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 to the Saltbush Plains
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Goin' where the gidgee grows,
Headin′ for a western cattle run,
Leave my sweetheart, catch a train,
Headin' for the saltbush plain,
Way out toward the settin' sun.
My restless heart has been tied down,
I′m goin′ gonna throw the sliprails wide,
Let my wild emotions out,
What a cooee, what a shout,
As I wake a firey from his hide.?
I wanna let my voice go free,
A reckless gallop through the trees,
Hard upon a racin' scrubbers trail
Hear the timber ′round me break,
Feel the saddle leather quake,
As I down the scrubber by the tail.
I wanna boil my battered port,
Wanna hear the stock horse snort
Hear the dingos howling mournfully
Hear a thousand cattle stamp,
As they rush from their night camp,
All that noise is music now to me.
I'm throwin′ off these city clothes,
Goin' where the gidgee grows,
Headin′ for a western cattle run,
Leave my sweetheart, catch a train,
Headin' for the saltbush plain,
Way out toward the settin' sun.
In the lyrics of Slim Dusty's song "Back to the Saltbush Plains", the singer describes his desire to escape the constraints of city life and return to the land. He yearns for the freedom of the open plains and the excitement of a cattle run. The opening verses depict his determination to leave behind his current life, including his girlfriend in Bart town, and embark on a journey to the west. His heart is restless with the desire to experience the thrill of letting his emotions run wild and relishing the sounds of nature. As he rides through the bush, he's determined to let his voice go free and hear the breaking of the timber, the pounding of horse hooves, the howling of dingoes, and the stamp of the cattle as they rush from their night camp. For the singer, all that noise is music and a true expression of the freedom he seeks.
The lyrics of "Back to the Saltbush Plains" are a poignant representation of the Australian bush culture that is steeped in a deep-seated reverence for the land, the cattle runs, and the freedom of life in the open. Slim Dusty understood the Australian landscape, and his lyrics are a reflection of his love for it. The song celebrates an indomitable spirit, independent and resilient, bound up in the Australian bush spirit. The song's message is that the freedom of bush life, with all its challenges and rewards, is worth any sacrifice.
Line by Line Meaning
Throwin' off these city clothes,
I'm shedding my urban lifestyle to embrace the rural way of life.
Goin' where the gidgee grows,
I'm moving to where the gidgee trees grow, which is the outback of Australia.
Headin' for a western cattle run,
I'm moving to the western part of the country to participate in cattle drives.
Leave my sweetheart, catch a train,
I'm leaving my lover behind and taking a train to the rural area.
Headin' for the saltbush plain,
I'm going towards the saltbush plain, which is an arid plain featuring salt-resistant shrubs mainly found in Australia.
Way out toward the settin’ sun.
I'm headed towards the western horizon where the sun sets.
My restless heart has been tied down,
My heart has been feeling confined and restless due to my current city life and girlfriend.
By a girl in Bart town.
My girlfriend, who lives in Bart town, is the one holding me back.
I'm goin' gonna throw the sliprails wide,
I'm going to remove all barriers and let loose.
Let my wild emotions out,
I want to express my unrestrained feelings and let it all out.
What a cooee, what a shout,
What joy and excitement I will express.
As I wake a firey from his hide.
I will rouse up an energetic horse from its resting place.
I wanna let my voice go free,
I want to shout out loud and express myself freely.
A reckless gallop through the trees,
I will ride my horse with wild abandon through the trees.
Hard upon a racin’ scrubbers trail,
I will pursue a grazing animal with intensity.
Hear the timber 'round me break,
I can hear the trees cracking as I ride past them.
Feel the saddle leather quake,
I can feel the saddle vibrating as I gallop on my horse.
As I down the scrubber by the tail.
I will capture and subdue the grazing animal by its tail.
I wanna boil my battered port,
I want to cook my old and worn-out pot over an open fire.
Wanna hear the stock horse snort,
I want to hear the sound of a horse exhaling.
Hear the dingos howling mournfully,
I can hear the dingos howling sadly in the distance.
Hear a thousand cattle stamp,
I can hear a thousand cattle making the sound of stamping on the ground.
As they rush from their night camp,
The cattle are running towards their destination after a night's rest.
All that noise is music now to me.
All the commotion and noise created by the livestock and wildlife of the outback is music to my ears.
Writer(s): Stanley Alfred Coster, David Gordon Kirkpatrick
Contributed by Joseph H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
R. Groeneveld
one of the best
VINCENT MILLWOOD
Go and get a beer vb