ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Somebody, sometime ago raised the subject of Oz music. I seem to remember that some thought it a good idea while others had strong objections. I am not trying to cause a stir but while dancing elegantly with my companion recently the melody being played kept interfering with my concentration and did cause me to tread upon my partner's toe. It was not until a couple of revs around the brain that I started to sing 'Little Boy Fishing off a Wooden Pier, come fish, bite fish, swim along here..' I could not get home quickly enough to hit the Net and listen to Shirley Abicair, a voice I have not heard for a very long time.
Is any musical lad or lass interested in continuing this discussion?
Ian.

I have no idea what you are talking about, Ian, but it sounds interesting.

I'm not sure why this post is on public noticeboard. Maybe the moderator could move it to a better place ( Remember When ? ).

The reference is a bit far back for the youngish gen. Anyway Ian. I remember Shirley Abicair. She is apparently still around at age about 85.
Shirley Abicair , I remember she used to appear on the little black & white TV in the 1950s strumming a zither and singing Skip to My Lou. Wouldn't make it now to top ten in Rage , I fear.

Shirley Abicair was the singer who performed the theme song in the 1956 Australian movie " Smiley "
A bit of trivia which just may mean something to the youngies, the little boy who starred in Smiley,
Colin Peterson, later became the drummer for the Bee Gees band.

'Day Neville,
Thanks for that information about Shirley Abicair and yes perhaps this could have been better placed so if it is relocated I won't mind. Yes it goes back to the days before the advertising companies were organised and we used to get nice musical clips of Lional Long, Nina and Frederick and others to fill in the time.

'Day Stephen,
What brought this on was looking for songs to sing to my grandson. Perhaps Neville also knows 'Never, Never' composed by Lett Katts in 1945 (in the film Dimboola), I have the words to this but unless I go to the Mitchell Library I have no chance of looking at the music. One more from the memory bank is I think 'Storybook Horse' -

'Get on your storybook horse, put on your story book spurs'

I find no trace at all of this one and I am not sure of its origins but I do remember it and I don't understand why these three songs - all suitable for general exhibition - have not been sung by anyone.

A good New Year All
Ian.

Plenty of Shirley Abicair on YouTube, but it's not a name I had heard until now. What do you mean that some had strong objections to Oz music, Ian?

("Tell the Truth" 1963 is pretty cute.)

Shirley Abicair was Australian and after some success here she went to England where she was a star. I served with her father in the RAAF. He was a quite famous Wing Commander, though not a pilot.
Shirley was probably one of the very first "modern" Australian musical artists to succeed in Britain and I think she had her own television show there.
She was billed as the "Zither Girl."

Correction made Vic.

Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4dyJl5vdrc

Hi Stephen,
It goes back a few years but I seem to remember that someone brought up the subject of music once before and someone asserted that this was a poetry site.
Perhaps another member can recall the conversation.
Ian.

Well, if we can talk about fishing, I don't see why we can't talk about music! (Some people…!)