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.
Tonight the Woolshed Swings
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the squatters in an awful state he thinks his sheep might drown
we've oiled out tongs and cutters up so the rust can't get our things
And were gonna make the best of it for tonight the woolshed swings
Oh the squatters daughters have snuck out to keep us company
And to show us all the disco steps for our corroboree
Old Bart beats on a kero tin while Dan the presser sings
Oh they may not be a symphony but tonight the woolshed swings
The old man tells the learners of the tallies he has shore
The rousie and the jackaroo are fightin in the wings
And we've got our share of stubbies so tonight the woolshed swings
I'll say that
Oh the rain is beating on the roof old Dan is spruiking strong
And the cooks into the rum bottle and bursting into song
And no one gives a damn right now just what tomorrow brings
Oh there's bound to be some achin heads but tonight the woolshed swings
Now time is pressin onwards and the cook has just passed out
And the learners and the Jackaroo just shore the roustabout
The floor show came to a sudden halt when the squatters wife marched in
Now the girls are marchin out the door but still the woolshed swings
And the ringers got an old ram stag he's a waltzin round the floor
The old man tells the learners of the tallies he has shore
The rousie and the jackaroo are fightin in the wings
And we've got our share of stubbies but tonight the woolshed swings
Oh the ringer and the old ram stag have just fell down the chute
And the rousies sportin shiners and one of thems a beaut
The squatters lookin for the fool who let the woollies out
Ah tomorrow therell be hell to pay but tonight it's fun no doubt
Yeah no one gives a damn right now just what tomorrow brings
The boss might even sack us all but tonight the woolshed swings
Play it there Phil
[From the The Heritage Album 1988
Barcoo Bill]
The song "Tonight the Woolshed Swings" by Slim Dusty tells the story of a group of shearers who are stuck in a woolshed due to flooding, unable to get into town. They make the best out of the situation by throwing a party where they drink and dance to the beat of the kero tin played by Old Bart. They are also taught some disco steps by the squatter's daughters.
While some of the shearers are busy getting drunk and partying, others are shoring rams and fighting in the wings. The woolshed swings with life and excitement, and no one cares about what tomorrow brings. However, their party comes to an abrupt end when the squatter's wife marches in, causing the girls to march out the door. Despite this, the party goes on, and the shearers continue to drink and dance. They know that tomorrow there will be hell to pay, but for now, they are having the time of their lives.
Overall, the song is about making the best out of a bad situation, living in the moment, and enjoying life despite the consequences that may come tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the floods have cut the main road off we can't get into town
Due to the flooding, we are stranded here and can't go to town
And the squatters in an awful state he thinks his sheep might drown
The landowner is worried about the safety of his sheep and is in a bad mood
we've oiled out tongs and cutters up so the rust can't get our things
To prevent rust from damaging our tools, we have oiled them up
And were gonna make the best of it for tonight the woolshed swings
Despite the unfavorable circumstances, we will enjoy ourselves tonight in the woolshed
Oh the squatters daughters have snuck out to keep us company
The landowner's daughters have secretly come to spend time with us
And to show us all the disco steps for our corroboree
They are teaching us some disco moves for our dance party
Old Bart beats on a kero tin while Dan the presser sings
Bart is playing a kerosene tin while Dan is singing
Oh they may not be a symphony but tonight the woolshed swings
Though it may not be a professional performance, the atmosphere in the woolshed is lively and enjoyable
The ringers got an old ram stag he's a waltzin round the floor
One of the cowboys is dancing with an old ram on the dance floor
The old man tells the learners of the tallies he has shore
The experienced man is telling the newer employees about his sheep shearing records
The rousie and the jackaroo are fightin in the wings
Two workers are fighting backstage
And we've got our share of stubbies so tonight the woolshed swings
We have enough beer to enjoy ourselves tonight
Oh the rain is beating on the roof old Dan is spruiking strong
It's raining heavily outside and Dan is speaking loudly
And the cooks into the rum bottle and bursting into song
The cook is drinking rum and singing loudly
And no one gives a damn right now just what tomorrow brings
No one is concerned about tomorrow's consequences, and is enjoying the moment
Now time is pressin onwards and the cook has just passed out
As time passes, the cook has just become unconscious
And the learners and the Jackaroo just shore the roustabout
The new employees and apprentice have just finished the task of shearing the unskilled worker
The floor show came to a sudden halt when the squatters wife marched in
The party vibe suddenly stopped when the landowner's wife came in
Now the girls are marchin out the door but still the woolshed swings
The women are leaving, but the party is still going on
Oh the ringer and the old ram stag have just fell down the chute
The cowboy and the old ram have just fallen down the sheep chute
And the rousies sportin shiners and one of thems a beaut
One of the fighting workers now has a black eye
The squatters lookin for the fool who let the woollies out
The landowner is searching for the person who let the sheep out
Ah tomorrow therell be hell to pay but tonight it's fun no doubt
Tomorrow there may be consequences, but for now, we're having a great time
Yeah no one gives a damn right now just what tomorrow brings
Everyone is living in the moment and not worried about what might happen tomorrow
The boss might even sack us all but tonight the woolshed swings
The boss may fire all of us tomorrow, but tonight we're enjoying ourselves in the woolshed
Play it there Phil
This is an instruction for Phil to continue playing music
Contributed by Jordyn J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JordanSF1
Playing it today to him
Warren Hennessy
he willwill we ever see the day when television has a day for slims and joys day of music what a ledgen of australian bush ballards and alltypes of song saddly missed music he sang keeps him alive in sprit slim will be in heaven god bless to the family and people who love slim and the familys music warren and ingrid melbourne aussie land
JordanSF1
Mine and Cameron’s fav song
EarlJohn61
About the only song I know of that includes the word 'Corroberee'