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.
Old Riders In The Grandstand
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With my walking stick beside me as I watch the scene below
There are youngon's ridin' outlaws as I did when young and free
And I wonder are there many old ex-riders here like me
The horses they are ridin' couldn't buck to save their hide
Oh I'd like to see these youngon's on the ones I used to ride
I've used the likes of spinifex for a night horse on the run
And brahma bulls like Wadgerra, we rode them just for fun
And the halter shanks are silky so as not to hurt your skin
We rode in flattened? Poleans? In the days of long ago
And could have rolled a smoke aboard the likes of Curio
The steers they use for doggin' are no bigger than a calf
And the time they take to throw them make us old timers laugh
We used to scrub big Mickey's twice the size in cattle yards
Oh but that was many years ago way back when times were hard
These youngon's dress so lairy in their fancy cowboy suits
We used to ride in moleskins and a pair of Bluecha boots
But all our glory's vanished, we're forgotten men, it seems
Old riders in the grandstand alone with all our dreams
The lyrics of Slim Dusty's song Old Riders In The Grandstand are a reflection on the past and the present. The singer is seated in the grandstand at a big-time rodeo, watching the young riders below. He has his walking stick beside him, a symbol of his age and experience. He sees the young riders riding outlaws just as he did when he was young and free. However, he wonders if there are many old ex-riders like him in the grandstand.
He is critical of the modern rodeo scene, feeling that the horses they are riding are nothing compared to the ones he used to ride. He remembers using spinifex for a night horse on the run and brahma bulls like Wadgerra, just for fun. He contrasts the modern saddles, which are designed to hold you in, with the old flattened poleans they used to use. The halter shanks are silky and gentle now, unlike the old harsh ones they used to use. He reminisces about the old days when they could have rolled a smoke aboard the likes of Curio.
The singer laments that all their glory has vanished and they are forgotten men, left alone in the grandstand with all their dreams. The song captures a sense of nostalgia for the old ways and a suspicion that the modern world has lost touch with the traditions of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm seated in the grandstand at a big-time rodeo
I am watching a rodeo from the stands
With my walking stick beside me as I watch the scene below
I have my cane with me as I observe the rodeo
There are youngon's ridin' outlaws as I did when young and free
There are young riders on wild horses, just like I used to do when I was young and carefree
And I wonder are there many old ex-riders here like me
I wonder if there are many other retired cowboys like me in the crowd
The horses they are ridin' couldn't buck to save their hide
The horses they are riding are not very wild and couldn't throw off their riders if they tried
Oh I'd like to see these youngon's on the ones I used to ride
I would like to see these young riders try to stay on the wild horses I used to ride
I've used the likes of spinifex for a night horse on the run
I have ridden horses like Spinifex during night runs
And brahma bulls like Wadgerra, we rode them just for fun
We used to ride Brahma bulls like Wadgerra just for fun
The saddles they are using are designed to hold you in
The saddles they use nowadays are made to keep you secure on the horse
And the halter shanks are silky so as not to hurt your skin
The ropes they use to steer the horses now are soft and won't hurt your skin
We rode in flattened? Poleans? In the days of long ago
We used to ride in flat saddle pads called Poleans long ago
And could have rolled a smoke aboard the likes of Curio
We used to be able to roll a cigarette while riding a wild horse like Curio
The steers they use for doggin' are no bigger than a calf
The livestock they use for steer wrestling are small and no bigger than a calf
And the time they take to throw them make us old timers laugh
We find it amusing that the young riders take so long to wrestle the steers down
We used to scrub big Mickey's twice the size in cattle yards
We used to have to clean larger steers like Big Mickey in cattle yards
Oh but that was many years ago way back when times were hard
But that was a long time ago, during tougher times
These youngon's dress so lairy in their fancy cowboy suits
The young riders wear flashy cowboy outfits
We used to ride in moleskins and a pair of Bluecha boots
We used to wear simple moleskin pants and Bluecha boots while riding
But all our glory's vanished, we're forgotten men, it seems
It seems like our glory days are gone and we have been forgotten
Old riders in the grandstand alone with all our dreams
Retired cowboys sitting in the stands, reminiscing about the past
Contributed by Alyssa N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@henningolesen2506
great song !!
@norbeere100
thanks for youré comment : Also spare ,The big Roadliner . if you like ?go to see it please . greetings and stay well !
@henningolesen2506
@@norbeere100 thank you !! did you mean Slim Dusty with "Roadliner" ?
@henningolesen2506
@@norbeere100 I found it - thanks
@henningolesen2506
@@norbeere100 it was a great song
@henningolesen2506
@@norbeere100 I saw it -and liked it
@kevinperks4458
Written by the master Stan Coster.
@norbeere100
Danke für deinen Kommentar. It is from an old vinyl. Hope you enjoy. Greetings from greece
@norbeere100
Also a spare one. Go to See my big roadliner please