March 2008 – A COWBOY RIDES ON
March 1st, 2008
Remembering the legend of Smoky Dawson (1913-2008) on the Web…
The Australian Biography Online is a “web-based biographical resource profiling some of the most extraordinary Australians of our time”. As they so rightly claim…”A nation’s story is reflected in the lives of its people and these are the stories of our distinguished elders – told in their own words”. The site is an outstanding archive that provides in-depth profiles of “remarkable individuals who have had a major impact on our cultural, political and social life”. Amongst them is a marvellous section on SMOKY DAWSON which includes video highlights from the time he was interviewed for Film Australia’s Australian Biography series (in 1994) and also the full text transcript of the staggering six hour (plus) unedited interview. There are links to other articles, a study-guide for educational purposes and in a wonderful initiative designed to help users with slower connections, the entire contents of the section are provided in a choice of two downloadable files for offline viewing.
At the History of Country Music in Australia website you can read the ‘Tribute to Smoky’ (and Dot,
“…Two brilliant people working as one, supporting and complimenting each other and together creating the legend that is Smoky Dawson…”)
that was presented at the 2003 CMAA Industry Achiever Awards by Max Ellis. Pictured here are Smoky and his beloved Dot with Kasey Chambers (centre) celebrating on that night (photo Copyright ©2003 Bob Howe).
Over at the Australian Country Music Foundation site you can read more about Smoky, including the inscription from plaque on the Roll of Renown. A Google search of “Smoky Dawson” will lead you to a huge variety of news reports, tributes, a Saturday Night Country MP3 interview, YouTube videos and be sure to check out the wonderful photos at the Picture Australia site, which has a search engine that brings together images from various collections including the State and National Libraries. The National Film and Sound Archive also contains a wealth of audiovisual material that can be browsed via its website.
We hope you are enjoying our video snippets from the 2008 Tamworth Festival here at Cowboys In Cyberspace. You’ll find a selection of exclusive clips above including the Golden Guitar winners, Gina Jeffreys ‘Walk of Life’ Leukemia Foundation fundraiser, Toyota Star Maker Talia Wittmann getting the keys to her car, the Barry Thornton Memorial Bust unveiling, the Cavalcade and much more. There is also footage of the Rhinestone Cowboy himself, GLEN CAMPBELL at his Sydney press conference the following week, singing and talking about his recent shows with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, his early career as a session guitarist, Keith Urban and more.
Until next time, happy surfing!
Bob talked to Barbara Morison on 2SER 107.3 FM about this month’s column and more…
