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Smoky Dawson AM MBE (19 March 191313 February 2008) born as Herbert "Herb" Henry Brown, was an Australian born and bred country music performer, 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 American Gene Autry: Dawson had an extraordinarily long and prolific career, releasing his first single in 1941 and his last album in 2005, aged 92, making him the world's oldest recording artist (although now surpassed by the forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn). The Powerhouse Museum described him as "a singer, showman, songwriter, scriptwriter, knife and double-headed axe thrower and all round performer who has lived a long life entertaining audiences. Through his high-rating syndicated radio serials (at their height broadcast on 100 stations) television appearances, comic books and songs he created the persona of a happy-go-lucky singing cowboy". In 1985, he published his autobiography, ''Smoky Dawson: A Life''. He entertained fans and was a staple of the music industry, right up until his death in 2008, a month before his 95th birthday and marched annually in the national ANZAC day commemorations. ==Biography== Smoky Dawson was born as Herbert Henry Brown on 19 March 1913 in Collingwood, Victoria.〔 * Henry Herbert Brown born 1913, Collingwood, Registration No. 2726 * Parker Frederick Brown married Olive Amy Muir, 1905, Registration No. 6942 * Leslie Muir Woods born 1904, Northcote, Registration No. 12496 * Laura Olive Emily Brown born 1906, Melbourne West, Registration No. 20568 * Peter Frederick James Brown born 1908, Coburg, Registration No. 2311〕 His father, Parker Frederick Peter Brown (21 November 1884 – 1957), was a labourer of Irish descent;〔 * Parker Frederick Peter Brown born 1885, Footscray, Registration No. 2709〕〔 * Parker Brown died 1957, aged 72, Heidelberg, Registration No. 12431 * Laura Olive Emily Maxwell née Brown died 1941, aged 33, Mont Park, Registration No. 2231 * Peter Frederick Brown died 1972, aged 64, Box Hill, Registration No. 8913 * Edward Parker Dawson died 1978, aged 63, Parkville, Registration No. 6199〕 his mother, Olive "Amy" Muir (ca. 1880 – June 1919), was of Scottish descent.〔 * Olive Amy Brown died 1919, aged 39, Richmond, Registration No. 18833 * Leslie Muir Wood Brown died 1920, aged 17, Kangaroo Ground, Registration No. 14930 * Edward Parker Peter Brown born 1915, Brunswick North, Registration No. 1215〕 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 Brown, also worked in a dispensary,〔 and had performed as a baritone under the name, Frederick Parker, at the Bijou in Melbourne.〔 Parker had studied as a medical student before serving in World War I.〔〔 He enlisted in the Australian Army in June 1915 and fought at Gallipoli from October until January 1916.〔 He was diagnosed with neurasthenia and was discharged in August 1916 on medical grounds.〔 Dawson later remembered, "()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.〔 Parker was prone to heavy drinking and violence, Dawson 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 St. Vincent de Paul's Boys' Orphanage, South Melbourne.〔〔 It was administered by the Catholic Church's Christian Brothers, Dawson was baptised in that faith and took a confirmation name, Aidan.〔 For school holidays he was sent to a farm near Birregurra 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 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".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Smoky Dawson」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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