Country Singer. Known as the 'Historian of The Bush' Dusty was born in June 1927, in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, as David Gordon Kirpatrick. Dusty spent his younger years growing up on a dairy farm, where he first learned of his love for music. The first major influence on his career in music was his father, who liked to vocalize to the accompaniment of his fiddle playing when Dusty was still a baby. At the age of 10 he heard an Aborigine sing a song called 'The Drunkard's Child,' and he was so impressed, that he wrote his first song, 'The Way The Cowboy Died,' the same year. At age 11, he decided to rename himself Slim Dusty. In 1942, as a seasoned performer of 15, Dusty began his trips into the studios of the local radio station, and at his own expense recorded two songs, 'Song for The Aussies' and 'My Final Song.' In 1945 Dusty became a regular performer and also wrote his first hit, 'When the Rain Tumbles Down In July.' In November 1946, the he hit the big time and in a Sydney, Australia, studio he recorded the six songs which would be released as his first three 78 rpm singles, starting with 'When The Rain Tumbles Down in July.' In 1952, he married a fellow country performer and songwriter named Joy McKean. In April 1957, Dusty already had a recording career of ten-plus years behind him when he was scheduled to record four more songs, but only three had been chosen. At the time, he was traveling with Gordon Parsons, who was singing a song he'd written based on a poem by Dan Shean. Later needing an extra song he asked Parsons if he could record his song, thinking it would make a good B-side for a song called 'Saddle Boy.' Parsons had no problem with that as to him, 'A Pub With No Beer' was just a novelty song. He was working months later in Queensland, Australia, when he was told that the B-side of his latest single had made the pop charts in Brisbane, Australia, and as time went on 'A Pub With No Beer' became the first ever Australian made single to reach the national #1 spot. The record went on to reach #3 in England, and also sold well in the United States. During his career Dusty won several awards including ones from the Tamworth Music Awards Golden Guitars to his Member of the British Empire medal. In September 2000, he was one of the Australian performers featured in the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games, where he was given the job of singing Australia's unofficial national anthem, 'Waltzin' Matilda.' In his career in total he won 35 Golden Guitars, the first Australian to have a Gold Record, more Gold and Platinum albums then any other Australian performer, Australian Recording Industry Awards (ARIA), including his introduction into the ARIA Hall of Fame, Gold and Platinum Video Sales, an MBE, Order of Australia for his services to entertainment, one of the earliest inducted to the Country Music Roll of Renown, 1999's Father of the Year, and Senior Australian of the Year 1999. In November 2001 Dusty was diagnosed with cancer when a cancerous tumor was found on his kidney. In June 2003 his cancer was once again diagnosed and on September 19, 2003, at the age of 76, he passed away. Dusty's other recordings include, 'Looking Forward Looking Back,' 'Never Was At All,' 'There's A Rainbow Over The Rock,' 'Matilda No More,' 'The Bloke Who Serves The Beer,' Paddy William,' 'Clean Up Our Own Backyard,' 'Old Time Country Songs,' 'Port Augusta,' 'Good Heavens Above,' 'Hooks And Ride,' 'Keela Valley Coals,' 'Memories And Dreams,' 'You Can Never Do Wrong In A Mother's Eye,' 'Paddy Gramp,' 'Big Frogs In Little Puddles,' 'The Old Rusty Bell,' 'Answer To The Old Rusty Bell,' 'Last Train To Nowhere,' 'The Wild Life You Lead,' 'Road Of Loneliness,' 'When It's Lamplighting Time In The Valley,' 'Down The Dusty Road,' 'Road Train Blues,' 'If Jesus Called You,' My Loves A Starnger,' 'Morning Mail,' Campfire Yarn,' 'Old Men's Home,' and 'West Of Winton,' among many others.