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.
Ballad of the Drover
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Young Harry Dale, the drover, comes riding home again.
And well his stock-horse bears him, and light of heart is he,
And stoutly his old pack-horse is trotting by his knee.
Up Queensland way with cattle he travelled regions vast;
And many months have vanished since home-folk saw him last.
He hums a song of someone he hopes to marry soon;
And hobble-chains and camp-ware keep jingling to the tune.
And yon blue line of ranges the homestead station lies.
Thitherward the drover jogs through the lazy noon,
While hobble-chains and camp-ware keep jingling to a tune.
Instrumental
An hour has filled the heavens with storm-clouds inky black;
At times the lightning trickles around the drover′s track;
But Harry pushes onward, his horses' strength he tries,
In hope to reach the river before the flood shall rise.
The thunder stealing o′er him goes rolling down the plain;
And sing on thirsty pastures in past the flashing rain.
And every creek and gully sends forth its trival flood,
The river runs with anger, all stained with yellow mud.
Now Harry speaks to Rover, the best dog on the plains,
And to his hardy horses, and strokes their shaggy manes;
"We've breasted bigger rivers when floods were at their height,
Nor shall this gutter stop us from getting home to-night!"
Instrumental
The thunder growls a warning, the blue fork lightnings streaks,
As the drover turns his horses to swim the fatal creek.
But, oh! the flood runs stronger than e'er it ran before;
The saddle-horse is failing, and only half-way o′er!
When flashes next the lightning, the flood′s grey breast is blank,
And a cattle dog and pack-horse are struggling up the bank.
But in the lonely homestead the girl shall wait in vain
He'll never pass the stations, in charge of stock again.
The faithful dog a moment lies panting on the bank,
And then pluges through the current to where his master sank.
And round and round in circles he fights with failing strength,
Till, ripped by wilder waters, he fails and sinks at length.
O′er the flooded lowlands and slopes of sodden loam
The pack-horse struggles bravely, to take dumb tidings home.
And mud-stained, wet, and weary, he goes by rock and tree,
With flagon, chains and tinware are sounding eerily.
The Ballad of the Drover tells the story of a young man named Harry Dale, who works as a drover in Queensland, a state in northeast Australia. He has been travelling with his cattle across vast regions, and many months have passed since he last saw his family. As he rides home, he hums a tune about the woman he hopes to marry soon. He is accompanied by his stock-horse and his pack-horse, and the jingling of the hobble-chains and camp-ware become part of the tune he is humming. He approaches the homestead where his family lives, but a storm is coming, and the river he needs to cross is about to flood. Harry tries to make it across, but the water is too strong, and his saddle-horse fails. The cattle dog and pack-horse manage to make it to the other side, but Harry and his stock-horse are swept away by the raging waters. The faithful dog tries to save him by swimming through the current, but eventually, he too succumbs and the pack-horse is the only one to make it home.
This Australian ballad tells a story that is typical of the life of drovers in the early 20th century. Drovers were men who herded livestock from one place to another, usually over long distances, and their jobs were essential to Australia's agricultural industry. The song highlights the harsh and dangerous working conditions that drovers faced, as well as the loyalty that they had towards their animals. The ballad also depicts the resilience and bravery of the stockmen, as well as the unpredictability of nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Across the stony ridges, across the rolling plain,
The drover is riding across rough terrain and vast open spaces.
Young Harry Dale, the drover, comes riding home again.
The drover named Harry Dale is returning home after a long journey.
And well his stock-horse bears him, and light of heart is he,
The drover's horse is strong and able to carry him, and he is happy to be returning home.
And stoutly his old pack-horse is trotting by his knee.
The drover's pack-horse is also with him, walking steadily by his side.
Up Queensland way with cattle he travelled regions vast;
The drover has travelled great distances with his cattle in the northern state of Queensland.
And many months have vanished since home-folk saw him last.
It has been a long time since the drover's family and friends back home have seen him.
He hums a song of someone he hopes to marry soon;
The drover is singing a song about a person he plans to marry in the near future.
And hobble-chains and camp-ware keep jingling to the tune.
The sound of the drover's equipment and gear is creating a jingling noise that accompanies his song.
Beyond the hazy dado against the lower skies,
In the distance, there is a hazy line on the horizon where the land meets the sky.
And yon blue line of ranges the homestead station lies.
There is a blue line of mountains in the distance where the drover's home and farm is located.
Thitherward the drover jogs through the lazy noon,
The drover is continuing on his journey towards his home, even in the heat of the midday sun.
While hobble-chains and camp-ware keep jingling to a tune.
The jingling sound of the drover's equipment continues to keep time with his song.
An hour has filled the heavens with storm-clouds inky black;
A heavy thunderstorm has started and the sky has become very dark.
At times the lightning trickles around the drover′s track;
There are flashes of lightning around the drover as he continues on his journey.
But Harry pushes onward, his horses' strength he tries,
Despite the storm and the danger, Harry is determined to keep riding and reach his destination.
In hope to reach the river before the flood shall rise.
Harry is hoping to cross the river before it starts to flood due to the heavy rain.
The thunder stealing o′er him goes rolling down the plain;
The sound of thunder is rumbling all around him as he rides.
And sing on thirsty pastures in past the flashing rain.
The rain is providing much-needed moisture to the dry pastures, and the sound of the rain is echoing across the landscape.
And every creek and gully sends forth its trival flood,
The storm has caused all of the small creeks and gullies in the area to overflow with water.
The river runs with anger, all stained with yellow mud.
The river is flowing very rapidly and the water has turned yellow from the mud and debris that has been washed into it.
Now Harry speaks to Rover, the best dog on the plains,
Harry is talking to his loyal dog Rover, who is known as one of the best dogs in the area.
And to his hardy horses, and strokes their shaggy manes;
He also takes a moment to show affection to his horses and pet their shaggy manes.
"We've breasted bigger rivers when floods were at their height,
Harry reminds his animals that they have crossed larger rivers during floods before and they are capable of doing it again.
Nor shall this gutter stop us from getting home to-night!"
He is confident that they will not be stopped by this smaller river and that they will reach home safely before nightfall.
The thunder growls a warning, the blue fork lightnings streaks,
The storm is intensifying and the thunder is growling even louder, accompanied by lightning strikes that light up the sky.
As the drover turns his horses to swim the fatal creek.
Harry has reached the river and decides to lead his horses through the water to get to the other side.
But, oh! the flood runs stronger than e'er it ran before;
Despite Harry's confidence, the river is flowing much faster and stronger than he has ever seen before.
The saddle-horse is failing, and only half-way o′er!
Harry's horse is struggling in the water and they are only halfway across the river.
When flashes next the lightning, the flood′s grey breast is blank,
As the lightning flashes again, it becomes apparent that the flood has covered everything and there is only water around them.
And a cattle dog and pack-horse are struggling up the bank.
The dog and pack-horse have managed to make it to the other side and are now struggling up the steep bank.
But in the lonely homestead the girl shall wait in vain
Despite his best efforts, Harry will not make it home to the farm and his loved ones will be left waiting for him.
He'll never pass the stations, in charge of stock again.
Harry will never be able to work as a drover again and will not be able to tend to the station's livestock.
The faithful dog a moment lies panting on the bank,
Rover is exhausted from his efforts to help Harry cross the river and takes a moment to rest on the bank.
And then pluges through the current to where his master sank.
But then he jumps back into the water to try to find Harry, who has gone under the water.
And round and round in circles he fights with failing strength,
Rover tirelessly tries to swim against the strong current to find Harry, but he is starting to become weak.
Till, ripped by wilder waters, he fails and sinks at length.
Eventually, the current becomes too strong for Rover and he is carried away by the water until he drowns.
O′er the flooded lowlands and slopes of sodden loam
The area around the river is completely flooded, with the water covering the lowlands and seeping into the wet soil.
The pack-horse struggles bravely, to take dumb tidings home.
The pack-horse manages to make it back to the farm, carrying a message about what happened to Harry and Rover.
And mud-stained, wet, and weary, he goes by rock and tree,
The pack-horse is dirty and tired from his journey, but he keeps moving, passing by rocks and trees on his way back to the farm.
With flagon, chains and tinware are sounding eerily.
The sound of the pack-horse's equipment is eerily echoing through the silent and devastated landscape.
Writer(s): David Gordon Kirkpatrick, Henry Archibald Lawson
Contributed by Adeline H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@xuankan1195
Always remembered Slim
@wayneoneill4499
One of slims finest
@roboboss7414
sick poem
@xuankan1195
It’s actually by Henry Lawson
@leonardoturtlebutbetter8922
Ok