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.
Pay Day At The Pub
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's go down to the local and mingle with the mob
You'll meet the dinkum Aussies, rough and ready as they are
With hard faces brown as leather, lined up around the bar
Someone is sure to greet you, you chaps I'm glad to see
Come on you pair of somethings, and have a drink with me
While the barmaid juggles glasses and the boss works with a will
For he loves to hear the rattle of the silver in the till
And I'm sure he'd never hear you if you ask him for a drink
Oh the barrels that are heavy will be light ones very soon
When the brumbies come to water on a pay day afternoon
Now the world is such a great place, everyone is doing well
And strange it is to listen to the stories that they tell
Some are ridin' buckin' brumbies, some are up north in the cane
Some are growling at the weather and are wishing it would rain
And there's old Jimmy Wooter in the corner by himself
Telling stories to the bottles that are standing on the shelf
Oh he once was high and mighty though forlorn he's looking now
In a hat that came from nowhere and a torn old Jackie Howe
Now the clock is moving onwards, the lightweights have their fill
But those with more horse power are staying with it still
Some have already had it and are layed out in a swoon
They'll be grumpy when they wake up on a pay day afternoon
Hear the hen-pecked hubbies saying what will become of me
For I told my little woman that I'd hurry home to tea
She's going to play old Harry and whale like one bereft
When she digs into my pockets and she finds there's little left
But if he uses a bit of blarney she'll forgive
Slim Dusty's "Pay Day At The Pub" is a classic drinking song about the joys of receiving a paycheck and heading down to the local pub for some drinks with rough and ready Aussie friends. The lyrics detail the scene at the pub, with the barmaid hustling to serve drinks and the boss counting the money in the till. The patrons are a mix of working-class Aussies, some of whom are drinking away the day while others regale each other with stories about their lives, riding bucking brumbies, working up north in the cane fields, or wishing for rain.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the weary week has ended, it's pay day on the job
After a long week of work, it's finally payday and time to spend some hard-earned cash
Let's go down to the local and mingle with the mob
Let's head to the pub and socialize with the regulars
You'll meet the dinkum Aussies, rough and ready as they are
You'll encounter true blue Australians who are tough and rugged
With hard faces brown as leather, lined up around the bar
These Aussies have weathered many storms and their faces show it
Someone is sure to greet you, you chaps I'm glad to see
You're bound to be welcomed by someone happy to see you
Come on you pair of somethings, and have a drink with me
Let's enjoy each other's company over a cold beer
While the barmaid juggles glasses and the boss works with a will
The barmaid is busy serving drinks while the owner is working hard to make money
For he loves to hear the rattle of the silver in the till
The owner takes pleasure in the sound of money being made
Now the rousabout is busy, he hasn't time to think
The laborer is working hard and has no time to relax
And I'm sure he'd never hear you if you ask him for a drink
The laborer is so busy he wouldn't even hear a request for a drink
Oh the barrels that are heavy will be light ones very soon
People will soon be drinking enough to make the previously heavy barrels much lighter
When the brumbies come to water on a pay day afternoon
This is a metaphor for people coming to the pub for a drink on payday afternoon
Now the world is such a great place, everyone is doing well
The atmosphere in the pub is cheerful and everyone is happy
And strange it is to listen to the stories that they tell
It's interesting to hear the stories people share in the pub
Some are ridin' buckin' brumbies, some are up north in the cane
Some patrons have exciting lives, such as riding wild horses or working in sugarcane fields
Some are growling at the weather and are wishing it would rain
Others are complaining about the weather and hoping for rain
And there's old Jimmy Wooter in the corner by himself
There's an old man named Jimmy sitting alone in the corner
Telling stories to the bottles that are standing on the shelf
Jimmy is talking to the liquor bottles as if they were his drinking buddies
Oh he once was high and mighty though forlorn he's looking now
Jimmy was once proud and successful, but now he looks sad and defeated
In a hat that came from nowhere and a torn old Jackie Howe
He's wearing a hat and clothes that are old and worn out
Now the clock is moving onwards, the lightweights have their fill
Time is passing and those who can't hold their liquor have already had enough
But those with more horse power are staying with it still
Those who can handle their alcohol are still drinking
Some have already had it and are layed out in a swoon
Some patrons have already passed out from drinking too much
They'll be grumpy when they wake up on a pay day afternoon
These patrons will be unhappy when they realize they wasted their money on drinks and can't remember anything from the previous night
Hear the hen-pecked hubbies saying what will become of me
Husbands who are controlled by their wives are worried about how they will explain their drunkenness when they get home
For I told my little woman that I'd hurry home to tea
These husbands promised their wives they would come home early, but are still drinking at the pub
She's going to play old Harry and whale like one bereft
Their wives will be angry and will cry
When she digs into my pockets and she finds there's little left
The wives will also be upset when they see their husbands spent most of their paychecks at the pub
But if he uses a bit of blarney she'll forgive
If the husband can come up with a good excuse, the wife might forgive him
Contributed by Layla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
D N
A good one
Jesse Sands
Especially love that final line " When you've sunk a dozen you can climb up to the moon or walk to Booroloola on a Friday Afternoon"!π¦πΊπ
Jesse Sands
Sorry I Mean Pay Day Afternoon!π€π°π΅πΈπ¦πΊ
Jesse Sands
My favorite Slim Dusty's song! The Penultimate Aussie drinking songπ¦πΊπΈποΈπΌ
PG S
There was no one like slim
Edward Pootchemunka
on my payday I'm always at the pub cheers mate?