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.
Trucks On The Track
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The yokes, chains and swingbars have gone out of date.
Just look at the dust clouds and smoke trailing back
Where once we pulled wagons, there's trucks on the track.
Trucks on the track.
There's seldom a bush road that's not felt the trail,
Of some big prime mover that leave us for dead.
And our ticket for freedom, those trucks on the track.
Those broad smiling faces of the gear pushing men,
Is the trade mark of truckies that I recall when.
The face of the teamster turned purple and black.
With rage but he'd welcome these trucks on the track.
The draught horse replied as he shook his old mane,
Those days I've no yearning to see them again.
Old whips made of green hide that stung ribs and back,
Hang idle because of those trucks on the track.
Trucks on the track.
Instrumental
So just let us nibble this young tender grass.
We're both pensioned off and are silver and brass.
Way back though the ages a man hunt his pack,
Now they haul half the World those trucks on the track.
So spray out the bull dust the trucks must get through.
There's someone out back mate 'pending on you.
A yard of prime cattle, or a wool clip to stack.
The kings of the road, those trucks on the track.
Trucks on the track.
So just let us nibble this young tender grass.
We're both pensioned off and are silver and brass.
Way back though the ages a man hunt his pack,
Now they haul half the World those trucks on the track.
So spray out the bull dust the trucks must get through.
There's someone out back mate 'pending on you.
A yard of prime cattle, or a wool clip to stack.
The kings of the road, those trucks on the track.
The song "Trucks On The Track" by Slim Dusty is an ode to the changing times and the arrival of technology. It tells the story of an old working bullock who is amazed to see the modern trucks taking over the roads and trails that they once traveled on. The bullock muses on how the yokes, chains, and swingbars that they used to use are now outdated, and how the trucks leave them far behind in terms of speed and efficiency. He marvels at the dust clouds and smoke that follow the trucks, and notes how they can haul so much more cargo than he and his mate ever could.
The bullock's mate, a draught horse, listens carefully and responds with a different perspective. He's happy to be retired and grazing on young tender grass instead of working. He recollects the days when teamsters would use green hide whips that stung ribs and backs, and how the trucks have made those days a thing of the past. The song concludes with a tribute to the truckies who keep the country moving, hauling everything from cattle and wool to produce and goods from one end of the world to the other.
Overall, the song is a wistful reflection on the passing of an era and the arrival of a new one. It speaks to the way that technology has revolutionized transportation and changed the way we move goods and people from one place to another. But it also recognizes the hard work and skill of the truckies who keep the wheels turning, and reminds us that progress always comes at a cost.
Line by Line Meaning
Said the old working bullock to the draught horses mate
A working bullock talks to a draught horse about the changing times.
The yokes, chains and swingbars have gone out of date.
Traditional methods of transportation have been replaced.
Just look at the dust clouds and smoke trailing back
Trucks on the track stir up dust and exhaust as they move.
Where once we pulled wagons, there's trucks on the track.
Wagons no longer dominate the roads, as trucks have become more prevalent.
Trucks on the track.
As a chorus, this line refers to the omnipresence of trucks on the roads.
There's seldom a bush road that's not felt the trail,
Almost every road has had a truck on it at some point.
Of some big prime mover that leave us for dead.
The power of modern trucks dwarfs what has come before.
Stiff shouldered and foot-sore our chains never slack
Traditional methods of transportation required much hard work from the animals involved.
And our ticket for freedom, those trucks on the track.
Trucks have improved the speed and efficiency of transportation.
Those broad smiling faces of the gear pushing men,
Truck drivers are often seen as cheerful and hard-working.
Is the trade mark of truckies that I recall when.
This is Slim Dusty reminiscing about truck drivers he knows.
The face of the teamster turned purple and black.
Older methods of transportation were arduous and tiring for the people involved.
With rage but he'd welcome these trucks on the track.
Despite the difficulty of the past, drivers would welcome the easier transportation of trucks.
The draught horse replied as he shook his old mane,
The draught horse, who remembers the past, responds to the working bullock.
Those days I've no yearning to see them again.
The draught horse is content to be out of the difficult, old-fashioned transportation business.
Old whips made of green hide that stung ribs and back,
The equipment and methods of traditional transportation could be cruel to the animals involved.
Hang idle because of those trucks on the track.
The power of modern trucks make old transportation methods obsolete.
Instrumental
The song becomes instrumental at this point.
So just let us nibble this young tender grass.
The working bullock and draught horse are now retired and enjoying a peaceful life.
We're both pensioned off and are silver and brass.
The animals are old and are no longer capable of working hard labor.
Way back though the ages a man hunt his pack,
Transportation has come a long way from hunting with packs to modern trucks.
Now they haul half the World those trucks on the track.
Trucks are now responsible for a large amount of transportation across the world.
So spray out the bull dust the trucks must get through.
Dirt and debris must be cleared from the roadways for trucks to pass safely.
There's someone out back mate 'pending on you.
The goods being transported by truck are important to someone, and need to be delivered.
A yard of prime cattle, or a wool clip to stack.
Examples of valuable goods that may be transported by truck.
The kings of the road, those trucks on the track.
A line repeated to emphasize the dominance of trucks on the modern roadways.
Trucks on the track.
The chorus is repeated as a reminder of the prevalence of trucks in modern times.
Contributed by Jackson I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@saltydog3714
Great song....Slim Dusty does it up right...
@achelan
so do i, my dad's a truck driver atm and im always hope the best for him.
@TheKaylaAmy
this is my grandads song R.I.P grandad<3 i love you so much and R.I.P Slim Dusty <3
@AbeniSisterSnake
Slim's Truck Tune= Terrific.
@450hp202turbo
I meet this old fella oh he must be 80 yeras old . mack flew him and his wife to the states ,and showed him around the mack truck factory flew him around in a black mack chopper , and gave him a golden bull dog mack and lots of others suff ..he had never owned a mack tuck in his life time of diving trucks. but he had clocked up the most amount of miles driving mack tucks down under. so they gave him a free trip tour of the factory. he is in the truckers hall of fame at alice as well
@malachiwex4622
Know his name?
@jefframblerman8268
Fantastic picture collection also. On my bucket list.. travel across the outback in a roadtrain..
@josefinaSandenportugal
nice semis you got there mate. we don´t have those semis in sweden. i´we always wanted to go to down under. looks like a nice country. 5/5 stars
@jefframblerman8268
Great song.
@MackvsKenworth
oh becky, im so sorry to hear about your father, when you start driving trucks he will be up there looking down at you smiling proudly that you followed his footsteps in driving trucks, i hope all goes well.