"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".
The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of indigenous and Western styles are exemplified in the works of Yothu Yindi, No Fixed Address, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu and Christine Anu, and mark distinctly Australian contributions to world music.
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.
Eric Bogle is a Scottish-born Australian folk singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Scotland, he emigrated to Australia at the age of 25, to settle near Adelaide, South Australia. Bogle's songs have covered a variety of topics and have been performed by many artists. Two of his best known songs are "No Man's Land" and "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", with the latter named one of the APRA Top 30 Australian songs in 2001, as part of the celebrations for the Australasian Performing Right Association's 75th anniversary.
Hayley Jensen is an Australian singer and songwriter who became known after appearing on the second series (2004) of Australian Idol. She was the fourth finalist, leaving the show on 1 November. She spent three years as the lead vocalist of alternative rock band Seasons and dance-rock outfit Silver Cities. Jensen's EP Past Tense and Present Peace was released in February 2017 and reached #1 on the Australian iTunes Country chart followed in 2018 by the album Turning Up the Dial which she toured across Australia, the UK and Canada. Hayley's third studio album Breakin' Hearts was released on 22 October 2021 and came in as the #1 ARIA Country Album and #4 ARIA Australian 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.
John Robert Williamson is an Australian country music and folk music singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, television host and conservationist. Williamson usually writes and performs songs that relate to the history and culture of Australia, particularly the outback, in a similar vein to Slim Dusty and Buddy Williams before him. Williamson has released over fifty albums, ten videos, five DVDs, and two lyric books and has sold more than 4,000,000 albums in Australia. His best known hit is "True Blue". On Australia Day in 1992 Williamson was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) with the citation: "for service to Australian country music and in stimulating awareness of conservation issues". He has received twenty-six Golden Guitar trophies at the Country Music Awards of Australia, he has won three ARIA Music Awards for Best Country Album and, in 2010, was inducted into the related Hall of Fame.
Troy Cassar-Daley is an Australian country music songwriter and entertainer.
"True Blue" is an Australian folk song written and performed by singer-songwriter John Williamson. The lyrical content utilises Australian slang heavily, with the title meaning authentically Australian . The song was released in March 1982 as a single from True Blue - The Best of John Williamson, but failed to chart.
Warren Hedley Williams is an Aboriginal Australian singer, musician and songwriter from Hermannsburg in Central Australia. As of 2013 he worked as a broadcaster on CAAMA Radio in Alice Springs.
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.
Australian singer and songwriter Jessica Mauboy has released four studio albums, one live album, three soundtrack albums, one extended play, and thirty six singles. Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol in 2006, and subsequently signed a contract with Sony Music Australia. She released her debut live album The Journey in February 2007, which features songs she performed as part of the top twelve on Australian Idol. The album debuted at number four on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of 35,000 copies. Mauboy briefly became a member of the Australian pop girl group Young Divas later that year, before resuming her solo career early in 2008.
Mike Jackson OAM is an Australian children's entertainer, recording artist, songwriter, radio show host, and author. He is perhaps best known for his version of Bananas in Pyjamas and appearances on ABC Television.
His Favourite Collection is a 50 track, 4xCD greatest hits album by Australian country music artist John Williamson. The album was released in August 2016 and peaked at number 9 on the ARIA charts. The album was supported by a national tour between August and November 2016. The lead and only single from the album "Aussie Girls" is a tribute to Australian sports women.
The discography of John Williamson, an Australian singer-songwriter, consists of twenty studio albums, twenty-five compilation album, eight live album, three EPs. Williamson has sold over 4 million records in Australia.
Mallee Boy is the sixth studio album by Australian country music artist John Williamson. The album was released in November 1986 and peaked at number 9 on the Kent Music Report; becoming Williamson's first top ten album.
The Big Red is the eighteenth studio album by Australian country music artist John Williamson. It was released in January 2012 and peaked at number 15 on the ARIA Charts. It was the first all-original album in almost four years for Williamson. The album was supported with a national tour.
Quambatook is a Musical theatre piece written by Australian Simon Heath and John Williamson. It was directed by Bernie Zelvis. The musical is based on the early days of the Williamson family in Quambatook, Victoria, Australia and their quest to see Uluru. Williamson announced the musical in September 2007 Drew Anthony was the choreographer.
Hillbilly Road is the seventeenth studio album by Australian country music artist John Williamson. It was released in August 2008 and peaked at number 6 on the ARIA Charts. The album was certified gold in July 2009. The album was inspired by Williamson's retreat in the Queensland hinterland and supported with a national tour across late 2008 and into 2009.
Number on My Back / The Baggy Green is a double A-sided single recorded by Australian country singer John Williamson. The single was released in December 1999 as included as bonus tracks as the third and final single from Williamson's fourteenth studio album The Way It Is and peaked at number 95 on the ARIA Charts.
