26 Facts About Slim Dusty

Slim Dusty was an Australian cultural icon, referred to universally as Australia's King of Country Music and one of the country's most awarded stars, with a career spanning nearly seven decades and producing numerous recordings.

Slim Dusty was known to record songs in the legacy of Australia genre, particularly of bush life, including works by renowned Australian bush poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson, who represented the lifestyle.

Slim Dusty "released more than a hundred albums, selling more than seven million records and earning over 70 gold and platinum album certifications".

Slim Dusty received 38 Golden Guitars and an Australian Recording Industry Association award.

Slim Dusty was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and Australian Roll of Renown.

At the time of his death, age 76, Dusty had been working on his 106th album for EMI Records.

Slim Dusty performed "Waltzing Matilda", a very famous song in Australia, at the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Slim Dusty wrote his first song, "The Way the Cowboy Dies", in 1937 and adopted the stage name "Slim Dusty" in 1938 at age 11.

In 1945, Slim Dusty wrote "When the Rain Tumbles Down in July" and released his first record that year at age 18.

In 1951, Slim Dusty married singer-songwriter Joy McKean and, with her help, achieved great success around Australia.

McKean's sister Heather, half of the McKean Sisters music duo that preceded Joy's association with Slim Dusty, was married to Australian country singer Reg Lindsay, before separating and later divorcing in the 1980s, whereupon the McKean sisters re-started their music duo.

Slim Dusty's 1957 hit "A Pub with No Beer" was the biggest-selling record by an Australian to that time, the first Australian single to go gold and the first and only 78 rpm record to be awarded a gold disc.

Slim Dusty recorded not only songs written by himself and other fellow Australian performers but classic Australian poems by Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson, with new tunes to call attention to the old "bush ballads".

In 1970, Slim Dusty was made a member of the Order of the British Empire for services to music.

In 1973, Slim Dusty won Best Single at the inaugural Country Music Awards of Australia at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.

Slim Dusty recorded and released his 100th album, Looking Forward, Looking Back, in 2000 and became the first artist in worldwide commercial recording history to do so; second was Cliff Richard.

Slim Dusty was appointed to sing "Waltzing Matilda" at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics; the whole stadium sang along with him.

Additionally, Slim Dusty was awarded two achievement awards and inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Slim Dusty's repertoire included country gospel music, with which he liked to finish his shows.

The "Concert for Slim Dusty" was recorded live on 20 January 2004, at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre, and an all-star cast of Australian musicians sang out the show with Slim Dusty's Glory Bound Train.

Slim Dusty died at his home in St Ives, New South Wales, on 19 September 2003 at the age of 76 after a protracted battle with Colorectal cancer.

Around Australia, thousands of fans gathered to stand outside the cathedral; Slim Dusty was later cremated.

Slim Dusty had been working on his 106th album for EMI at the time of his death.

EMI Records' Australian sales of Slim Dusty's records surpassed seven million in 2007.

Slim Dusty was Australia's most successful and prolific musical artist, with more Gold and Platinum albums than any other Australian artist.

EMI Records' Australian sales of Slim Dusty records surpassed 7 million in 2007.