麻豆APP

Slim Dusty with Golden Guitar. Next to the big guitar. Photo unattributed –

Top 10 Amazing Facts of Slim Dusty

Slim Dusty, AO MBE is an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country’s most awarded stars, with a career spanning nearly seven decades and producing numerous recordings.

1. Slim Dusty鈥檚 early life was in Nulla Nulla near Kempsey

1870 – Homewood – Childhood Home of ‘Slim Dusty’. Homewood, Bellbrook. Photo unattributed –

Slim Dusty was born on 13th June 1927 as born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; inNew South Wales, Australia. He was born in a little country town, called Nulla Nulla, which is near Kempsey. 

Kempsey is a town in the Mid-North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, and is the council seat for Kempsey Shire. It is located roughly 16.5 kilometers inland from the coast of the Pacific Ocean, on the Macleay Valley Way near where the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line cross the Macleay River.

2. He was known by his middle name, Gordon

1870 – Homewood – Childhood Home of ‘Slim Dusty’. Homewood, Bellbrook. Photo unattributed –

Slim Dusty, who was known by his middle name, Gordon, was the son of a cattle farmer.

He was just ten years old when he wrote his first song, The Way the Cowboy Dies, and at just 11 years of age, he adopted his stage name, Slim Dusty.

3. Dusty released his first record when he was 19 years of age

Cunnamulla Fella. The statue of the “Cunnamulla Fella” erected as a tribute to songwriter, Stan Coster and singer, Slim Dusty. The Cunnamulla Shire hall is in the background. Photo by Cgoodwin –

It was 1945 when Slim Dusty released his first record, at 19 years of age. The following year, in 1946, he got his first recording contract with Columbia Graphophone.

In 1954, Slim Dusty went into a full-time show business career with his wife, Joy McKean. They started the Slim Dusty Travelling Show, which performed all over Australia.

4. He wrote numerous songs that became popular ballads

Lights on the Hill Memorial plaque. A memorial in remembrance of truck and coach drivers and other members of the transport industry who have lost their lives in accidents or in other ways. Named after “Lights on the Hill” an Australian country music hit song written by Joy McKean and made famous by her husband, Slim Dusty. Photo by JulieMay54 –

McKean wrote numerous songs that became popular ballads for Slim Dusty Some of these included, The Angel of Goulburn Hill, Walk a Country Mile, and Indian Pacific. McKean managed Dusty for over 50 years, in what would be an extraordinary partnership in both business and personal life.

With the advent of rock and roll music in the late 50s, leading into the 60s, country music was all but abandoned by commercial radio stations. This makes Dusty鈥檚 popularity even more extraordinary.

5. He used the services of other songwriters

A songwriter writing a song. Photo by Soundtrap on

Even though Slim Dusty was a very talented songwriter himself, he would also use the services of songwriters like Stan Coster, Gordon Parsons, Mack Cormack, and Kelly Dixon. It was a song by Parsons that would become Slim Dusty鈥檚 signature song.

6. He published his autobiography in 1979

A photo of autobiographies on display. Photo by Stephen Phillips – Hostreviews.co.uk on

Slim Dusty published his autobiography in 1979. It was titled Walk a Country Mile and became a bestseller in Australia. He also released an album with the same name, which went platinum.

Slim Dusty stayed with the one recording company, EMI, throughout his entire career. In the year 2000, he reached the milestone of 100 albums. In 2003, at the time of his passing, Slim Dusty was in the process of recording his 106th album. It was released posthumously, and went to the first position on the country music charts, achieving Gold Record status.

EMI Records Australia sold over seven million of Slim Dusty鈥檚 records.

7. The most famous of Dusty鈥檚 songs was A Pub with No Beer

 Pub with No Beer, Ingham, north Queensland, Australia. Photo by www.cape-york-australia.com –

The most famous of Dusty鈥檚 songs was A Pub with No Beer, written by Gordon Parsons. When Slim Dusty was honored with a state funeral, attended by both the Prime Minister of Australia and the Opposition Leader, the song was sung as part of the service.

Slim Dusty has been heralded for achieving several 鈥榝irsts.鈥�

8. He was the first Australian to receive a Gold Record

Musician in a recording room. Photo by Gordon Cowie on

He was the first Australian to receive a Gold Record, and the first Australian to have an international hit record.

In 1983, as the space shuttle Columbia orbited the earth, they broadcast Slim Dusty鈥檚 version of Waltzing Matilda down to earth from space. This made Slim Dusty the first singer to ever have had their music beamed to earth from space.

When Slim Dusty recorded his 100th album in 2000, he became the first recording artist globally to achieve the milestone. He was followed at a later date by Cliff Richard.

He is also the only artist in history to record on every major medium 鈥� 78 rpm, vinyl LPs, cassettes, CDs, VHS video, DVD, and iTunes.

9. Dusty had over 70 awards surpassing any other Australian artist

A musician performing on stage. Photo by Maxime Bhm on

Slim Dusty has too many awards to mention individually 鈥� 39 Golden Guitar Awards (Country Music Awards in Australia), and more Gold and Platinum Records (over 70) than any other Australian artist.

10. Slim Dusty鈥檚 love life bore him two children who inherited his songwriting career

Lights on the Hill Memorial Emergency services plaque. A memorial in remembrance of truck and coach drivers and other members of the transport industry who have lost their lives in accidents or in other ways. Named after “Lights on the Hill” an Australian country music hit song written by Joy McKean and made famous by her husband, Slim Dusty. Photo by JulieMay54 –

Slim Dusty married Joy McKean, a singer-songwriter, in 1951. They had two children, Anne Kirkpatrick, and David Kirkpatrick, who both became proficient singer-songwriters in their own right.

Joy McKean OAM, is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and wife and manager of the late Slim Dusty. Known as the “grand lady” of Australian country music, McKean is recognized as one of Australia’s leading songwriters and bush balladeers and wrote several of Dusty’s most popular songs.

Slim Dusty was voted by the Australian public as an 鈥淎ustralian National Treasure鈥� 鈥� a list of around 100 people that the population acknowledges as having made outstanding contributions in any field of human endeavor, in Australian society.

Slim Dusty has appeared on both Australian stamps and coins. He has had a movie made about his life, called The Slim Dusty Movie, and also appeared on This is Your Life twice.

He has had a rose named in his honor and has also had The Slim Dusty Centre built in Kempsey, New South Wales, which opened in 2015.

His largest legacy though is the music that he recorded over more than five decades, which is forever available to the public for their enjoyment.

Slim Dusty was a true gentleman, and will always remain an icon of Australian history.