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.
The Mad Cook
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though I knew that something had occurred to give our cook a start
He shivered like a dingo that had took a poisoned bait
Cursed heaven earth and angels all the souls in hell and fate
Then shis fist and muttered tore his hair and scratched his head
He stamped his feet and shouted someone's doped the flamin' bread
For a little while he pondered then he started off again
Yes our cook was in a rage it seemed for what I did not know
What him so cantankerous and gave him such a blow
But I knew I'd better watch it if he came to close to me
Oh this would be ended and this song would never be
Next he took a sidestep and careered around the packs
Sort of doubled up with pain and grabbed the flamin' axe
He turned upon the horse tailer who bolted like a shot
And consigned the whole damn outfit to the regions that are hot
Next he talked of mongrels and deadbeats that he knew
His curses gettin‘ close to home as round the packs he flew
His rage was so tremendous I'd thought he'd bust a vein
For he really now convinced me that he truly was insane, hey!
Yes our cook was in a rage it seemed but what I did not know
What him so cantankerous and gave him such a blow
But I knew I'd better watch it if he came to close to me
Oh this would be ended and this song would never be
He ran around the campfire then kicked the billy can
He must have hurt his toe because he limped now as he ran
And this calmed him down a little bit and brought him to a halt
But he scattered all the pepper out and threw away the salt
All the flour in the pack bags was emptied out as well
Then he collapsed unconscious and lay down where he fell
Oh he wasn't a bad old chap at heart and harmful not the least
Oh the trouble was he'd set the bread and forgot the flamin' yeast
Yes our cook was in a rage it seemed but what I did not know
What him so cantankerous and gave him such a blow
But I knew I'd better watch it if he came to close to me
Oh this would be ended and this song would never be
Slim Dusty's song "The Mad Cook" is a humorous anecdote about a cook in a stock camp who becomes irate after realizing that his bread has not risen due to forgetting to add yeast. The singer describes the cook's increasingly erratic behavior which includes shivering, cursing, stomping, shouting, grabbing an axe, scattering pepper, throwing away salt, and collapsing unconscious. The cook's frustration eventually leads him to blame mongrels and deadbeats, and the entire camp is consigned to hell. The singer admits that he is unsure what caused the cook's sudden anger but knows to keep his distance. The song's playful melody and comical lyrics make it a lighthearted commentary on the perils of cooking in difficult conditions.
Line by Line Meaning
The old time cooks of stock camps they take their jobs to heart
The cooks in the stock camps are very serious about their jobs
Though I knew that something had occurred to give our cook a start
The singer senses that something has happened to upset the cook
He shivered like a dingo that had took a poisoned bait
The cook is trembling with fear and anger, like a poisoned dingo
Cursed heaven earth and angels all the souls in hell and fate
The cook is angry and cursing everything and everyone, including heaven, earth, angels, and the afterlife
Then shis fist and muttered tore his hair and scratched his head
The cook is so upset that he is clenching his fists, muttering to himself, and pulling his hair
He stamped his feet and shouted someone's doped the flamin' bread
The cook accuses someone of drugging the bread and is yelling and stomping his feet
For a little while he pondered then he started off again
The cook takes a moment to think, but quickly returns to ranting and raving
And I sat and thought in silence if the poor old chap was sane
The artist wonders if the cook is mentally stable, while quietly observing him
Yes our cook was in a rage it seemed for what I did not know
The cook is very angry, but the artist doesn't know what's causing it
What him so cantankerous and gave him such a blow
The artist speculates on what has caused the cook's anger and outburst
But I knew I'd better watch it if he came to close to me
The singer is wary of the cook and afraid of getting too close
Next he took a sidestep and careered around the packs
The cook moves around erratically, dodging the supplies
Sort of doubled up with pain and grabbed the flamin' axe
The cook is in so much agony he doubles over and grabs an axe
He turned upon the horse tailer who bolted like a shot
The cook directs his anger toward the horse trailer, and the person who was tending to it runs away
And consigned the whole damn outfit to the regions that are hot
The cook curses the entire group and wishes them ill
Next he talked of mongrels and deadbeats that he knew
The cook starts ranting about people he thinks are worthless or bad
His curses getting close to home as round the packs he flew
The cook's insults start sounding more and more personal as he continues moving around the supplies
His rage was so tremendous I'd thought he'd bust a vein
The cook is so furious that the singer worries he might have a heart attack or stroke
He ran around the campfire then kicked the billy can
The cook runs around the fire and kicks over the pot
He must have hurt his toe because he limped now as he ran
The cook hurt his foot while kicking the can and is now limping
And this calmed him down a little bit and brought him to a halt
Kicking the can seems to tire the cook out and calm him down
But he scattered all the pepper out and threw away the salt
The cook still has some anger left and throws seasoning everywhere
All the flour in the pack bags was emptied out as well
The cook makes a mess by emptying out the bags of flour
Then he collapsed unconscious and lay down where he fell
The cook passes out and falls to the ground
Oh he wasn't a bad old chap at heart and harmful not the least
Despite his outburst, the cook is actually a good person who means no harm
Oh the trouble was he'd set the bread and forgot the flamin' yeast
The reason for the cook's anger was that he forgot to add yeast to the bread dough
Contributed by Eva K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marlenesullivan3113
ANOTHER GEM OF A SONG 🎸
@robcowles3632
love love it I met a cook matching this guy -but the tucker was always tasty when
your hunhrey
@stuartskelly8521
rob cowles
@CreeceSlimdusty
Hay
@CreeceSlimdusty
Slim dusty is the best thing ever
@vincentmillwood
The mad cook by slim dusty rip mate
@James-yx1bh
🕊😇🕊
@goldenhawk952
happy fun song