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I Never Cried For Elvis But I Shed a Tear for Slim.

Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 5:35 pm
by thestoryteller
I Never Cried For Elvis but I Shed a Tear for Slim


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msf8XKjdujc

These lyrics were written just after Slim Died on the 19th September 2003. I had been watching Geraldine Doogue do the commentary during his funeral and she received an email from an elderly lady who commented, I never cried for Elvis but I shed a tear for Slim.

I first saw Slim at the Bowen Show and he had a whip cracker with him. Kids from the audience helped him with his tricks and then he asked who wanted to earn threepence and I eagerly volunteered. I remember it sitting on my tongue and my standing there with my eyes closed and then the loud crack of the whip. I had to go home and change my undies. But I did get the threepence.

Years later I met Slim at the Tooloombilla Rodeo and went to his show in Roma, then in the 90’s when I began going to the Tamworth Country Music Festival. I recorded this song on my first EP, “The Bushman and the Balladeer’ and released it at Lake Cooroibah Music Jamboree in November 2004 and in 2006 on the ‘From Bard to Balladeer’ CD. Due to its popularity we included it on the ‘Bush Ballads and Verse’ album in 2010.

Not So Dusty I - the search is over... the final tracks have been found

The Nulla Records search for the final track for inclusion on the long awaited sequel to the gold selling 1998 Not So Dusty album is over… and yesterday the album was sent off for mastering.

Nulla recently had invited Slim fans to submit their Slim Dusty tributes in a search to hopefully find a suitable track to fill the final spot on the new Slim tribute album Not So Dusty II (The Bushies Tribute to Slim Dusty).

It turned out to be a really tough decision for the Nulla Records judging panel (Joy McKean very cleverly abstained from being a part of this brave group!) as the label was totally overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of the entries that turned up.

It was a diverse mix of covers of Slim's classics and song tributes to Slim that fans had written and recorded over the years since Slim's passing in 2003.

A representative from Nulla said, "We were all a bit taken aback to be honest, we sort of expected to receive 10 or 20 tracks max.… not 50 or 60!!. It was a really nice surprise to receive so many but the large number of entries and the high standard of so many of them made it impossible for us to pick just one track.

"In fact, we could have easily picked another 20 of them… we even discussed the possibility of doing a fan tribute album next… that is still a possibility sometime in the future."

Consequently, it was decided that TWO fan tracks could be squeezed on to the album rather than just the one track originally intended. One of the tracks selected would be a cover version and the second an original Slim tribute song.

Nulla Records are thrilled to now officially announce that the two artists/songs selected to be the special bonus inclusions on the Not So Dusty II album are :

Merv Webster - I never cried for Elvis but I shed a tear for Slim
Brade - When the Rain Tumbles Down in July

Congratulations to both artists... Merv what a song title and what a special tribute song for Slim! Merv has spent quite a few hot days over the years busking on Peel Street as a part of the Tamworth Festival but of late has been building quite a profile touring his bush poetry show. Congratulations also go to the young Queensland duo Brade. Bre and Jade have combined to create a truly fresh version of the very first song Slim ever wrote. Nulla wish to thank all the artists that sent in their wonderful tributes to Slim... we wish we could have included all of them.

NOT SO DUSTY II #The Bushie's Tribute To Slim Dusty#

To be released on CD & Digital Download January 13, 2012.

There will also be a special Not So Dusty II Show #A Bushies Tribute to Slim# happening on Friday, January 27 #starting at 7pm# at the Bush Balladeers Homestead as a part of the 2012 Tamworth Country Music Festival.


It was a privilege to be able to sing two of my songs on the show.