Country Music Benefit Concert
- in Murgon S/E QLD
On the 1st of December 2013 a fund raiser will be held at the Murgon Town Hall at 7pm.
The proceeds go to Bob and Maree Thompson who lost their home in a fire recently.

Artists appearing are
DEAN PERRETT, JEFF BROWN, ANITA REE & GLEN ALBRECHT.

Tickets Adults $15. Children $5.

If you would like to help or attend the event, more details via the PDF file >>

Merv Maltman was born on the 17th of July 1951 in Nambour Queensland. The family moved to Cloncurry where Merv picked up his love for Australian Country Music as Bush Ballads were very popular out there. The next move was to Collinsville by now Merv was growing up and Collinsville was a far cry from the ‘Curry’. He got his first guitar at the age of thirteen and he began to write songs. A friend of his father, Ray Gaine, taught him to play guitar. He played and sung at the School Concert and was so nervous that his kneecap kept bouncing up and down until the first song was done. After the applause he had no fear of the stage from that day on. After leaving school, Merv began work as an apprentice Painter and Decorator in Bowen. It was here that a man named Wally Bishop recorded him for a Radio Show on 4M.K. MacKay. He would ask all the shows that come through if he could do a spot on the show. Both Rick and Thel and Buddy Williams let him do so. It was ironic that in later years he toured with both shows. He completed his apprenticeship before being called up into the Army. With only a month left in the Army he went AWOL and hid in the bush under an assumed name in the Bundaberg area where he worked on properties then as a Tordoner and a Sleeper cutter. He worked in the railways in a bridge gang then finished his stay in Bundaberg in the Petersen Brothers Sawmill. He become tired of hiding after four years for a good reason. Brian Young had recorded ‘The Horse that could do nothing right’ so he decided to come clean. To his chagrin he learned he had been discharged from the Army twenty eight days after he jumped the fence so those four years of laying low was a wasted effort. This time in the bush gave him the incentive to start writing again but this time it was for real. His next tour out was with the Legendary Buddy Williams and on return to Tamworth he immediately went out with Stan Coster. On return Merv decided to have a spell but was asked out on the road by Chris and Angie Pritchard. He did two tours with them and was asked out by them again but personal problems prevented this. On the road, Merv was what was called an Ice Breaker and that is a person that takes the stage first and holds the crowd with a strong act. By the time 1986 rolled up, Merv was considered a strong act and could hold his own with the best of them. In 1986 Merv teamed up with Buddy Thomson and Lynne Bennett to form the Down Under Country Show in which all music was Australian and it was the first time this was done in Country Music. Merv decided to quit the game and took up a position as a House Painter in Blackwater and there he stayed for twenty two years. Though he gave up touring he remained in music by taking on playing the bagpipes and for many years he piped the ANZAC parades in Blackwater and Bluff. Merv lost contact with the artists he had worked with over the years. During his time in the wilderness he never realized that the song ‘Blacksoil Plains of The Outback’ had been recorded by no less than four people.

In 2007 Merv had a stroke and thought the end had come. He headed off to say his farewells and on meeting up with Buddy Thomson after Twenty Two years. Buddy coaxed him into his studio and began recording him. The result was the ‘Keep Your Candle Burning’ Album. Merv was encouraged to start recording more and began recording his huge backlog of songs which resulted in the Album ‘Just Me’ in which Merv plays all instruments then followed up with the Album ‘Witness to Change’ with others to follow. Merv was a multi instrumentalist and played Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle, Mandolin, Base, Bagpipes and also dabbled with keyboards but did not consider himself fluent with them. Merv was one of the truly great songwriters though he hid his light under a bushel. Merv lived in the Warwick district in Southern Queensland where he settled along with his wife Judith and step daughter Linley. Merv did not enter songs in competitions or go for accolades as he felt that no one can say one person is better than another and the same goes for songs. He leaves it up to the people to decide.

THE WIGGLES, DICK SMITH & ROLF HARRIS MUSTER MATES FOR SLIM
Australia’s King of Country, the late Slim Dusty, was everybody’s mate. From the man on the land, to city dwellers and politicians of all persuasions, Slim was loved and admired for his humble demeanour. The lyrics of his timeless songs paint a picture of our great Aussie culture. Now, that heritage is to be preserved for the education of future generations, through the development of the Slim Dusty Centre - a major Cultural Tourist Attraction based in Kempsey, NSW.
The magnificent building stands completed at the gateway to Slim’s hometown, but funding is still needed to complete road work for access to the site and the exhibition fit out, which will be the heart and soul of the experience. It will house the permanent exhibition of rare artefacts from Slim’s own collection, along with innovative, interactive displays depicting his Australian story. This iconic tourism drawcard is also designed as a multipurpose facility to accommodate functions, events and travelling exhibitions, along with a café, retail area, and a visitor information centre.
To help raise much needed support for the last phase of the Slim Dusty Centre development, a brand new television and radio advertisement calls for Aussies to “be a mate” and join the “Mates of Slim Dusty” Membership Muster.
Patron of the Slim Dusty Foundation, Dick Smith, is the presenter of the catchy ad and called for people to be a mate. “Slim Dusty is a personal hero of mine; I urge all Aussies to get behind the Membership Muster,” he said.
The ad will feature the famous Slim Dusty song, “Duncan”, written by Pat Alexander. Duncan shot to fame in 1980 and has been a great Aussie favourite that is destined to remain ageless. The song depicts the true Australian spirit of mateship, which goes hand in hand with Slim’s identity. Slim also recorded this popular song live with Rolf Harris, and who could forget “I Love To Have A Dance With Dorothy” – the version that Slim recorded with the Wiggles.
Anthony Field of The Wiggles reflected on the time they recorded with Slim. “Slim Dusty was a great bloke; his musical portraits of Australia and the bush will live forever!” he said.
For $50, you can join the “Mates of Slim Dusty” Membership Muster, and help support the Centre that Slim himself was working on prior to his passing. “Mates” will receive exclusive benefits including merchandise discounts and a special member’s pack. Already drawing attention is the free raffle ticket that all new Mates will receive, as they go into a draw to win the first prize of a rare collection of every LP Slim Dusty ever released. This life time collection is housed in a beautifully handcrafted Nulla Red Cedar cabinet with a glass decal image of Slim. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and a record player. Second prize is return flights from Sydney to one of Etihad Airline’s European destinations, with third prize being an autographed Keith Urban CD.
So come on Australia, go to www.slimdustycentre.com.au JOIN us on Facebook, VIEW the advertisement at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQOEhRYMybg&feature=youtu.be CALL 180018SLIM, or EMAIL kathryn.yarnold@slimdustycentre.com.au AND BE A MATE TODAY!

WINNERS - 2012 GIDGEE COAL AWARDS Finalists & Winners

Marked with *
FEMALE VOCAL
Trudy Hintz - My Heart Is Where The Roper Flows Tonight
Dianne Lindsay - Gentleman Joe
Sharon Heaslip - Blacksoil Plains Of The Outback *

MALE VOCAL
Tom McIvor - You Buggered Our Land
Graham Rodger - I Am *
Pete Smith - Dads Big Louiville

ALBUM
Graham Rodger - Stronger For It All
Tom McIvor - Son Of The Southern Cross
Peter Coad - Old Bush Mates *

SONGWRITING
Merv Maltman - The Devils Bull
Dianne Lindsay/Peter Simpson Gentleman Joe
Tom McIvor We Make Things To Last In The Bush *

TAMWORTH SLIM & JOY BRONZE BUST APPEAL
For info on how you can contribute to this appeal via this link :)

http://www.slimandjoystatueappeal.com/

GINGER COX - THE KIMBERLEY GUITAR MAN
now has a page on the ABBA website....
http://bushballadeers.com.au/gingercox.htm
.............................................................................

GINGER COX
I would like to introduce myself to my fellow Bush Ballad music lovers.

My name is Ginger and I live in Broome WA with my family and playing the Barry Thornton style of guitar is something I started doing over twelve years ago.

Barry was my idol then our friend and he stayed with us in Broome in 2000 and every year on the 28th of July I play “The Old Rugged Cross” in honor of him. In 2005 I could finally afford to buy a Gibson 335 the same guitar that Barry played, it makes beautiful music and I start and end every day picking on my Bush Ballads.......READ MORE

CONGRATULATIONS to CMAA Golden Guitar recipients - DEAN PERRETT & LEE KERNAGHAN re their win for Bush Ballad Of The Year with the song 'Channel Country Ground'.


The track "Channel Country Ground' was written by Merv Maltman, is one from Dean Perrett's latest highly acclaimed album "Cattle Town".

For more information/and all award winners please go to

CMAA LINK

< Dean Perrett & Lee Kernaghan

VALE - ERIC WATSON - 1926 - 8/1/2012 January 2012

Eric Watson was a stalwart supporter of Australian Country Music.
He not only recorded and promoted artists through his own record label 'Selection Records', but was, himself, a great songwriter and a valued historian of Australian country music publishing two volumes of Australian Country Music history.
Eric's health recently deteriorated and he passed away at the Cedars Nursing home in Casino NSW, on Sunday 8/1/2012 at 11pm. He was 85 years old.
Eric Watson will be remembered as a great Australian and a great loss to the many friends who knew him.
- The Australian Bush Balladeers Association Inc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Watson : Bio extract courtesy of "The Book Of Australian Country Music" (1984)
Born on a dairy farm near Casino (NSW) in 1926, Eric Watson grew up 24 miles from a town and seven miles from the nearest neighbor. When radio first arrived in 1935, the newly-emerged country music became something to fill the empty nights. Eric soon knew all the Tex Morton, Wilf Carter and later Buddy Williams and Slim Dusty songs by heart and at 12 began to write his own. For some years he wrote two songs a day "in his head" while riding after the cows, but he lacked the singing ability to get them across. During a five-year stay in Sydney from 1952, helped by friend Pat Ware, he had songs recorded by Glen Davis and Jimmy Little. Back to the bush in 1957 he was too busy building up a run-down farm to think about music for another five years.
In 1962 Watson settled in Sydney and began to write again. Slim Dusty recorded his song When Snowy Sings Of Home, and soon after Buddy Williams, Rick and Thel, Eddie Tapp, Reg Poole and many other topline artists used his songs. Over 50 titles in all have now found their way on to records.
During 1973-4 Eric expanded what began as a series of articles on Australian country music personalities into a book which traced the history of our country music from its beginning to the end of 1949. Published in 1975, the book filled a great need and was an immediate success. It was probably the main factor in his gaining the first Gold Guitar for services to country music at the Australasian Country Music Awards in Tamworth in 1977, which included a trip to Nashville in the prize. The book covered the 78rpm record era and brought such a flood of enquiries about the availability of the records that a double album of the materials was issued under licence from EMI. Done at first in partnership with Larrikin Records, the album became the foundation stone of Eric's own Selection label when further compilations followed and when Reg Poole became the label's first artist to make original recordings. In its few years of life Selection has gained a prestigious place among the independent country music labels. Reg Poole has several highly successful albums and artists of the calibre of Gordon Parsons, Terry Gordon and Barry Thornton have contributed to more than 30 albums (now available) with a future five in preparation at time of writing.
January, 1983, saw the release of the second volume of Eric's Country Music In Australia book, dealing with 80-odd artists who emerged in the 1950s, published this time by Angus & Robertson. The motivating force behind all Eric Watson's work is a passionate desire to see the Australian country ethos, its people, places and situations expressed in our music and accepted by the public. He believes the present system is heavily and unfairly weighted in favor of the commercial interests who import overseas canned culture and that there will need to be a strong groundswell of concentrated activity by a lot of dedicated people before we can break the pattern.
With over 250 original Australian compositions recorded so far, Selection Records certainly practises what it preaches. And contrary to some of the predictions, the policy has been a great marketing success and will not change. Eric is determined that Selection's output, will remain definitively Australian.

CAN YOU HELP?

The photo "The Buddy Williams Country & Western Jamboree" is off the side panels from the pantec of Buddy William's 1948 Ford touring truck. This truck was replaced by

a Dodge truck in the very early 60's with the name plates "The Buddy Williams Show". We have photos of that truck. What the ACMF of Tamworth are after is photos or a photo of the panels ("The Buddy Williams Country & Western Jamboree") on the 1948 Ford. All will be used as part of an exhibit at the Tamworth Country Music Museum.
Please email photos or any info to info@bushballadeers.com.au Thankyou ~ The ABBA

2011

I’VE BEEN THERE (AND BACK AGAIN)
Slim Dusty & Joy McKean’s Lifetime of Travel, Stories and Songs
by
JOY McKEAN
An illustrated hardback edition will be published on
October 25, 2011 at $39.99
Also a very special limited edition (print run of 1927 only) collector’s set with special release CD’s at $100
Shared by his wife Joy McKean – the songs, lyrics and life with Australia’s country music legend, Slim Dusty
Through the lyrics of their much loved songs, Joy McKean takes readers into the life she shared at home, on the stage and on the road with her husband, country music legend Slim Dusty. Married for more than 50 years, Slim and Joy toured all over Australia singing, writing and performing.
I’VE BEEN THERE (AND BACK AGAIN) will include many never seen before photographs from Slim and Joy’s own family albums and also an extensive range by the internationally acclaimed photographer John Elliott, who has been photographing Slim and Joy, their band and family for decades.
Including many lyrics from the iconic songs they sang together, Joy reminisces about each song – who, how, when and where they were. The bush ballads and the bush life are recounted in detail as Joy tells of an Australian way of life that is almost gone. From the old showgrounds of the 1950s to the grand theatres of the big cities, the old-time music halls of country Australia and some of the most remote areas of the continent. This is a country music love affair.
Slim Dusty sold over 7 million albums in Australia and was our most prolific recording artist. Even today, he is still one of Australia’s all time biggest selling recording artists. Slim passed away on September 19, 2003.
Joy has been awarded six Golden Guitars for her song writing, and her skills as a writer and storyteller shine in this beautiful book. Joy wrote the bestselling biography Another Day, Another Town about his life.
For all enquire contact jaki.arthur@hachette.com.au or 02-82480864

The Shirley Thoms Bronze Bust Unveiled!
The unveiling of the Shirley Thoms Bronze Bust was on July 8th at 2-30 PM in Bi-Centennial Park Tamworth.
Thank you do all personnel involved in the fund raising such as artists performing, fans attending concerts etc & A.B.B.A. Your time & support has really be appreciated. Wayne Strickland was the sculpture re for this project.
We have now commenced fund raising for The Reg Lindsay Bronze Bust.- Lorraine Pfitzner

KALESTI BUTLER TAKES OUT BALLADEER STAR QUEST
Held at the Wests’ Diggers Club Monday 17th of January during the Tamworth Festival, the winner of the 2011 A.B.B.A. Bush Balladeer Star Quest was 28 year old Kalesti Butler. Her first live appearance was at 3 years of age at Charters Towers Country Music Festival. She went on to win Qld Champions at the age of 9 and has since competed successfully in many other events. Kalesti now calls Emerald home.
The 2011 Bush Balladeer Star Quest featured top performances from the five finalists, Amelia Richards, Rod Brandt, Kalesti Butler, Tootie Hiles and Trent Holder.

The annual Bush Balladeer Star Quest is not just another quest. The winner must be dedicated to the bush ballad style and intent on making a career in the bush ballad industry. As a winner of the quest, that person receives recording time for a radio single, and major festival appearances around the country throughout their 12 months as winner which will bring them in contact with not only new fans for their music, but introduce their talent to the industry, radio and give them lifelong promotion skills.

The Star Quest Trophy was presented to Kalesti Butler by Australia’s first lady of country – Joye McKean.
Kalesti will be recording her winners single later in the year.

Vale – Dot Dawson

Dot Dawson, wife and partner of the late Smoky Dawson, died in her Sydney nursing home this afternoon after a long illness.

Dot celebrated her 104th birthday just a couple of weeks ago on October 12 2011.

Florence Dawson (nee Cheers) was born in Maryborough, Victoria, in 1906 to a mother with an Italian background and a father with a Welsh background.

In an interview by Rob Willis on file at the National Library of Australia, Dot recalled winning four guineas in a voice training competition in Bendigo, her first public performance at the Melbourne Town Hall and teaching elocution to young hopeful stars of radio and stage through the 1920s and '30s.

She recalled working at an amateur radio station in the late 1920s and being one of the first female broadcasters on radio.

In the interview, Dot says she was offered a job in radio, starting in voice production, radio plays, early radio advertising and children's radio programs including the 3KZ children's program after which she was called up by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) to work for them during the war including in the drama section and sound effect studios.

When she met Smoky in the early 1930s, she said Smoky's ambition was to succeed.

She recalled their early courting days, Smoky's songs and his illness after the war when he was laid up in hospital for more than a year. Dot and Smoky met doing their radio work.

After her time at the ABC, she returned to 3KZ where she stayed until she and Smoky took up an offer to go to America. While in the USA, Dot worked at a radio station in Tennessee as well as with Smoky.

Though the Dawsons, who married in 1944, never had children of their own, the couple loved children. This love extended to taking in a foster child for four years and to a long association with the Bear Cottage children's charity.

Among Dot's memorable radio career, she said, was getting involved with promoting Police on radio programs for children ("My Friend The Policeman") and the "Aunty June" program (Dot was Aunty June).

As recently as 2006, Dot and Smoky were still involved in radio, presenting a weekly country music program on a community station on Sydney's north shore.
Article courtesy of The Country Music Bulletin website
http://www.countrymusicbulletin.com.au/

2009

PASSING OF A LEGEND TONY BROOKS

Well known bush ballad writer TONY BROOKS passed away in Atherton late Sunday 5th September 2009 morning. Tony was 83.

Tony's songs have been recorded my many artists including Slim Dusty - When The Scrubbers Break, Jimberella Kid and Pushing Time are some of the Tony Brooks songs recorded by Slim. Tony had battled many types of cancer since the early 1990s and he continued to write until the end of his life.

"Tony Brooks was a composite of all the characters he wrote about in his songs", said country music writer and photographer John Elliott. "Brooksie was fair dinkum - a real bush character who spoke his mind and fought for what he believed in. He stuck by his mates and was a passionate believer in all things Australian."

Tony is survived by his wife Rita and children Carl, Kim and Noni.

Vale - Rick Aitchison
A sad loss to bush ballad fans and friends in country music re the passing of singer/songwriter recording artist Rick Aitchison on Thursday 15th April 2009.
Deepest Sympathies to the Aitchison family
The funeral will be held at Lake Innes Memorial Gardens cemetary, Oxley Highway, Port Macquarie at 11:00 am on Friday 23rd April.

Vale - Pam Thomasson
Songwriter, recording artist Pam Thomasson passed away Thursday 15th of April 2009. Recent songs the "Best Part Of A Fair While" and "Ol'Bawly" of Pam's were recorded by bush balladeer artist Sharon Smith.