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.
Mad Jacks' Cockatoo
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By the banks of the outer Barcoo,
They called him "Mad Jack", 'cos the swag on his back,
Was the perch for an old cockatoo.
By towns near and far and shed, shanty and bar
Came the arms of Mad Jack and his bird
And this tale I relate, it was told by a mate
Now Jack was a bloke who could drink, holy smoke!
He could swig twenty mugs to my ten,
And that old cockatoo it could sink quite a few
And it drank with the rest of the men.
One day when the heat was a thing hard to beat,
Mad Jack and his old cockatoo,
Came in from the west to the old "Swagman's Rest"
And they ordered the schooners for two.
When these had gone down he pulled out half a crown
And they drank 'til their money was spent,
Then he pulled out a note from his old tattered old coat,
And between them they drank every cent.
Then that old cockatoo it swore red, black and blue,
And it knocked all the mugs off the bar,
Then it flew through the air and it pulled at the hair
Of a chap who was drinking "Three Star",
And it jerked out the pegs from the barrels and kegs,
Knocked the bottles all down from the shelf,
With a sound like a cheer it dived into the beer
And it finished up drowning itself.
When poor Jack awoke not a word then was spoke,
But he cried like a lost husband′s wife,
And with each falling tear made a flood with the beer,
And the men had to swim for their life,
Now poor Jack was drowned and when finally found,
He was lying there stiffened and blue,
And it′s told far and wide that stretched out by his side,
Was his track mate the old cockatoo
The song "Mad Jacks' Cockatoo" by Slim Dusty tells the story of a man named "Mad Jack" who traveled with his companion, an old cockatoo, through the Australian outback during flood times and droughts. Mad Jack was known for his heavy drinking and often stopped at local taverns and bars along his journey. One day, while drinking with his old cockatoo at a tavern called the "Swagman's Rest," they drank all of their money and even drank their last note of currency. As the old cockatoo became increasingly drunk, it began to cause havoc in the tavern by knocking over glasses and even pulling at the hair of a patron until it eventually drowned itself in a barrel of beer. The next morning, Mad Jack was found dead next to his old companion, and the song tells the story of his tragic end as well as the loyalty that the old cockatoo had to its owner.
The song represents the hard lives led by the Australian outback pioneers, particularly the itinerant laborers who roamed through the country alone. The song also shows the role of companionship on these journeys, as it is clear that Mad Jack's only companion was his old cockatoo. The song depicts the depth of grief that one may feel when losing a companion, no matter how unconventional or unlikely their friendship might have been. It also highlights the often unhealthy relationship between man and alcohol.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a man that went out, in the flood time and drought
There was a man who traveled through both heavy floods and prolonged droughts.
By the banks of the outer Barcoo
He was near the outer Barcoo river.
They called him "Mad Jack", 'cos the swag on his back,/ Was the perch for an old cockatoo
People called him "Mad Jack" because he always had a cockatoo sitting on his backpack.
By towns near and far and shed, shanty and bar/ Came the arms of Mad Jack and his bird
People from across the country came to meet Mad Jack and his bird.
And this tale I relate, it was told by a mate/ Is just one of many I've heard
This particular story is just one of many that have been told.
Now Jack was a bloke who could drink, holy smoke!/ He could swig twenty mugs to my ten
Mad Jack was known for his impressive drinking abilities.
And that old cockatoo it could sink quite a few/ And it drank with the rest of the men
The cockatoo was also known to drink and was often found drinking alongside the men.
One day when the heat was a thing hard to beat/ Mad Jack and his old cockatoo
On a particularly hot day, Mad Jack and the cockatoo made their way to a pub.
Came in from the west to the old "Swagman's Rest"/ And they ordered the schooners for two
They went to the "Swagman's Rest" and ordered two schooners of beer.
When these had gone down he pulled out half a crown/ And they drank 'til their money was spent
After those beers were gone, Mad Jack and the cockatoo drank until they ran out of money.
Then he pulled out a note from his old tattered old coat/ And between them they drank every cent
To continue drinking, Mad Jack pulled out a note from his coat and they drank until they were flat broke.
Then that old cockatoo it swore red, black and blue/ And it knocked all the mugs off the bar
The cockatoo became angry and started knocking over mugs on the bar.
Then it flew through the air and it pulled at the hair/ Of a chap who was drinking "Three Star"
The bird then flew around and started pulling hair of patrons.
And it jerked out the pegs from the barrels and kegs/ Knocked the bottles all down from the shelf
It even started pulling out pegs from barrels and kegs, and knocking over bottles.
With a sound like a cheer it dived into the beer/ And it finished up drowning itself
The bird then dove into a barrel of beer and drowned itself.
When poor Jack awoke not a word then was spoke/ But he cried like a lost husband′s wife
Mad Jack woke up to the sight of the dead bird, and started crying uncontrollably.
And with each falling tear made a flood with the beer/ And the men had to swim for their life
His tears mixed with the spilled beer, creating a flash flood which the patrons had to swim to safety from.
Now poor Jack was drowned and when finally found/ He was lying there stiffened and blue
Mad Jack drowned in the flood.
And it's told far and wide that stretched out by his side/ Was his track mate the old cockatoo
When he was found, the cockatoo was laying dead next to him.
Writer(s): David Gordon Kirkpatrick, William Llewelyn Ryland
Contributed by Abigail J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@joeturner3098
I am sure I heard this song back in the early. Sixty
@jessesands4099
Marvellous Song "Mad Jack's Cockatoo"! First Heard about 10 or 11 Years Ago on the Slim Dusty Album "Beer Drinking Songs Of Australia"!😀🤠🎙️🎸🎼🎵🎶🐦🍺🍻🏚️🇦🇺
@Honeymonstercxix
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mad Jacks Cockatoo
From: GUEST,Mary Ryland - PM
Date: 11 Jul 16 - 09:10 AM
The lyrics to Mad Jack's Cockatoo were in fact written by my father Bill Ryland. He wrote the poem and it was published under the pen name of Bushie a Bill. It was found and recorded by Slim Dusty. My dad heard it on the radio and was able to establish authorship. He subsequently wrote a couple of other songs for Slim Dusty.