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.
Letter From Down Under
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And tonight he's feeling blue.
There's a letter that he showed me,
And I'd like to read it to you
It's a letter from Down-Under,
From a dad who tries to say,
All the things he feels on paper,
To a loved son far away.
And we're finished with the plow,
A little rain'd flood the lot,
Should bring the wheat through now.
You always loved the wattle,
Well now it's out in bloom,
Guess son, that you'd be homesick,
If I could send you its perfume.
Old gramps is getting feeble now
And his days are nearly done,
He'd like to see you before he goes,
So, how about it, son.
I met Mary at the sliprails the other day,
And we yarned for quite a while
She's growing mighty pretty son,
With a warm and friendly smile.
They say the neighbours son hangs round,
That he's always at her place.
But I know the way she spoke of you,
He just isn't in the race.
Last night some friends came over,
And they stayed for quite a while.
We sang all the old bush ballads
In the old familiar style.
I guess you've heard all about the oil strike,
Well I don't mean much out here,
'Cos when a man is thirsty son,
It can't take the place of beer.
But somehow, son, without you,
This old place just ain't the same,
And it hurts to see your mother's face,
At the mention of your name.
Well it's getting late, I'd better close,
There's a few jobs to be done,
Yes your old dad just wants to add,
Be nice to see you son.
Slim Dusty's "Letter from Down Under" is an emotional song that speaks about a father's love for his son who is far away in Texas. The song is written as a letter to the son and captures the father's longing and affection for his absent child. As the father writes, he updates his son on the happenings back home in Australia in an attempt to make him feel close to his roots.
The father starts by informing his son that springtime is happening back home, and they have finished the plow. He explains that the wheat is likely to grow as long as it rains. The father then goes ahead to describe other changes such as the blooming of wattle, a plant that reminds him of his son's love for home. He also mentions that the grandfather is getting feeble and wishes to see his grandson before he goes. The father then shares about his recent encounter with Mary, a girl his son should know, who is growing pretty and friendly. There is another boy in the picture, but the father is confident that he does not stand a chance against his son.
Towards the end, the father shares about the friends who come around to sing bush ballads and mentions the ongoing oil strike that does not matter much to him without his son being around. He concludes the letter by expressing his love and longing for his son and hopes to see him soon.
Line by Line Meaning
There's an Aussie boy in Texas,
There is an Australian boy who is currently living in Texas.
And tonight he's feeling blue.
He is feeling sad and depressed about something tonight.
There's a letter that he showed me,
He shared a letter with me to read.
And I'd like to read it to you
I would like to read it to you as well.
It's a letter from Down-Under,
The letter is from Australia.
From a dad who tries to say,
The letter is from a father who is attempting to convey.
All the things he feels on paper,
He is trying to express his feelings in written form.
To a loved son far away.
He is writing to his son who is living far away from him.
Dear Son, back home it's springtime,
The father is addressing his son and letting him know that it is currently springtime in Australia.
And we're finished with the plow,
They have finished plowing the fields.
A little rain'd flood the lot,
A small amount of rain would flood the fields.
Should bring the wheat through now.
This should help their wheat crops grow.
You always loved the wattle,
The father is aware that his son has always had a fondness for wattle trees.
Well now it's out in bloom,
The wattle trees are currently blooming.
Guess son, that you'd be homesick,
The father believes that his son is likely feeling homesick right now.
If I could send you its perfume.
If it were possible, the father would send his son the fragrance of the blooming wattle trees.
Old gramps is getting feeble now
The father's own father is getting older and weaker.
And his days are nearly done,
The grandfather's life is nearing its end.
He'd like to see you before he goes,
The grandfather would like to see his grandson one last time before he passes away.
So, how about it, son.
The father is asking his son if he can come visit his grandfather before it's too late.
I met Mary at the sliprails the other day,
The father met a woman named Mary at a specific location.
And we yarned for quite a while
They talked for a considerable amount of time.
She's growing mighty pretty son,
The father believes Mary is very attractive and wants his son to know this.
With a warm and friendly smile.
Mary has a welcoming and friendly smile.
They say the neighbours son hangs round,
There is a neighbor boy who spends a lot of time at Mary's place.
That he's always at her place.
The neighbor boy is a frequent visitor at Mary's house.
But I know the way she spoke of you,
The father believes that Mary has feelings for his son based on the way she talks about him.
He just isn't in the race.
The father thinks that the neighbor boy doesn't have a chance with Mary.
Last night some friends came over,
The father had some friends visit him the night before.
And they stayed for quite a while.
They spent an extended period of time hanging out.
We sang all the old bush ballads
They sang traditional Australian folk songs.
In the old familiar style.
They sang in a way that was comfortable and familiar to them.
I guess you've heard all about the oil strike,
The father believes that his son is aware of the oil strike that's been going on.
Well I don't mean much out here,
The father isn't personally affected by the oil strike.
'Cos when a man is thirsty son,
The father is saying that when someone is thirsty, something else (like an oil strike) isn't that important.
It can't take the place of beer.
The father prefers beer to anything else when he is thirsty.
But somehow, son, without you,
The father feels like there's something missing in his life without his son around.
This old place just ain't the same,
The father's home feels empty without his son there.
And it hurts to see your mother's face,
The mother feels sad when they mention their son, which hurts the father to see.
At the mention of your name.
It's specifically when their son's name is mentioned that the mother seems visibly hurt.
Well it's getting late, I'd better close,
The father realizes it's getting late and he needs to finish the letter.
There's a few jobs to be done,
He still has some tasks to take care of.
Yes your old dad just wants to add,
Before finishing the letter, the father wants to say one last thing.
Be nice to see you son.
The father would be very happy to see his son again soon.
Contributed by Arianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sandra
on One Truckie's Epitaph
My brother Terry Radke was the man Slim wrote the song for after he received a letter from Terry's youngest son, Lync. Thank you
Charley Boyter
on Axe Mark On a Gidgee
With horsebells to keep me company
Jake
on Your Country's Been Sold
You say you belong to Australia my friend
And rightly you’d die for this land to defend
But let us be honest, it’s sad but it’s true
Australia my friend doesn’t belong to you
Our country’s been sold by the powers that be
To big wealthy nations way over the sea
We couldn’t be taken by bayonets or lead
And so they decided to buy us instead
And talking of wars and the blood that was spilled
The widows, the crippled, the ones that were killed
And I often wonder if their ghosts can see
What’s happening now to their native country
I wonder if ghosts of the fallen can see
The crime and corruption and vast poverty
With a lost generation of youth on the dole
Who drift on life’s ocean without any goal
I once had a dream of our country so grand
The rivers outback irrigated the land
With towns and canals in that wasteland out there
And big inland cities with work everywhere
With profit from farming and factory and mine
Was used to develop a nation so fine
Then I woke from my dream into reality
That the wealth of our nation goes over the sea
Yeah you say you belong to Australia my friend
And rightly you’d die for this land to defend
But let us be honest, it’s sad but it’s true
Australia my friend doesn’t belong to you