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.
Dead On Time
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he don't know why and he don't know how
But he'd never been late so they called him 'Dead on Time'.
He painted the name on the bonnet in black,
And the station kids on the mailman's track
Would all look out for the dust of 'Dead On Time'
Would all look out for the dust of 'Dead On Time'
I gotta be back for the kid's birthday,
And wheeled his truck on the long haul homeward bound.
The wife's gonna make him a chocolate cake
They made me promise that I won't be late.
I'll see you again when I come next time around,
I'll see you again when I come next time around.
Instrumental
But 'Dead On Time' ran outta luck
And he couldn't believe when his good old truck
Ground to a halt with a burnt out bearing whine,
Not a tree in sight and the water bag low,
Not a hope in hell of getting her to go.
Didn't look too good at all for 'Dead On Time',
Didn't look too good at all for 'Dead On Time'.
A birthday party and a chocolate cake,
Went dancin' across the dry salt lake,
Where the mirage met with the distant timber line,
And the silent truck threw a meagre shade,
Over the plea for help that he made,
Scratched in the dirt on the road by "Dead On Time'.
He'd done this run for a long time now
And he don't know why and he don't know how
But he'd never been late so they called him 'Dead on Time'
He painted the name on the bonnet in black,
And the station kids on the mailman's track
Still look out for the dust of "Dead On Time',
Yeah!
The song Dead On Time by Slim Dusty tells the story of a mailman who has been making the same run for a long time. He's never been late, which has earned him the nickname 'Dead On Time'. The mailman has promised his family that he will be back in time for his kid's birthday, and they have made plans for a special chocolate cake. Despite his confidence, the mailman's truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere with a burnt out bearing whine, and he realizes that he may not make it back in time for the celebration.
The lyrics showcase the mailman's dedication and commitment to his job, as he takes pride in being 'Dead On Time' every day. They also highlight the importance of family, as he wants to keep his promise to his family and be there for his kid's special day. The song's sad ending is a reminder that life doesn't always go as planned, and sometimes unexpected things can happen that are out of our control.
Overall, Dead On Time is a poetic ballad that tells a story of dedication, family, and the unexpected twists and turns of life.
Line by Line Meaning
He'd done this run for a long time now
He had been driving this route for a long time
And he don't know why and he don't know how
But he didn't really know why or how he ended up doing it
But he'd never been late so they called him 'Dead on Time'.
However, he was always on time, so they nicknamed him 'Dead on Time'
He painted the name on the bonnet in black,
He painted the nickname 'Dead on Time' on the car's hood in black
And the station kids on the mailman's track
The children at the station on the mailman's route
Would all look out for the dust of 'Dead On Time'
Would watch for the dust that 'Dead On Time' made as he drove by
I gotta be back for the kid's birthday,
The mailman has to be back in time for his child's birthday
The mailman said as he waved hooray
He said this as he waved goodbye
And wheeled his truck on the long haul homeward bound.
And continued driving his truck on the long journey home
The wife's gonna make him a chocolate cake
His wife is going to bake him a chocolate cake
They made me promise that I won't be late.
They made him promise that he wouldn't be late
I'll see you again when I come next time around,
He tells his mailbox that he will return again next time
But 'Dead On Time' ran outta luck
However, 'Dead On Time' ran out of fortune
And he couldn't believe when his good old truck
He couldn't believe it when his trusty truck
Ground to a halt with a burnt out bearing whine,
Suddenly stopped working due to a whining, burnt-out bearing
Not a tree in sight and the water bag low,
And without a single tree in sight and with very little water left
Not a hope in hell of getting her to go.
He had no chance of getting it to start again
Didn't look too good at all for 'Dead On Time',
It didn't look too good for 'Dead on Time'
A birthday party and a chocolate cake,
During his journey, he missed his child's birthday party
Went dancin' across the dry salt lake,
The idea of the birthday party and cake seems to be dancing across a dry, salty lake
Where the mirage met with the distant timber line,
Where the mirage ran into the far-off cluster of trees
And the silent truck threw a meagre shade,
And the truck provided very little shade from the sun
Over the plea for help that he made,
As he pleaded for someone to help him
Scratched in the dirt on the road by 'Dead On Time'.
He scratched the plea for help into the dirt next to his truck
Still look out for the dust of 'Dead On Time',
The children at the station still watch for 'Dead on Time's' dust
Yeah!
Yes!
Contributed by Alaina K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Stanley Griffiths
This is one of the many Slim Dusty songs that I enjoy listening to, he is a fantastic singer missed by many but will never be forgotten, his songs are always a pleasure to listen to, you can always understand every word sung !!
Darlene White
I love listening to slim play his music every day and will do for as long as I can I love a lot of his truck songs their is always a story behind every one of his songs
barbara berry
Slim was a marvellous country singer also he had lots of marvellous bands, loved them all
roosters bays
a lot of the younger American country instrument players were lining up to record with him...before he crossed the great divide...
Tom Kahnke
Great writer! Glad I found him!
marion squire
Love his music, from California
Will Laurie
love mate
Barry
Probably drive for most of the carnts lol