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.
Callaghan's Hotel
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the yard the coaches stood in more than sixty years ago;
And the public, private parlour, where they serve the passing swell,
Was the shoeing forge and smithy of the Callaghan's Hotel.
There's the same old walls and woodwork that our fathers built to last,
And the same old doors and wainscot and the windows of the past
And the same old nooks and corners where the Jim-Jams used to dwell
There are memories of old days that were red instead of blue
In the time of "Dick the Devil" and those other devils too
But perhaps they went to Heaven and are angels, doing well,
They were always open-hearted up at Callaghan's Hotel.
Then the new chum, broken-hearted, and with boots all broken too,
Got another pair of bluchers, and a quid to see him through
And the old chum got a bottle, who was down and suffering hell
And no tucker-bag went empty out of Callaghan's Hotel.
And I sit and think in sorrow of the nights that I have seen,
When we fought with chairs and bottles for the orange and the green
For the peace of poor old Ireland, till they rang the breakfast bell,
And the honour of Old England, up at Callaghan's Hotel.
There's the same old coaching stable that's been used by Cobb and Co,
And the yard the coaches stood in more than sixty years ago
And the public, private parlour, where they serve the passing swell,
Was the shoeing forge and smithy of the Callaghan's Hotel.
Slim Dusty's "Callaghan's Hotel" is a nostalgic song that takes listeners back in time to the days of coaching and horse travel. The song celebrates a hotel and coaching stable by the name of Callaghan's that has stood for more than sixty years. The opening lines of the song draw attention to the history of the stable, letting listeners know that it dates back to the time of Cobb and Co.
The second verse explores the architecture of the hotel and the memories evoked by the building's structure. The walls, woodwork, doors, wainscot, and windows are all described as "old" and "the same" as they've always been. The nooks and corners of the hotel are filled with memories of the "Jim-Jams," a mysterious group that used to reside there. But despite the ghost-like presence of these old memories, they no longer dominate the space as they used to.
Verse three goes on to describe some of the people who frequented the hotel back in the day. "Dick the Devil" and other "devils" were known to visit frequently, while new chums and old chums alike could find solace within its walls. People in need of a new pair of boots or a bottle to combat their suffering were accommodated. The hotel was a place of belonging and support for all those who passed through.
The final verse of the song is one of nostalgia and sorrow. Slim Dusty reflects on nights of fighting, where chairs and bottles were hurled in the name of the "orange and the green," the colors of the opposing Irish and English factions. Though this was a tumultuous time, Dusty remembers it fondly, and his sadness is perhaps more for the passage of time and the disappearance of Callaghan's as a hub of activity rather than for the events that transpired.
Line by Line Meaning
There's the same old coaching stable that's been used by Cobb and Co,
The stable that was used by the old coaching company Cobb and Co is still there
And the yard the coaches stood in more than sixty years ago;
The yard that once held coaches over sixty years ago remains
And the public, private parlour, where they serve the passing swell,
The public and private rooms where the hotel serves the wealthy travelers still exist
Was the shoeing forge and smithy of the Callaghan's Hotel.
The shoeing forge and smithy that used to be part of the hotel has now been converted into a public and private parlour
There's the same old walls and woodwork that our fathers built to last,
The walls and woodwork of the hotel were built to last and remain unchanged
And the same old doors and wainscot and the windows of the past
The doors, wainscot, and windows are the same as they were in the past
And the same old nooks and corners where the Jim-Jams used to dwell
The nooks and corners where the people who used to stay at the hotel called Jim-Jams used to stay are still there
But the phantoms dance no longer up at Callaghan's Hotel.
The ghosts of the past who used to haunt the hotel are now gone
There are memories of old days that were red instead of blue
There are memories of days in the past that were exciting instead of dull or sad
In the time of "Dick the Devil" and those other devils too
During the time of Dick the Devil and other troublemakers
But perhaps they went to Heaven and are angels, doing well,
Maybe those troublemakers have since passed away and gone to heaven, living a better life
They were always open-hearted up at Callaghan's Hotel.
The people who used to stay at the hotel were always welcoming and generous
Then the new chum, broken-hearted, and with boots all broken too,
A newcomer, who was heartbroken and had worn-out boots
Got another pair of bluchers, and a quid to see him through
Received a new pair of boots and some money to help him get through his tough time
And the old chum got a bottle, who was down and suffering hell
An old friend received a bottle of alcohol to lift his spirits when he was going through a tough time
And no tucker-bag went empty out of Callaghan's Hotel.
No one went hungry when they stayed at the hotel
And I sit and think in sorrow of the nights that I have seen,
Reflecting on past nights at the hotel with sadness
When we fought with chairs and bottles for the orange and the green
When people got into fights over their political or national allegiances
For the peace of poor old Ireland, till they rang the breakfast bell,
Fighting for peace in Ireland until it was time for breakfast
And the honour of Old England, up at Callaghan's Hotel.
And for the honor of Old England at Callaghan's Hotel
There's the same old coaching stable that's been used by Cobb and Co,
The stable that was used by the old coaching company Cobb and Co is still there
And the yard the coaches stood in more than sixty years ago
The yard that once held coaches over sixty years ago remains
And the public, private parlour, where they serve the passing swell,
The public and private rooms where the hotel serves the wealthy travelers still exist
Was the shoeing forge and smithy of the Callaghan's Hotel.
The shoeing forge and smithy that used to be part of the hotel has now been converted into a public and private parlour
Contributed by Lillian T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John Vallett
Best song from Off Slim Dusty's beer drinking songs of Australia, when Dad got the lp of it in the 80,s, Slim has featured massively in my life, Dad got to meet him in the 90,s when went to one of his Concerts! :")
Jesse Sands
Wonderful song as are lots of Slim's song! Love the line about "DICK THE DEVIL"!😉👍🎙️🎸🎼🎼🎶🎶🏚️🍺🍻👹👺