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.
Three Hundred Horses
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Three hundred horses wearing Cummins brand
Harnessed up in the dawns early glow,
Three hundred horses are rearing to go
Three hundred horses all sleek and grand,
Three hundred horses are in my command
Theyre right for water; theyre all well shod,
Oh the load is heavy, the load is high,
The tarps are on for keeping it dry
there's over a hundred bales of wool,
And three hundred horses awaitin to pull
Three hundred horses patiently stand,
Three hundred horses wearing Cummins brand
Harnessed up in the dawns early glow,
Three hundred horses are rearing to go
Eastward the sun is raisin his head,
I've been up early and been well fed
The controls are in my two firm fists,
Three hundred horses are champing their bits
I'm out on the road out where I belong,
My mind is at ease, in my heart is a song
For a week long trip I've got all I need,
And three hundred horses gathering speed
Through the land of the free, the land that I love,
The land with the southern cross up above
Through the land of the sun and the wide open spaces,
Three hundred horses shoulder the traces
Hey three hundred horses patiently stand,
Three hundred horses wearing Cummins brand
From the tropical north to the southern snow,
Three hundred horses just see me go
Yeah three hundred horses patiently stand,
Three hundred horses wearing Cummins brand
Harnessed up in the dawns early glow,
Three hundred horses rearing to go
Three hundred horses patiently stand,
Three hundred horses wearing Cummins brand
Harnessed up in the dawns early glow,
Three hundred horses rearing to go
In Slim Dusty's song "Three Hundred Horses", the singer talks about a group of 300 horses that he's in charge of. The horses are all ready to go and eager to start their journey. As the singer describes the situation, it becomes clear that he's in charge of a big load of wool that needs to be transported. The tarps are on to keep everything dry, and there are over a hundred bales of wool to be carried. The horses are all harnessed up and ready to go, but they're patiently waiting for the foreman to give the go-ahead. The load is heavy and the load is high, but the singer is confident that they'll make the trip successfully.
As the sun rises and the journey begins, the singer feels at home on the road with his three hundred horses. He's got everything he needs for the week-long trip, and he's ready to head through the land that he loves. The horses shoulder the load and the traces as they travel through the wide open spaces of the land of the free. The southern cross is above them as they journey from the tropical north to the southern snow.
The song is a tribute to the hard-working men and women who make their living in the tough world of the Australian outback. It's a song about the power of working together and the determination to get the job done no matter what the obstacles may be.
Line by Line Meaning
Three hundred horses patiently stand,
Three hundred horses are standing calmly and waiting for their next orders.
Three hundred horses wearing Cummins brand
All of the horses are branded with the Cummins logo.
Harnessed up in the dawns early glow,
The horses are already wearing their harnesses and it's early in the morning.
Three hundred horses are rearing to go
The horses are excited and ready to run.
Three hundred horses all sleek and grand,
All of the horses are in great shape and look impressive.
Three hundred horses are in my command
The singer controls all of the horses.
Theyre right for water; theyre all well shod,
The horses have already had water and have good shoes on their hoofs.
Just waitin for the foreman to give me the nod
The artist is waiting for the go-ahead from the foreman to start working.
Oh the load is heavy, the load is high,
The artist is carrying a big and heavy load on their trip.
The tarps are on for keeping it dry
The load is protected from potential rain by tarps.
there's over a hundred bales of wool,
The load the singer is carrying contains a large amount of wool.
And three hundred horses awaitin to pull
The horses are waiting to pull the heavy load the artist is carrying.
Eastward the sun is raisin his head,
The sun is rising in the east.
I've been up early and been well fed
The singer woke up early and ate well before starting their trip.
The controls are in my two firm fists,
The singer has complete control over the reins in their fist.
Three hundred horses are champing their bits
The horses are eagerly biting on their bits in anticipation of the run.
I'm out on the road out where I belong,
The artist feels at home on the open road.
My mind is at ease, in my heart is a song
The singer is content and has a song in their heart.
For a week long trip I've got all I need,
The singer is well-prepared for their week-long journey.
And three hundred horses gathering speed
The horses are picking up speed and gaining momentum.
Through the land of the free, the land that I love,
The artist is traveling through a land of freedom that they hold dear.
The land with the southern cross up above
The southern cross constellation is visible in the sky above.
Through the land of the sun and the wide open spaces,
The singer is traveling through sunny and spacious terrain.
Three hundred horses shoulder the traces
The horses are shouldering the weight of the load they are carrying.
Hey three hundred horses patiently stand,
The horses are still waiting patiently.
From the tropical north to the southern snow,
The singer is traveling from a tropical area to a snowy area.
Three hundred horses just see me go
The horses are watching and following the singer as they run.
Yeah three hundred horses patiently stand,
The horses are still waiting calmly.
Harnessed up in the dawns early glow,
The horses are still in their harnesses in the early morning.
Three hundred horses rearing to go
The horses are still excited and eager to run.
Contributed by Harper Y. 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