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.
Stringybark And Greenhide
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the big trucks cross the nation night and day
While satellites bring TV to the homesteads in the bush
And the limousines replace the horse and dray
But our pioneering fathers had no comforts such as these
They faced hardship with their women by their side
With no wire or nails to help them in the vastness of the bush
And the cattle walked to market on the stock routes of the west
And a man was judged by the way he used to ride
And the Afghans with their camels were the road trains of the bush
They built a nation out of stringy and greenhide
Hey
And with stringybark and mud daub they built the old bark hut
And the shantys on the roadside by the way
Oh they cleared the land and felled the trees with crosscut and the axe
And with greenhide whip the bullocky held sway
Oh they took their mobs of cattle and their spreading flocks of sheep
And no mountain range or desert held them back
Oh the battled thirst and heat in their bid to tame this land
And the silent watchful ever stalking black
And the cattle walked to market on the stock routes of the west
And a man was judged by the way he used to ride
And the Afghans with their camels were the road trains of the bush
They built a nation out of stringy and greenhide
Hey
When no barbed wire bound the wide domains of the western cattle runs
And the men were as wild as the land they used to roam
Oh the greenhide rope and bridle were the stockmen's tools of trade
And a stringybark bush shelter was their home
And when fine young men rode walers off to fight their countries war
And made history with their suffering and their pain
Oh they wrote the name Australia in the headlines of the world
Will this country ever see their likes again?
In Slim Dusty's song "Stringybark and Greenhide," he expresses the tough and rugged lifestyle of the pioneering fathers and their women who lived in the Australian bush. He remarks on the advancement in technology and transportation in the present day that have replaced the humble horse and dray and the once-present camels of the Afghans. They built stockyards and clearings with no wire or nails, only lancewood and greenhide, and with cross-cuts and axes, they felled trees and built bark huts on the roadside. The men were judged by how they rode the cattle to market and how they fought to tame the land, while facing hardships such as thirst, heat, and the ever-stalking aborigines.
The chorus speaks of the contribution of the Afghans who with their camels, were the road trains of the bush, and with the stringy and greenhide, built a nation they called home. In the final verse, Slim Dusty reminisces about the times of the wild-west where no barbed wire was present, and the greenhide rope and bridle were the stockmen's tools of trade. The fine young men who rode walers off to fight their countries war would go down in history with their pain and suffering, making world headlines and writing the name of Australia forever. He ends the song on a poignant note, wondering if this country will ever see their likes again.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the aeroplanes go screaming across the blue skies overhead
Modern technology has enabled planes to fly quickly and loudly over the countryside.
And the big trucks cross the nation night and day
Large trucks can be seen traveling long distances every day.
While satellites bring TV to the homesteads in the bush
Satellites have made it possible for bush inhabitants to watch TV from their homes.
And the limousines replace the horse and dray
Luxury cars have replaced the traditional horse and dray.
But our pioneering fathers had no comforts such as these
The early settlers did not have access to the modern conveniences we have today.
They faced hardship with their women by their side
They endured difficult conditions together with their wives.
With no wire or nails to help them in the vastness of the bush
They built structures in the bush without the use of modern materials like wire or nails.
They built stockyards out of lancewood and greenhide
The pioneers built facilities for livestock out of materials easily found in the bush.
And the cattle walked to market on the stock routes of the west
Cattle were transported to market on designated routes in the western regions of the country.
And a man was judged by the way he used to ride
One's reputation was determined by their horsemanship.
And the Afghans with their camels were the road trains of the bush
Afghan immigrants and their camels played a major role in transporting goods throughout the bush.
They built a nation out of stringy and greenhide
Through their resourcefulness, pioneers built a thriving country using only what they had available to them.
And with stringybark and mud daub they built the old bark hut
Primitive shelters were constructed using materials such as stringybark and mud daub.
And the shantys on the roadside by the way
Small, temporary dwellings were erected alongside the road.
Oh they cleared the land and felled the trees with crosscut and the axe
Pioneers cleared the land by cutting down trees using tools like the crosscut saw and axe.
And with greenhide whip the bullocky held sway
Those who drove bullock carts controlled them with a greenhide whip.
Oh the battled thirst and heat in their bid to tame this land
They had to overcome obstacles like dehydration and extreme heat in their effort to settle the land.
And the silent watchful ever stalking black
The pioneers had to constantly be wary of the native population.
When no barbed wire bound the wide domains of the western cattle runs
Barbed wire was not used to enclose large areas where cattle roamed in the west.
And the men were as wild as the land they used to roam
The men were just as untamed as the land they inhabited.
Oh the greenhide rope and bridle were the stockmen's tools of trade
Tools like greenhide ropes and bridles were essential to those who tended to livestock.
And a stringybark bush shelter was their home
A simple structure made from stringybark trees served as their dwelling.
And when fine young men rode walers off to fight their countries war
Brave young men rode horses to fight for their country during times of war.
And made history with their suffering and their pain
Their hardships and sacrifices were instrumental in shaping the nation's history.
Oh they wrote the name Australia in the headlines of the world
Their valorous actions captured the attention of the world and put Australia on the map.
Will this country ever see their likes again?
It is uncertain whether Australia will see people with the same level of bravery and determination as those early pioneers ever again.
Contributed by Nathaniel K. 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