Smoky Dawson

about

b. Herbert Henry Dawson, 19 March 1913, Collingwood, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, d. 13 February 2008, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Dawson’s family relocated to Warrnambool when he was a baby and his mother died when he was five years old. A pioneer of Australian country music, his father was a music hall baritone, who had studied to be a chemist and then a doctor, before becoming an invalid as a result of injuries received at Gallipoli. In 1926, Dawson left school to work to help support the family and also began singing, yodelling and playing concertina and harmonica at local dances. He grew up among relatives of noted Australian bushranger Ned Kelly and during this time, he learned many of the Irish-Australian ballads that he later popularized. By 1932, playing steel guitar and dobro, Dawson formed a duo with his brother Ted (bass/guitar). They sang and played to crowds outside Melbourne theatres and broadcast on 3JR. By 1935, they had moved to the bigger 3KZ, where they played as both the Coral Island Boys and because of the then-current interest in Hawaiian music, the South Sea Island Boys. It is claimed that Dawson featured the first electric steel guitar used in Australia. By 1937, with Peggy Brooks as lead singer and other musicians, the Smoky Dawson Show attracted sponsorship from Pepsodent and became the first live country show on Australian radio. Adding more hillbilly music to his repertoire, Dawson progressed to play theatre and rodeo venues. He m

top songs

albums

Homestead Of My Dreams

Wild Colonial Boy: Smoky Dawson Sings Australian Country Favourites

Ridin' All Over Again

When the Bloom Is on the Sage

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Australia A Galaxy of Stars Vol 1

Complete Recordings (Remastered)

Singin' In The Saddle

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Essential Cowboy Classics

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Timeless Australian Vintage Country

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A Real Aussie Christmas

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The Winners 2009

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Old Faithful: Songs From the Saddle

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