Almanac Music: Australian Country Music
Australian Country Music
In recent times, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Australian country music, especially the kind of stuff my father, a country boy, listened to when I was a kid: the Hawking Brothers, Chad Morgan, Mary Schneider (the yodeller, mother of Melinda), Tex Morton (OK, a Kiwi who spent a major part of his career in Australia) and Slim Dusty were some of his favourites. I think my thoughts about these artists were prompted, at least partly, by the series recently on SBS TV, Country Music, by renowned American documentary maker, Ken Burns. This series focused upon music of the USA. Dad listened to a lot of the artists featured in this series, too, like Tom T. Hall, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, Glen Campbell and Earl Scruggs. I’m sure a number of female artists highlighted by Burns were part of Dad’s musical world as well – Tammy Wynette is one who springs immediately to mind. Jeannie C. Riley’s ‘Harper Valley PTA’ got a pretty good run, too, as I recall, on our family stereo.
But back to the topic with which I began: Australian country music – if a multi-part documentary series was made about this subject in the manner of Ken Burns, I’m sure the results would be equally interesting, though doubtless not as big in scope as his American series, due to the large difference in population between Australia and the USA.
The music one’s parents listened to is an interesting topic in itself, for various reasons. One such reason relates to the extent that it influences one’s own taste. I find in my own case that my father’s love of country music has certainly had a bearing upon me liking it more and more as I’ve gotten older. However, the detailed exploration of this issue is for another time. Following are some examples – a small sample – of the kind of thing my Dad listened to in an Australian country context, when I was a youngster. For many Almanackers, I’m sure these songs will bring back good memories.
Enjoy!
‘The Sheik of Scrubby Creek’ (1952) performed by Chad Morgan, written by Chad Morgan.
‘A Pub with No Beer’(1957) performed by Slim Dusty, written by Gordon Parsons, based on an Irish poem.
‘Clarinet Polka Yodel’ (appears on Yodelling the Classics CD, 1997), performed by Mary Schneider.
‘The Goondiwindi Grey’ (1973), performed by Tex Morton, written by Nev Hauritz and Brian Wallace.
‘Catfish John’ (1973 – yes, an American song, but performed by an Australian band), performed by The Hawking Brothers, written by Bob McDill and Allen Reynolds.
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His fifth book-length poetry collection, Please Feed the Macaws ... I'm Feeling Too Indolent, was published in late 2023 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
KD- I understand that Chad Morgan wrote ‘The Sheik of Scrubby Creek’ when he was seventeen and so has been dining out on it for about seventy years. I think that’s amazing. How many people can claim something like this?
Yep, Mickey, he was certainly a teenager when he wrote ‘The Sheik of Scrubby Creek’, though he’s also sung numerous good ones since then, too, like ‘The Duckinwilla Dance’ and ‘I’m My Own Grandpa’.
Can definitely identify with this, my dad listened to all of these. But more than any we listened to Chad and his songs on cassette tape in the ute. We listened when going around the sheep, we listened when we went around the crops, we listened when shooting rabbits, we listened when we drove to town, and back again.
Revealed only in recent years was Chad’s indigenous heritage, making him one on the most successful indigenous artists in the nation.
Great stuff, Crash. Wonderfully evocative memories associated with Chad’s music!
Morgan has written about his indigenous heritage in ‘The Ballad of Bill and Eva’ (2009), as you may know.
Till someone spilled a jug of beer and then the fights were on, oh the joy, oh the fun, once the Bogga Wogga wedding had begun.
Chad is a treasure.
Slim Dusty is gold. His first song, When the Rain Tumbles Down in July, written when he was only 18, is easily in his Top 10 songs. Incidentally, one of Tom T Hall’s slip ups was his attempt in the early 80s to appropriate Slim’s Pub with no Beer. Why Tom T would need to do so I can only guess, considering the impressive catalogue he had established since the mid 60s.
And don’t forget Aboriginal Country Music, as expertly chronicled by Clinton Walker in his book and doco, Buried Country.
Great, Rick. Thanks for your contribution. All your points are very fine ones, pointing to to the treasure trove that is Oz country music!
And what you’ve said in your response underlines how rich and varied the particular aspects of Australian country music are, and how much our country stuff stands up in relation to the American country material. Our country music history, the more I think about it, is almost as complex as that of the USA. This is even down to detail as such as the Swiss Alpine yodelling style of Mary Schneider – it goes back to her earlier performing era in the 1950s with the Schneider Sisters, where she sang with her sister Rita – this is probably the time my father cottoned onto them.
Not sure I would say our country music music stands up in comparison to the US. The best of US country (Hank, Merle, George, Johnny, Buck, Jimmy, Dolly, Loretta, Emmylou, The Carter Family and so on) are so much better. Slim is just brilliant. Chad, with no disrespect, and I’ve seen him live a few times, is a curiosity. Enjoyable, and that’s fine. Yodelling is a lost art. Remember seeing Slim Whitman at the Perth Concert Hall and being mesmerised.
Hi again Rick. Perhaps I was getting a little carried away on a wave of enthusiasm – I suppose what I really meant was that our country music bears comparison to the USA in terms of variety and number of sub-genres – and that it played/does play an equally important role in our musical culture in overall terms.
I also think that many urban Australians don’t quite realise how fundamental country music has been to the social life of rural Australia, too – for example, a older relative of mine (I’m sixty), brought up in a small South Australian country town, responded to me (after reading my short piece above) that basically the only entertainment to EVER visit their township when she was young, apart from the occasional circus, were country artists like Slim, Chad and Buddy Williams, ‘The Yodelling Jackaroo’, who you may also know about.
Overall, I’m not sure I’d put the ‘pendulum’ as much as you would on the side of the USA in the context of our discussion, but at any rate I do value your knowledgeable input.
All good KD. This is a great conversation, better over a beer or two. In my reply I was going to note that comparisons aren’t really worth it. The history of music entwined with Australian history at least from European colonisation has seen very different developments and milestones than the US, UK and other Anglo countries.
The beacon of US popular culture across the 20th century makes it hard not to be drawn to its light. Especially when such luminaries as Hank light the way.
I’m turning 60 this year and absolutely note the rural/metro divide re country music. I acknowledged my love of country when I was 17/18 (when it was decidedly uncool). With a theatre company I was fortunate to tour WA taking plays to primary and high schools when I was 20-22. From the Kimberley to Albany and most towns and Aboriginal communities in between. We got kicked out of our digs in Derby because they doubled booked us with “Mr. & Mrs. Country”, The Rick and Thel Show.
There’s been plenty of good country acts – Lucky Oceans lived in Perth so we could catch him and the cream of Perth’s best country music loving musicians at a Freo pub most Saturday afternoons. I love pedal steel.
Here in Melbourne there’s a bunch of underrated country bands, especially Suzannah Espie, The Junes, The T-Bones, Jordie Lane and so on. By the way, we’re off to the Brunswick Ballroom tomorrow evening to see a local country act, James Ellis and the Jealous Guys play two sets of Merle Haggard songs. (Yes, I’m there to hear some Merle tunes).
All good from my end, too, Rick. We’ve certainly been having a highly interesting discussion here – I agree.
And maybe that ‘beer or two’ will occur at some stage in the not-too-distant future!