Slim Dusty

In 1951, he married Joy McKean, who was also a country singer and songwriter. The couple led their musical journey together for decades, and were blessed with two children, daughter Anne, born in 1952 and son David, born in 1958, both of whom are gifted singers and songwriters.

He died on September 19, 2003, in his St Ives, New South Wales, home after fighting a long battle with kidney and lung cancer.

He was given a state funeral at the’ St Andrew's Cathedral’ in Sydney which was attended by prominent personalities including the then Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, leader of federal opposition, Simon Crean apart from family, friends, statesman, musicians and thousands of fans.

He was born on June 13, 1927 in Nulla Nulla Creek, New South Wales, in the family of a cattle farmer and amateur musician, 'Noisy Dan’.

His father introduced him to music and at ten he wrote his first song, ‘The Way The Cowboy Dies’. The very next year he adopted ‘Slim Dusty’ as his stage name and after a while started performing regularly on local radio along with childhood friend Shorty Ranger (Edwin Haberfield).

He was an enthusiast of country music and was inspired by works of Buddy Williams, Tex Morton and Jimmie Rodgers.

Around 1942, his father organised an audition for him at Sydney’s ‘Columbia Records’. Though two songs were recorded but they failed to strike a chord with music lovers.

He and Ranger began touring along with tent show groups till 1945 when Dusty had to return home following the sudden demise of his father. He started taking care of the family farm but still nurtured the dream of taking forward his musical career.

He married Joy McKean, a singer and songwriter, who became his lifelong partner both in music and in personal life. She remained his manager for over five decades and penned down many of his hit songs including ‘Indian Pacific’, ‘The Biggest Disappointment’, ‘The Angel of Goulburn Hill’, Kelly's Offsider’ and Walk A Country Mile’.

Even though a skilled songwriter himself, he sung songs of many other writers including Gordon Parsons, Kelly Dixon, Stan Coster and Mack Cormack. Apart from these, Dusty had also recorded poems in new tunes by prominent Australian poets, Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson.

In 1954, Dusty and McKean launched his first travelling show, the ‘Slim Dusty Travelling show’.

He and showman Frankie Foster set up a partnership in 1956 and started touring as a big tent show. The partnership, however, ended in 1963.

Albeit huge sales of records, country music took a back stage as rock and roll arrived with leading urban music stations mostly airing the new entrant. As a result post 1950s, Dusty’s songs were also heard rarely in urban stations.

In 1957 he recorded his most remarkable song, ‘A Pub with no Beer’ that soon charted as the best-selling record by an Australian singer. The song was the first Australian single that went gold and remained the sole 78rpm record that won a gold disc. The Dutch and German cover versions of the song that were released by Flemish country singer Bobbejaan Schoepen in 1959 and 1960 emerged as number one hit song in Germany, Belgium and Austria.