Smoky Dawson

His father, Parker Frederick Peter Brown (21 November 1884 – 1957), was a labourer of Irish descent; his mother, Olive "Amy" Muir (ca. 1880 – June 1919), was of Scottish descent.

His parents married in 1905, and they had five children, Leslie Muir Wood "Les" (1904–1920), Laura Olive Emily (1906–1941), Peter Frederick James (1908–1972), Herbert Henry "Herbie", and Edward Parker Peter "Ted" (aka Ted Dawson) (1915–1978).

The Browns initially lived in Melbourne and briefly moved to the rural area of Warrnambool.

His father, Parker, also worked in a dispensary, and had performed as a baritone under the name Frederick Parker, at the Bijou, a theatre in Melbourne.

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.

Smoky Dawson was born as Herbert Henry Brown on 19 March 1913 in Collingwood, Victoria.

Parker had studied as a medical student before serving in World War I. Parker Dawson enlisted in the Australian Army in June 1915 and fought at Gallipoli from October until January 1916 and also served in Borneo.

He was diagnosed with neurasthenia and was honourably discharged in August 1916 on medical grounds.

Dawson later remembered, "[m]y dad went to Gallipoli ... but unfortunately he suffered a lot from it and so did the family".

In June 1919 his mother, Amy, died of unspecified causes and the following year his brother, Les, died by drowning on Christmas Day.

By that time his father had remarried.

Smoky marched every year in the annual ANZAC day marches, right up until his death

Dawsons early life was unsettled, as his father Parker was prone to heavy drinking and violence, he repeatedly ran away from home after his beatings.

Once he was nearly choked to death, ran off and, after being caught, he was chained in a dog's tent by his father.

From the age of eight or nine he was "making up little ditties" which soothed him.

At about nine-years-old, Dawson was so severely beaten that he ran away from home again.

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.

It was administered by the Catholic Church's Christian Brothers, and Dawson was baptised in that faith and took the confirmation name, Aidan.

For school holidays he was sent to a farm in Eurack near Colac, run by the Carews.

He had learned to sing at the orphanage and Jack Carew taught him to play the harmonica and piano accordion.

At the age of thirteen Dawson left the orphanage to join his older brother, Peter, working on a farm at Stewarton (about 8 mi from Goorambat).

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".

In 1932 Smoky Dawson worked at a tannery and on weekends he played a lap steel guitar in a duo, The Coral Island Boys, with his younger brother, Ted, on Spanish guitar.

Both sang lead vocals, with Ted's singing described by Dawson as "a much richer voice than mine. He had more depth in his voice".

They performed then-popular songs, such as "Gee But I'm Lonesome for You Caroline" and "Southern Moon Keep on Shining".

In 1934, Dawson formed a Western group with an accordionist, a bass guitarist, and Malcolm on violin; which cut a test acetate at Fidelity Records with Jack Murray recording.

It was the first professional use of Dawson's nickname, "Smoky" – he had tried pipe smoking when living at Stewarton but it had sickened him.

The recording led to sponsorship by Pepsodent – a toothpaste company – and so the group were named, Smoky and the Pepsodent Rangers.

In 1935 they were the first Western group to be broadcast live on an Australian radio station, 3KZ, and by 1937 Dawson had his own radio show.

His show was re-broadcast into New South Wales on 2CH as "Hill-billy Artists" by "Smoky" Dawson and His Boys.

In 1939 upon the outbreak of the war he had attempted to enlist, but was rejected on medical grounds for a "bumpy heart".

In 1940, with Smoky Dawson's Five-Star Rangers, he would perform at soldier's socials.

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.

Dawson also met The Kelly Family, and wrote a ditty about Jim Kelly, the brother of Ned Kelly.

In 1941, he signed with Columbia Records, where he recorded his first commercial releases, including "I'm a Happy Go Lucky Cowhand" and "The Range in the Western Sky".

He also toured around Australia.

Dawson had used music as a way of comforting himself and during World War II he took this talent to boost the morale of others.