Verandah Music
An Australian tradition ...
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
OLD DAD ADAMS, BERT LLOYD, TEX MORTON AND ALL… THE CURIOUS HISTORY OF BILL BRINK
AUNTY DAWN SMITH – VERANDAH MUSIC BOURKE STYLE
Here’s a taste of how they sing and play around Bourke, NSW. Aunty Dawn plays guitar and sings in the Australian country style. One the first video she performs ‘Tall Dark Man in the Saddle’ and on the second, with the vocal contribution of Chris Woodland, ‘Annabelle’.
Aunty Dawn is a long-standing friend of Chris Woodland who many years ago worked on stations in the Bourke area and formed firm friendships with many of the local Indigenous people. He met Aunty Dawn in the early days and they have remained in touch ever since. Aunty taught Chris the song, Annabelle.
These field recordings were made by Rob Willis, John Harpley and Chris Woodland in October, 2017. Enjoy.
Tall Dark Man in the Saddle https://youtu.be/l_yyRUnK0N0
Annabelle https://youtu.be/_Ie4u2LVsMk
Friday, May 2, 2025
TRACKING CROOKED MICK – THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A BUSH LEGEND
We've published a short article that tracks the origins and development of the legend of Crooked Mick and the Speech on the blog at
Thursday, April 3, 2025
IMMORTAL - A Video Commemoration and Celebration
Bruce Watson has released his outstanding commemoration to those whose legacy is the basis of the Australian folk scene. Below is Bruce's introduction to the video and you can view it at
https://sites.google.com/view/immortalfolk
After 15 months and hundreds of hours of work, I am proud to announce that the ‘Immortal’ video is now completed and available to view!
‘Immortal’ remembers and celebrates the extraordinarily talented people who have made a significant contribution to Australia’s folk scene over the decades – but who are no longer with us. People who have played a key role in expressing, and defining Australia’s changing cultural identity, and who have left a lasting legacy through their music, inspiration, knowledge and passion; performers, songwriters, collectors and inspirers.
Photos, video and audio capture their lives and their creative cultural contribution, providing an opportunity for remembering, and giving inspiration to the next generation.
Some early reactions:
- BRILLIANT! A cultural treasure of incalculable value. I am moved almost beyond words. (Phyl Lobl)
- Wow! What a wonderful video! Brilliant photos, brought back some great memories. (Martyn Wyndham-Read)
- An amazing project! What an emotional journey! How lucky are the present generation to have this wonderful tribute. (Kate Delaney)
Thanks to the Troubadour Foundation for supporting this project with a grant.
I’d love you to have a look, click Like, and comment on the video. And please share it with anyone you know who might be interested in it.
To watch the video, go to this website: https://sites.google.com/view/immortalfolk
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
DANCING WITH A CONCERTINA (as well as a person)
Tony Smith as written a piece on music making as portrayed in Eve Langley's classic novel, The Pea-Pickers (1942). The focus is on the intriguing custom of playing a concertina while whirling your partner around the dance floor. What fun!
You can read Tony's article here https://verandahmusic.blogspot.com/p/articles.html
Thursday, March 13, 2025
FOLKSONG BANNED 1949!
'The Foggy, Foggy, Dew' has been banned by the Australian Broadcasting Commission and the Federation of Commercial Broadcasting Stations. The song was featured in the film 'Smoky.' Brisbane radio stations have recordings which have been played on the air. They are by the American singer Burl Ives.The A.B.C. director of variety (Mr. H. Pringle) said in Sydney that although the song was good technically, it had suggestive implications. The president of the Australian Federation of Commercial Broadcasting Stations (Mr. J. E. Ridley) said that although the song was melodious, the words were 'a bit over the fence.'
Thursday, January 30, 2025
AUSTRALIAN BUSH MUSIC RESOURCE
Saturday, November 23, 2024
A RAMBLING IRISH SINGER DOWNUNDER
Patrick Tayleur in later life at the New York World's Fair in 1940, where he displayed his model sailing ships.
He walked from Brisbane to Perth – and further. It was just as the great depression was getting under way that rambling Irishman, Patrick Tayleur, washed up in Australia looking for a job.
As well as this impressive feat of pedestrianism, Tayleur was a singer and, it seems, a composer of folk ballads. With several stints at sea in sailing ships he had a solid repertoire of shanties. But he is of particular Verandah Music interest because he also had a range of specifically Australian songs. We know most of this because the American collector, William Main Doerflinger, recorded Tayleur’s songs.
You can read all about this remarkable man’s life, his songs, and even hear him singing a few at
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2024/11/the-one-that-found-galore-patrick-tayluer-in-australia/
where folklorist Stephen Winick presents an impressive piece of research into Tayleur’s life and times for the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
(Thanks to Rob Willis)
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
BUSH BAND – OR BEACH BAND?
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Sounds Like Australia
https://www.outbackmag.com.au/sounds-like-australia/
Article about the collecting odyssey of Rob and Ollie Willis in Outback magazine. We featured this work in a previous post at
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2138391645827947224/2607229772787880325
And there is more information at
https://verandahmusic.blogspot.com/p/the-willis-collection-of-life-stories.html