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.
Down The Dusty Road To Home
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down the old bush track we'll go,
Through the sandhills and the mulga,
Where the old man saltbush grows,
No more we plan to follow,
The life of a rolling stone,
So we'll hit the road out yonder,
Down the dusty road to home.
Around the campfire yarning,
'Neath the twinkling stars above,
We'll wend our way together,
Back to the land we love,
As we gaze into the distance,
And feel we're not alone,
This helps us face the hardships,
Down the dusty road to home.
We're finished with the town life,
And the traffic's constant roar,
So now we'll head out westward
And we'll settledown once more,
Out along that old brown river,
Where the 'roo and emu roam,
And the tall gums bid us welcome
Down the dusty road to home.
To see again those storm clouds,
Gather from the western sky,
And break across the desert
As it quickly passes by.
A distant swirling dust haze,
Where a mob of cattle roam,
They beckon us to wander,
Down the dusty road to home.
Our hearts are in this country,
Where droughts strikes hard and fast,
Where the spirit of it's people,
Always hangs on to the last,
We see the heat wave rising,
Out across the golden loam,
No more we'll need to wander,
Down the dusty road to home.
So come let us wander,
Down the old bush track we'll go,
Through the sand hills and the mulga,
Where the old man saltbush grows,
No more we plan to follow,
The life of a rolling stone,
So we hit the road out yonder,
Down the dusty road to home
The lyrics of Slim Dusty's song "Down the Dusty Road to Home" evoke a sense of nostalgia for the Australian outback and the desire to return to a simpler way of life. The first stanza suggests a longing to leave the transient lifestyle of a "rolling stone" and return to the land that has always been calling. The journey is described as a wander down a bush track through sandhills and old man saltbush. The scenery implies a harsh and unforgiving land, but also one that is rich in natural beauty and history. The hope is to find a sense of connection and belonging through the journey's end, where emotions are shared around a campfire beneath the stars.
The second stanza speaks to the need for community and togetherness in the face of hardship. The group's solidarity is clear as they face unknown troubles while gazing into the distance. The lyrics suggest that even in isolation, there are still ways to connect with others and find comfort through shared experience. The third stanza offers a vision of what the group hopes to find as they leave the town behind and head westward. They are seeking a place where they can settle down and be surrounded by familiar wildlife and landscapes, and connect with the history and roots of the country. The final stanza reinforces the theme of finding a sense of home and belonging, even in the face of challenges like drought and heat waves, which are a reminder of the resilience of the land and the people who call it home.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh come let us wander,
Let us journey together
Down the old bush track we'll go,
Following an ancient path
Through the sandhills and the mulga,
Crossing sandy dunes and arid bushlands
Where the old man saltbush grows,
Where hardy plants sustain life
No more we plan to follow,
We leave behind our wandering ways
The life of a rolling stone,
Tireless travel and unstable living
So we'll hit the road out yonder,
We'll embark on an indefinite journey
Down the dusty road to home.
Returning to the place we belong
Around the campfire yarning,
Sharing stories and experiences
'Neath the twinkling stars above,
Under the enchanting night sky
We'll wend our way together,
We'll travel slowly as a cohesive group
Back to the land we love,
Returning to our beloved homeland
As we gaze into the distance,
We reflect on the vastness of the land
And feel we're not alone,
We sense companionship
This helps us face the hardships,
Shared experiences help us endure difficulties
Down the dusty road to home.
Returning to the place we belong
We're finished with the town life,
We're done with the hustle and bustle of the city
And the traffic's constant roar,
We're tired of the non-stop chaos
So now we'll head out westward
We'll go towards the setting sun
And we'll settledown once more,
We'll return to a more stable life
Out along that old brown river,
By the side of the dry riverbed
Where the 'roo and emu roam,
Where kangaroos and emus are free
And the tall gums bid us welcome
The majestic eucalyptus trees greet us
Down the dusty road to home.
Returning to the place we belong
To see again those storm clouds,
To witness the beauty of thunderstorms once more
Gather from the western sky,
Forming in the direction of the setting sun
And break across the desert
Bringing much needed rain to the parched earth
As it quickly passes by.
As the storm moves on
A distant swirling dust haze,
A blurry trail of dust in the distance
Where a mob of cattle roam,
Where a group of cows graze
They beckon us to wander,
They invite us to explore
Down the dusty road to home.
Returning to the place we belong
Our hearts are in this country,
We have a deep emotional attachment to this land
Where droughts strikes hard and fast,
Where periods of dry weather are sudden and severe
Where the spirit of it's people,
Where the people have a resilient nature
Always hangs on to the last,
Always persevering until the end
We see the heat wave rising,
We witness the increase of hot weather
Out across the golden loam,
Over the sun-soaked sandy soil
No more we'll need to wander,
We don't have to keep searching for something more
Down the dusty road to home.
Returning to the place we belong
So come let us wander,
Let us journey together
Down the old bush track we'll go,
Following an ancient path
Through the sand hills and the mulga,
Crossing sandy dunes and arid bushlands
Where the old man saltbush grows,
Where hardy plants sustain life
No more we plan to follow,
We leave behind our wandering ways
The life of a rolling stone,
Tireless travel and unstable living
So we hit the road out yonder,
We'll embark on an indefinite journey
Down the dusty road to home.
Returning to the place we belong
Contributed by Stella M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@davidaitken4157
Played for the memory and passing of my father Tom ...gone 8 years today on 28/03 2016
We all miss ya Dad xx
Crocket
@sadiecarrington5220
this song is always played in aboriginal communities for funerals, thank you slim god got you and thank you for bringing out this song,r.I.p. old mate until we meet.
@roseyprince1216
I'm played this song at my Dads funeral he passed away in April 18/4/2019 and now I've lost my mum on the 7/9/2019. 😭😭😭😭 miss them so much as I was there only child 😭😭
@aftrdrk7263
Unurupa Rosie Prince sorry to hear that. Must be so hard! 😔😔❤️
@untypicalemu5590
I’m from Geraldton and my dad got buried in Northampton this song was played at his funeral I miss my dad every day they started to play it when they were lowering him..
@MsSlmitchell
I picked this song for my Dad;s funeral as they were taking the coffin from the funeral home. He was a big Slim Dusty fan and would have loved this choice as his final song. RIP Dad.
@ifishyoufish8550
this same song was played at my dads funeral as the coffin was being lowered so i know what this song means to you and you have my condolences and i love slim dusty(im only 17) R.I.P dad 19/11/1954-28/11/2013
@chelseamcmahon1015
I just found out after 18 years,this was my father's funeral song aswell ..
@untypicalemu5590
Same they played it as they were lowering my dad’s I was screaming I couldn’t let him go.. I still can’t
@lenardbarr9522
We played this song for dad’s funeral….. I can’t listen to it anymore