*Ø* Blogmanac | Slim, the man with no peer

Slim Dusty dies after 60 years in the biz, and 106 albums

Slim Dusty, who died yesterday at 76, was Australia's great communicator, and not simply because he had 1000 songs to sing, writes Peter Garrett, ex-Midnight Oil.

"Slim Dusty transversed generations. He crossed over musical genres with his distinctive and authentically Australian voice. In pioneering terms, first he made country a musical form that was viable in Australia - it WAS Australian country music - and second, he laid some of the foundations of building and sustaining a career for all who followed, by heading out and playing to people all over the country ..."
Read on
State funeral planned

It's lonesome away from your kindred and all
By the camp fire at night where the wild dingoes call,
But there's nothing so lonesome so morbid or drear
Than to stand in a bar of a pub with no beer.

Now the publican's anxious for the quota to come
There's a far away look on the face of the bum
The maid's gone all cranky and the cook's acting queer
What a terrible place is a pub with no beer.


I live just up the road from Slim's home town, and not far from The Pub With No Beer at Taylor's Arm, made famous by Slim's 1946 hit song of the same name, which was the first official gold record in Australia. For all his 1000 songs and many hits, Slim could never get away from this one request. Slim Dusty celebrated 60 years of recording this year.
Midi audio of the song.