Australian country music is credited to Slim Dusty, who was born in 1927. The Google Doodle for today pays tribute to the legendary but now-deceased Australian country artist Slim Dusty. On June 13, 1927, David Gordon Kirkpatrick (better known as Slim Dusty) was born in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia. He rose to prominence in the country music industry.

When he was only 10 years old, in 1937, he recorded his first song, “The Way the Cowboy Dies,” which laid the groundwork for a great and lengthy musical career. He eventually took the name “Slim Dusty” since it seemed more appropriate for the singing cowboy style.

SLIM DUSTY: WHO IS SHE? Slim Dusty, an Australian country music performer who is often described as “typically Aussie,” is honored in today’s Google Doodle. He was raised on a dairy farm in Nulla Nulla Creek as the son of a cattle farmer. Kempsey is a coastal town in northern New South Wales.

Slim Dusty’s popularity as a country music performer was based on his ability to convey stories through song; he had a large collection of Australian “bush ballads,” including “G’Day G’day, Duncan” and “A Pub With No Beer,” which was his best-selling album.

WHAT IS the real name of Slim Dusty? The original name of Slim Dusty is David Gordon Kirkpatrick. After releasing his first cowboy song, “The Way the Cowboy Dies,” a year earlier, he then changed it to Slim Dusty as his stage name when he was 11 years old.

Slim Dusty grew up singing on a dairy ranch after being born in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia. HOW COME SLIM DUSTY IS POPULAR? “Walking out with your guitar and singing ‘Waltzing Matilda’ during the Sydney 2000 Olympics closing ceremony is a long way from Nulla Creek,” someone once said.

The daughter of Slim Dusty, Anne Kirkpatrick, used these lines to describe how her father throughout the course of his 76 years went from humble beginnings on a farm to becoming a well-known performer. Over the course of his career, Slim released more than 100 albums, sold more than seven million copies, and collected 38 Golden Guitars for country music.

In addition, the Royal Australian Mint produced a coin in his honor and he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1988. The honors didn’t end there, though; he was also named parent of the year, senior Australian of the year, artist of the decade, and achiever of the year by the Australia Council. In addition, in 1998, he was made an officer of the Order in Australia.

Along with his status, his signature look attracted notice, and in 1992, he visited Queen Elizabeth II in Brisbane while still sporting his signature cowboy hat. The Slim Dusty Centre stated, “He was given permission to keep his hat on, in recognition of how much the hat was a part of Slim Dusty.”

SLIM DUSTY DIED WHEN? On September 19, 2003, Slim Dusty passed away from kidney cancer at the age of 76. He reportedly died peacefully with his wife Joy, son David, and daughter Anne by his side at his Sydney home. Australian officials, including Prime Minister John Howard, Opposition Leader Simon Crean, and Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, attended a state funeral held in his honor to honor his legacy.

In his old years, Slim penned the following on the front cover of a book of poems by Henry Lawson that his wife gave him and referred to as “my Bible of the Bush”: “All my aspirations and ambitions are basically accomplished.” According to his daughter, “Becoming Slim Dusty was the ambition of an 11-year-old boy with tremendous natural skill and drive who found a kindred soul in my mother. Together, they realized his dream. We as a family are incredibly proud of what he accomplished.