Smoky Dawson
Smoky Dawson AM, MBE (19 March 1913 – 13 February 2008), born as Herbert Henry Brown, was an Australian singer-songwriter and musician, who performed western and folk music with a tinge of country, he was a radio and television presenter, entertainer, and icon. He was widely touted as Australia's first singing cowboy complete with acoustic steel string guitar and yodel, in the style of Americans Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.[1]
Smoky Dawson
Herbert Henry Brown
Herbert Henry Dawson
19 March 1913
Collingwood, Victoria, Australia
13 February 2008 (aged 94)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Musician
- singer-songwriter
- guitarist
- radio presenter
- television presenter
1932–2005 (professionally[1])
Fidelity records , Columbia
Dawson had an extraordinarily long and prolific career, releasing his first single in 1941 and his last album in 2005, aged 92. Through his high-rating syndicated radio serials (at their height broadcast on 100 stations), The Adventures of Smoky Dawson, as well as television appearances, comic books and songs he created the persona of a happy-go-lucky singing cowboy.
Dawson did his own version of "Wild Colonial Boy", rewriting the words and music with American country singer Glen Campbell.[1]
Dawson also met The Kelly Family, and wrote a ditty about Jim Kelly, the brother of Ned Kelly.[1]
Family[edit]
Smoky Dawson was born as Herbert Henry Brown on 19 March 1913 in Collingwood, Victoria.[2][3] His father, Parker Frederick Peter Brown (21 November 1884 – 1957), was a labourer of Irish descent;[4][5][6] his mother, Olive "Amy" Muir (ca. 1880 – June 1919), was of Scottish descent.[7][8] His parents married in 1905,[2] and they had five children, Leslie Muir Wood "Les" (1904–1920),[2][8][9] Laura Olive Emily (1906–1941),[2][6] Peter Frederick James (1908–1972),[2][6] Herbert Henry "Herbie", and Edward Parker Peter "Ted" (aka Ted Dawson) (1915–1978).[2][8][7]
The Browns initially lived in Melbourne and briefly moved to the rural area of Warrnambool.[10] His father, Parker, also worked in a dispensary,[5][11] and had performed as a baritone under the name Frederick Parker, at the Bijou, a theatre in Melbourne.[7] Parker had studied as a medical student before serving in World War I.[5][10]
Parker Dawson enlisted in the Australian Army in June 1915 and fought at Gallipoli from October until January 1916 and also served in Borneo.[5] He was diagnosed with neurasthenia and was honourably discharged in August 1916 on medical grounds.[5] Dawson later remembered, "[m]y dad went to Gallipoli ... but unfortunately he suffered a lot from it and so did the family".[12] In June 1919 his mother, Amy, died of unspecified causes and the following year his brother, Les, died by drowning on Christmas Day.[9][7][13] By that time his father had remarried.[9] Smoky marched every year in the annual ANZAC day marches, right up until his death
Early life[edit]
Dawson's early life was unsettled, as his father Parker was prone to heavy drinking and violence, he repeatedly ran away from home after his beatings.[7] Once he was nearly choked to death, ran off and, after being caught, he was chained in a dog's tent by his father.[13] From the age of eight or nine he was "making up little ditties" which soothed him.[14] At about nine-years-old, Dawson was so severely beaten that he ran away from home again.[7] He travelled to his mother's family, the Muirs, in Melbourne and was sent, by a court order, to live for three years at the St. Vincent de Paul Boys' Orphanage, in South Melbourne.[7] It was administered by the Catholic Church's Christian Brothers, and Dawson was baptised in that faith and took the confirmation name, Aidan.[7] For school holidays he was sent to a farm in Eurack near Colac, run by the Carews.[7] He had learned to sing at the orphanage and Jack Carew taught him to play the harmonica and piano accordion.[7] At the age of thirteen Dawson left the orphanage to join his older brother, Peter, working on a farm at Stewarton (about 8 miles (13 km) from Goorambat).[7] Each Saturday night he would sing at the local town hall with a repertoire that included "Funiculi, Funicula", "Little Brown Cottage" and "Good Morning, Good Morning".[7]
The Adventures of Smoky Dawson radio show[edit]
Echoing US singing cowboy, Roy Rogers, on 8 December 1952 Dawson starred in his own radio show, The Adventures of Smoky Dawson, which stayed on the air for ten years until 1962.[14][30]
At its peak, Dawson's show was broadcast on 69 stations across the country. Dot also had her own radio shows for children. A related comic book of the same name was published from 1953 to 1962 and both featured "Dawson's persona [which] became 'Australia's favourite cowboy', with his faithful sidekick Jingles, his horse Flash and their young friend Billy fighting the evil outlaw Grogan, adhering to Smoky's 'code of the west', pausing for a song, a moral and sometimes a bowl of cornflakes, courtesy of the program's sponsor".[31] For the radio show Dawson provided "rendition[s] of a magpie, kookaburra, rooster, turkey, pig, cow, an impatient horse, a posse with bloodhounds (with the bandit being shot), a pack of dogs fighting and next door's dog howling in the middle of the night".[14] In 1957 he founded the Smoky Dawson Ranch on 26 acres (11 ha) farm at Ingleside as a venue to host country music shows, a horse riding school and a holiday camp for children.[10][13][15]
Television[edit]
In 1974 a TV series, Luke's Kingdom, was shot at Dawson's ranch.[32] The following year he featured on This Is Your Life hosted by Mike Willesee.[32]
In 1988 he appeared in two episodes of TV soap opera, A Country Practice, as a drifter, "Charlie McKeahnie", who passes through the fictional location of Wandin Valley and proposes to town gossip, "Esme Watson" (portrayed by Joyce Jacobs).[32] His performance was so popular with viewers that he made another appearance the following year. Dawson was a Freemason.[33]
Death[edit]
In his later years Smoky Dawson was diagnosed with arthritis, emphysema and two hernias. In June 2000 he was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver and had spinal injuries.[31] As of 2004 he and Dot presented a radio show on 2NSB and lived in Lane Cove, New South Wales. Herbert Henry "Smoky" Dawson died on 13 February 2008 after a short illness, aged 94.[22] He was survived by his wife, Florence "Dot" Dawson, an elocutionist, radio actress and presenter, who died on 27 October 2010 at 104 years of age.[34] In a 2005 interview Dawson indicated how he would like to be remembered, "Ah well, just as Herb. Just as one who's tried his best, he's carried out, lover of his country and always thought about the good things in life. Being honest and true to yourself, the main thing, true to yourself. And ah, I think to be remembered as an old friend".[22]