Australian titan Slim Dusty has further cemented his status as one of the country’s most loved musicians this week with a remarkable chart record, which may never be equalled.
This weekend The Very Best of Slim Dusty marked 1,000 weeks in the ARIA Country Albums Chart, a feat not achieved by any other artist in Australian chart history. Originally released in 1998, the record has been an almost constant entrant into the charts during its 20-year span.
Speaking to theMusic.com.au recently, Slim Dusty’s daughter Anne Kirkpatrick said that her father’s record label – EMI/Universal – had alerted the family to the milestone.
“It makes me feel so proud every time I see dad in there,” she said, “but I didn’t realise it had ticked over to 1,000.”
Born David Kirkpatrick in 1927, Slim Dusty enjoyed a career that spanned five decades until his death in 2003. A relentless traveller of regional areas with his wife and songwriter Joy McKean, he not only became Australia’s King Of Country – and bush ballad pioneer – but he had one of the country’s first truly international hits with Gordon Parsons’ Pub With No Beer.
A prolific worker with over 100 albums to his name, he was a champion of the outback, visiting towns few other performers would and singing songs that regional communities could relate to. The dedication shown to his music by fans old and new – helped along by a continuous streams of cover versions performed by artists bot established and emerging – have ensured his longevity well beyond his passing.
“When he started off that was the thing to do, to get out on the round and tour,” said Kirkpatrick. “He was very driven and I think he would have been successful no matter what type of music he decided to pursue.
“Certainly, because he was very passionate about Australia and its people, that’s what he wanted to do and it married up well.”
She added, “We work closely with EMI/Universal to keep his catalogue fresh and available, so he’s garnering new audiences even now.”
The Slim Dusty Centre opened in Kempsey in 2015, finally fulfilling the long-time plans of McKean and Kirkpatrick. Although not without its challenges to establish and keep running, it is hoped the museum and conference-style centre will stand alongside Dusty’s music canon into the future.
“We still struggle a bit, this is all new to us running a museum and a huge centre like that… we hope it will be accepted by the community as a gathering place, not just the local community but further afield.”
Last week The Very Best Of Slim Dusty, which has gone five times platinum during its 999 entries, sat seventh in the Country Chart. The position for its ground-breaking week will be revealed during the Saturday release from ARIA, and the achievement officially marked next Monday. The record features songs like Lights On the Hill, Duncan, Indian Pacific and Looking Forward, looking Back.
“My dad and his music, I think they’ll be mentioned in the same breath at Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson, he’s become such a part of the Australian psyche. I think it will go on and on, it will be there forever. I really believe that.”
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