Slim Dusty

Slim Dusty AO MBE
At the Golden Guitar awards in Tamworth
Background information
Birth name	David Gordon Kirkpatrick
Born	(1927-06-13)13 June 1927 Nulla Nulla Creek, New South Wales, Australia
Died	19 September 2003(2003-09-19) (aged 76) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Country bush ballad Australiana
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter guitarist music producer
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar
Years active	1945–2003
Labels	Regal Zonophone EMI
Formerly of	Joy McKean Anne Kirkpatrick Smoky Dawson Buddy Williams The Wiggles South Kempsey Boys Shorty Ranger
Spouse(s)	Joy McKean
Website	slimdustymusic.com.au

Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon, referred to universally as Australia's King of Country Music^[1] 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.

Slim Dusty "released more than a hundred albums, selling more than seven million records and earning over 70 gold and platinum album certifications". He was the first Australian to have a No. 1 international hit song, with a version of Gordon Parsons' "A Pub with No Beer".^[2] He received 38 Golden Guitar and an Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) award. He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and Australian Roll of Renown. At the time of his death, at the age of 76, Dusty had been working on his 106th album for EMI Records. In 2007, his domestic record sales in Australia surpassed seven million. During his lifetime, Dusty was considered an Australian National Treasure. He performed "Waltzing Matilda", a very famous song in Australia, at the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.