| Country Classics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1947-1995 | |||
| Genre | Country music | |||
| Label | Reader's Digest (Australia) | |||
| Slim Dusty chronology | ||||
| ||||
Country Classics is a 3CD greatest hits album by Australian country recording artist Slim Dusty, released through Reader's Digest. The album was separated into three periods of Dusty's career; The Early Years, The Middle Years and The Later Years. [1] In 1999, the album was certified gold.
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [2] | Gold | 35,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1996 | Reader's Digest (Australia) | 300701300 |
"Waltzing Matilda" is a song developed in the Australian style of poetry and folk music called a bush ballad. It has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem".
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales, where he spent much of his childhood. Paterson's more notable poems include "Clancy of the Overflow" (1889), "The Man from Snowy River" (1890) and "Waltzing Matilda" (1895), regarded widely as Australia's unofficial national anthem.
Slim Dusty, AO MBE was 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. He was known to record songs in the legacy of Australia, particularly of bush life and renowned Australian bush poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson that represented the lifestyle. The music genre was coined the "bush ballad", a style first made popular by Buddy Williams, the first artist to perform the genre in Australia, and also for his many trucking songs.
"Clancy of the Overflow" is a poem by Banjo Paterson, first published in The Bulletin, an Australian news magazine, on 21 December 1889. The poem is typical of Paterson, offering a romantic view of rural life, and is one of his best-known works.
Slim Dusty has released 122 records in his career. By March 1976, Dusty had achieved 37 gold and two platinum records. By November 1979, this Dusty had amassed 63 gold and platinum albums.
Australian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass, to yodeling to folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English folk music, the Australian bush ballad tradition, as well as by popular American country music. Themes include: outback life, the lives of stockmen, truckers and outlaws, songs of romance and of political protest; and songs about the "beauty and the terror" of the Australian bush.
The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular is a musical by David Atkins and Ignatius Jones, based on the poem The Man from Snowy River, written by Banjo Paterson.
Trevor Adamson is a country/gospel singer best known for his song Nyanpi Matilda, a Pitjantjatjara version of Waltzing Matilda. He is from Pukatja, South Australia and sings in both Pitjantjatjara and English. He was the subject of an episode of an ABC TV series, Six Australians. Trevor Adamson also featured in episode #1008 of the NITV show "Pmarra Country", an Aboriginal tribute to the legendary Slim Dusty, in which Mr. Adamson performed his Pitjantjatjara language version of Slim Dusty's 1972 song "When the Rain Tumbles Down in July".
The bush ballad, bush song or bush poem is a style of poetry and folk music that depicts the life, character and scenery of the Australian bush. The typical bush ballad employs a straightforward rhyme structure to narrate a story, often one of action and adventure, and uses language that is colourful, colloquial and idiomatically Australian. Bush ballads range in tone from humorous to melancholic, and many explore themes of Australian folklore, including bushranging, droving, droughts, floods, life on the frontier, and relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Joy McKean, , 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 recognised as one of Australia's leading songwriters and bush balladeers and wrote several of Dusty's most popular songs. In 1973, she was awarded the first ever Golden Guitar, for writing "Lights on the Hill". She was inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown in 1983. The 2020 documentary film Slim and I told the story of her life and musical partnership with Dusty. The McKean-Dusty musical partnership produced over 100 albums, sold eight million records in Australia alone, and earned 45 Golden Guitars.
"Lights on the Hill" is an Australian country music hit song written by Anthony Ernest Brooks, with music by Joy McKean and made famous by her husband, Slim Dusty. It won the first Golden Guitar in January 1973 at the Country Music Awards of Australia, held in Tamworth. It has been covered by Keith Urban and Mental as Anything.
"When the Rain Tumbles Down in July" is an Australian country music song written by Slim Dusty. It has been covered by several other artists including Lee Kernaghan, Graeme Connors as well as Dusty's daughter Anne Kirkpatrick. The song was recorded in November 1946 and it is recognised as being Dusty's first commercial recording.
The Slim Dusty Movie is a 1984 Australian feature film directed by Rob Stewart and starring Slim Dusty, Joy McKean, Jon Blake and Mary Charleston.
Stan Coster OAM was an Australian country music singer-songwriter. His songs were regularly performed by Slim Dusty and other singers. He is the father of country music singer Tracy Coster.
"Duncan" is an Australian single recorded in 1980 by Slim Dusty which reached No. 1 on the Kent Music Report charts for two weeks in early 1981. The song was Dusty's second-most successful single after "A Pub with No Beer". It is also known as "Beer with Duncan", "Have a Beer with Duncan" and "I Love to Have a Beer with Duncan". It was written by Pat Alexander.
Not So Dusty is a compilation album of Slim Dusty songs covered by Australian musicians. It was released in Australia by EMI in 1998. It was nominated for a 1999 ARIA Award for Best Country Album.
Homewood is a heritage-listed house and farm at 1279 Nulla Nulla Creek Road, Bellbrook, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was the childhood home of country music singer Slim Dusty. It was designed by his father, David Kirkpatrick, and built from 1915 to 1916 by Kirkpatrick and Thomas Ryan. It is also known as Melody Farm. The property is now owned by Slim Dusty's widow, Joy McKean Kirkpatrick. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 27 January 2012.
Slim Dusty Live is a live album by Australian country music singer Slim Dusty. The album was recorded in 2000, during this Looking Forward Looking Back album tour. It was released in March 2006 and peaked at number 42 on the ARIA Charts.
The Best of Slim Dusty is a 6xLP greatest hits album by Australian country recording artist Slim Dusty, released through Readers Digest. The six albums had different themes, Biggest Hits, Truckin' Along, with Family, Sentimental Slim, with Joy McKean and Singalong. In 1999, the album was certified gold.
Slim and I is a 2020 Australian documentary film directed by Kriv Stenders about the life of Joy McKean and Slim Dusty, Australia's most successful husband and wife singer-songwriter duo.
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