What do you think?
Rate this book
I've Been There (and Back Again): Slim Dusty & Joy McKean's Lifetime of Travel, Stories and Songs. The Travelling Still Edition
'many miles of memories, laughs and tears...a legendary chapter in Australian music, in grand style' COURIER-MAILSlim Dusty and Joy McKean came together through their shared passion for country music and their love of taking their show on the road. Their marriage of more than fifty years is celebrated as the most successful partnership in the history of Australian music. Slim Dusty’s record sales have topped seven million, and he and Joy have each received the music industry’s most esteemed awards.Now, through her own very personal stories and songs that she and Slim wrote, Joy describes their pioneering decades of life on the road, from the old showgrounds of the 1950s to the grand theatres of the big cities, the old-time halls of country Australia and some of the most remote areas of the continent. She also tells of the people they met along the way and of the family they gathered around them – both their own children, Anne and David, and the many people with whom they travelled and performed.This beautifully illustrated edition also includes photographs from acclaimed Australian photographer, John Elliott.Part memoir, part songbook, I’ve Been There (and Back Again) is the story of a grand country music love affair. It is also the story of a brilliant woman who, hand in hand with her man, wrote the songs that Australians call their own.Joy's new memoir, RIDING THIS ROAD, will be available 29 April 2014.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Joy McKean
3 booksMildred Geraldine Joy Kirkpatrick OAM, known by her stage name of Joy McKean, was an Australian country music singer-songwriter and wife and manager of Slim Dusty.
McKean wrote many of her husband Slim Dusty's most famous songs and won the first Golden Guitar award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival for the song 'Lights on the Hill'.
Her musical partnership with Slim, in which she was his manager, produced over 100 albums, sold over eight million albums and earned 45 Golden Guitars.
She has previously been described by Paul Kelly as "one of our greatest songwriters", while Troy Cassar-Daley called her "a national treasure".
Her daughter is country singer and musician Anne Kirkpatrick. - Wikipedia
McKean wrote many of her husband Slim Dusty's most famous songs and won the first Golden Guitar award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival for the song 'Lights on the Hill'.
Her musical partnership with Slim, in which she was his manager, produced over 100 albums, sold over eight million albums and earned 45 Golden Guitars.
She has previously been described by Paul Kelly as "one of our greatest songwriters", while Troy Cassar-Daley called her "a national treasure".
Her daughter is country singer and musician Anne Kirkpatrick. - Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 13, 2018
You don't have to be a country music fan to get a lot from this book. Any writer or songwriter or poet can learn a lot from Joy McKean's authentic voice.
This is the story of a talented musician and songwriter who married Slim Dusty, one of Australian's most famous musicians. Together they were the Johnny Cash and June Carter of Australian country music (without the boozy scandals of course) made a unrivalled contribution to the Australian music industry. But this isn't a book of bragging and name dropping, it's a humble and honest journey of a wife, mother, artist, and woman. Joy McKean.
The book is more than a biography and memoir though. As a songwriter and poet, Joy presents 26 of the songs they [Joy and Slim] wrote and performed and uses them to build a sincere narrative of their life on the road as travelling musicians. Working through each of the songs a story unfolds of her husband's burning desire for success; his strength in saying no to family expectations to pursue his goals; joining forces as a musical acts, her own character as a mother raising children on the road; the dedication to her art; their steady progress as artists, eventually reaching the pinnacle of Australian music success.
Joy speaks about each of her songs with love and takes the reader (with plenty of photographs along the way) back to the places where those songs were written. Not just the physical places, but the places in her heart too. There's a lot to be learned from her creative process and (if you are a Slim Dusty fan) those songs will generate a lot more meaning next time you listen to them.
This is a book about a time now past, working on the road in outback Australia from the 40s-80s. Dirt roads, pubs, crowds, circuses, hardship. All the things this amazing family did to make music their living and the incredible life they created. Students of success can learn a lot about the stamina, perseverance and passion required to really make it.
The only reason I didn't mark this book 5/5 is because of a hardware issue (nothing to do wth the writing). The kindle version is a bit hard to use. The content has obviously been copied from the print book and made into an eBook. Because of this the zoom feature doesn't work well and sometimes the content locks up and you have to close kindle completely then reopen to keep reading. The table of contents doesn't work either.
The content however was 5/5, buy the print book.
This is the story of a talented musician and songwriter who married Slim Dusty, one of Australian's most famous musicians. Together they were the Johnny Cash and June Carter of Australian country music (without the boozy scandals of course) made a unrivalled contribution to the Australian music industry. But this isn't a book of bragging and name dropping, it's a humble and honest journey of a wife, mother, artist, and woman. Joy McKean.
The book is more than a biography and memoir though. As a songwriter and poet, Joy presents 26 of the songs they [Joy and Slim] wrote and performed and uses them to build a sincere narrative of their life on the road as travelling musicians. Working through each of the songs a story unfolds of her husband's burning desire for success; his strength in saying no to family expectations to pursue his goals; joining forces as a musical acts, her own character as a mother raising children on the road; the dedication to her art; their steady progress as artists, eventually reaching the pinnacle of Australian music success.
Joy speaks about each of her songs with love and takes the reader (with plenty of photographs along the way) back to the places where those songs were written. Not just the physical places, but the places in her heart too. There's a lot to be learned from her creative process and (if you are a Slim Dusty fan) those songs will generate a lot more meaning next time you listen to them.
This is a book about a time now past, working on the road in outback Australia from the 40s-80s. Dirt roads, pubs, crowds, circuses, hardship. All the things this amazing family did to make music their living and the incredible life they created. Students of success can learn a lot about the stamina, perseverance and passion required to really make it.
The only reason I didn't mark this book 5/5 is because of a hardware issue (nothing to do wth the writing). The kindle version is a bit hard to use. The content has obviously been copied from the print book and made into an eBook. Because of this the zoom feature doesn't work well and sometimes the content locks up and you have to close kindle completely then reopen to keep reading. The table of contents doesn't work either.
The content however was 5/5, buy the print book.
April 19, 2013
This is one for fans of Slim Dusty and Joy McKean. It is Joy's story of their lives and travels together put into context by the lyrics of some of their songs.
It is interesting to read the stories behind some of their songs and the book is illustrated with many photos of Slim, Joy, the family and other friends - also the beautiful Australian countryside.
It is interesting to read the stories behind some of their songs and the book is illustrated with many photos of Slim, Joy, the family and other friends - also the beautiful Australian countryside.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews