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Wednesday 30 November 2016

Post 657 - Smoky Dawson & Friends - Ridin' All Over Again

Smoky Dawson, born as Herbert "Herb" Henry Brown, was an Australian country music performer, radio star, entertainer, and icon. He was widely touted as Australia's first singing cowboy complete with acoustic steel string guitar and yodel, in the style of American Gene Autry: Dawson had an extraordinarily long and prolific career, releasing his first single in 1941 and his last album in 2005, aged 92, making him at the time the world's oldest recording artist (now surpassed by Dame Vera Lynn who released an album aged 97, in 2014). Through his high-rating syndicated radio serials (at their height broadcast on 100 stations) television appearances, comic books and songs he created the persona of a happy-go-lucky singing cowboy". In 1995 he released the “Ridin’ All Over Again” (DIN453D) on Dino Records. He teamed up with Australia’s finest singing duets with the likes of John Farnham. Angry Anderson, Ray Burgess, Slim Dusty, Jimmy Barnes, Normie Rowe, Johnny Chester just to name a few. The album was engineered by T.M.G’s drummer Herm Kovac and produced by Chris Evans with help from Doug Trevor and Glenn Wheatley. In his later years Smoky Dawson was diagnosed with arthritis, emphysema and two hernias. In June 2000 he was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver and had spinal injuries.[ As of 2004 he and Dot presented a radio show on 2NSB and lived in Lane Cove, New South Wales. Herbert Henry "Smoky" Dawson died on 13 February 2008 after a short illness, a month short of his 95th Flac

2 comments:

woodynet said...

thanks for this Ozzie, have not heard this before and from the info it should be a treat.

cheers

WoodyNET

Slackjack said...

Never missed an episode of his radio show when I was a kid. I had lots of his 78s also. For my 10th birthday mum and dad arranged for me to meet Smoky. He drove us down to outside Luna Park where much of the time was spent with my dad and him talking about their war experiences. He gave me a whip for my birthday.