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.
Cattle Camp Crooner
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a land of honey and creed
As a boy I played in the summer time shade
By the banks of the Onalus streams
Many years have gone since I left that home,
Just juice still runs in my veins,
I′m just an old Australian cattle camp crooner,
Why should I ever change.
They say my dad was a bit of a lad,
They called him Noisy Dan
He worked in the bush far from the push
Of the hustle of a noisy town.
Oh he could rattle off tales in the stockyard rails,
Of the wild old life he's had,
I′m just an old Australian cattle camp crooner,
Following me dear ole dad,
Following me dear ole dad.
(Yeh play now)
Now I've got mates in every state,
I've been all over this land,
When it′s cold I hit the road
And head for Darwin or Cairns.
Some fogies say for livin′ this way,
I must be out of my mind,
I'm just all Australian cattle camp crooner
One of the wandering kind,
One of the wandering kind.
Don′t mind a smoke or a drink with the blokes,
When day is over and done
I'm proud to be in this land of the free,
And to live my life in the sun.
Oh, I don′t wear chaps or a curled up hat
My clothes are simple and plain,
I'm just an all Australian cattle camp crooner,
Why should I ever change,
Why should I ever change.
(Ah, play it again)
Now I′ve reached the state that nears old age,
I soak up everyone's praise
I brag to the young of the things I've done,
Way back in the batting days.
And when I leave this place for the chosen race,
And head for the heavenly range,
For they′ll say, "Here come that cattle camp crooner,"
Why can′t he ever change, (Oh no no)
Why should I ever change,
Why should I ever change
Why should I ever change,
Why should I ever change.
The lyrics of Slim Dusty's "Cattle Camp Crooner" reflect the story of a man who was raised on a farm in a peaceful and serene environment, where he spent most of his time playing by the riverbank. Despite leaving his homeland a long time ago, he still feels a deep connection to his roots and is proud of his heritage. The man is portrayed as a wanderer who travels across different states and sings at cattle camps for a living. He is not pretentious and does not care about materialistic things like expensive clothes or fancy hats. However, he stands out for his simple way of life, his love for smoking and drinking with his mates, and his passion for singing songs about the wild old times of the bush.
The song talks about family tradition and the influence that a father's life has on his son. The man's father, Noisy Dan, was renowned for his storytelling talents and his ability to work in the bush, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The man recalls his father's tales and attributes his passion for singing to him. He sees himself as inheriting his father's legacy and continues to follow his path.
The song portrays a sense of freedom and a love for life that comes from living close to the earth. The man sees himself as part of Australia's cultural fabric and is content to lead a simple life. He believes that he doesn't need to change his ways, and just like his father, he will leave a lasting mark on Australian culture. The song speaks to the Australian spirit and the sheer joy of living life as it comes.
Line by Line Meaning
I was raised on a farm where our lives were calm
I grew up on a farm in a serene environment
In a land of honey and creed
In a land of milk and honey
As a boy I played in the summer time shade
I enjoyed childhood memories in the shade during hot summer days
By the banks of the Onalus streams
By the banks of the Onalus river
Many years have gone since I left that home,
It's been a long time since I left home
Just juice still runs in my veins,
I still have fresh blood running through me
I'm just an old Australian cattle camp crooner,
I'm an old Australian cowboy singer
Why should I ever change,
Why change who I am?
They say my dad was a bit of a lad,
My dad was quite adventurous
They called him Noisy Dan
He was called Noisy Dan
He worked in the bush far from the push
He worked in an isolated area away from the hustle and bustle of the city
Of the hustle of a noisy town.
Of the busy noise of a city
Oh he could rattle off tales in the stockyard rails,
He had many interesting stories to share about the stockyard
Of the wild old life he's had,
Of the adventurous life he lived
Following me dear ole dad,
I followed in his footsteps
Now I've got mates in every state,
I have friends in every state of Australia
I've been all over this land,
I've travelled extensively around the country
When it's cold I hit the road
I travel during the cold months
And head for Darwin or Cairns.
I head to Darwin or Cairns
Some fogies say for livin' this way,
Some old-fashioned people might criticize me for living like this
I must be out of my mind,
They think I'm crazy
One of the wandering kind,
I'm one of those who enjoy wandering around
Don't mind a smoke or a drink with the blokes,
I don't mind smoking or drinking with my buddies
When day is over and done
When the day is finished
I'm proud to be in this land of the free,
I'm proud to be in a land of freedom
And to live my life in the sun.
I enjoy living under the sun
My clothes are simple and plain,
I dress simply
Why should I ever change,
Why change who I am?
Now I’ve reached the state that nears old age,
Now that I'm getting old
I soak up everyone’s praise,
I enjoy receiving compliments
I brag to the young of the things I’ve done,
I boast to the younger generation about my accomplishments
Way back in the batting days.
Back in my youthful days
For they'll say, “Here comes that cattle camp crooner,”
People will recognize me as a cattle camp crooner
Why can’t he ever change, (Oh no no)
Why won't he ever change?
Why should I ever change,
Why change who I am?
Why should I ever change,
Why change who I am?
Why should I ever change,
Why change who I am?
Why should I ever change.
Why change who I am?
Writer(s): David Gordon Kirkpatrick
Contributed by Leo R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@gordonclark4049
Slim dusty the legend of Australian country music RIP old mate
@marlenesullivan3113
THE GREATEST AUSSIE LEGEND EVER🚶♂️🎸
@glenisgrogan2510
I'm a Murry. Luv every thing about this man who just seems to sum up all & renders us all to tears
@marlenesullivan3113
Yea: TEARS BECAUSE HE'S NOT HERE
@allon33
The real Slim, I will always remember him this way.
@marlenesullivan3113
HE'S MEMORY IS HERE TO STAY
@smiley2emc
Love Slim grew up listening to his music
@ronaskew2206
My dad
@edwardpootchemunka8027
This song reminds me of my late uncle Mr Danny Kepple whos been working as a stock man on cattle stations around Cape York peninsula rest in peace my dear uncle🙏🙏
@miriamchungulla8045
Slim dusty the best, always will be, Aussie