may swarm as the days are warm
Won't trouble me at all
Even though the wind gusts through the brigalow trees and it rains heavily, I won't mind. In the warm sunshine, the flies may invade, but it won't bother me much.
I'll be back to the strife and the kind of life
You take it as it comes along
In the saddle seat in the dust and heat
Back where I belong
I'll be back to the strenuous and rugged lifestyle of the countryside, but you have to be adaptable in that kind of lifestyle. I'll be riding horseback through the dust and scorching heat, and I'll feel at home once again.
(Yodels)
No meaning
Writer(s): Slim Dusty
Contributed by Keira M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sandra
on One Truckie's Epitaph
My brother Terry Radke was the man Slim wrote the song for after he received a letter from Terry's youngest son, Lync. Thank you
Charley Boyter
on Axe Mark On a Gidgee
With horsebells to keep me company
Jake
on Your Country's Been Sold
You say you belong to Australia my friend
And rightly you’d die for this land to defend
But let us be honest, it’s sad but it’s true
Australia my friend doesn’t belong to you
Our country’s been sold by the powers that be
To big wealthy nations way over the sea
We couldn’t be taken by bayonets or lead
And so they decided to buy us instead
And talking of wars and the blood that was spilled
The widows, the crippled, the ones that were killed
And I often wonder if their ghosts can see
What’s happening now to their native country
I wonder if ghosts of the fallen can see
The crime and corruption and vast poverty
With a lost generation of youth on the dole
Who drift on life’s ocean without any goal
I once had a dream of our country so grand
The rivers outback irrigated the land
With towns and canals in that wasteland out there
And big inland cities with work everywhere
With profit from farming and factory and mine
Was used to develop a nation so fine
Then I woke from my dream into reality
That the wealth of our nation goes over the sea
Yeah you say you belong to Australia my friend
And rightly you’d die for this land to defend
But let us be honest, it’s sad but it’s true
Australia my friend doesn’t belong to you