Legends join honoured list
By Rebecca Gracie
T wo legends of Australian country music
will have their names immortalised on the Roll of Renown this year.
At Saturday's Roll of Renown Concert, Lindsay Butler and Kevin King were named as the newest inductees
onto the roll.
"It was a bit of a shock", Lindsay Butler said.
"I thought I was coming [to the concert] to present a radio award but it was a nice surprise.
"This means a lot to me as I've worked with the big majority of the people already there. It's one of the highest honours
in the Australian country music industry."
Lindsay is one of Australia's leading country guitar players and record producers. His professional career began when he
toured with Athol McCoy. Since then, he has played with all the greats from Slim Dusty, Buddy Williams and Gordon Parsons
to Rex Dallas, Brian Young, Stan Coster and Barry Thotnton.
Kevin King was equally humbled by his induction.
"I came here [the concert] because they wanted me to come and tell a story of the old days in country music the 1950s.
I'm the last of the dinosaurs," he said.
This is the biggest and most important event in my life as it's the pinnacle of the country music road in Australia.
God bless Australia and long live country music."
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Through the 1950s and 1960s, Kevin featured in a number of high
profile touring shows including the Reg Lindsay and Slim Dusty Shows and as a key figure in the All Star Western Show
with the likes of Rick and Thel Carey, Chad Morgan and Nev Nicholls.
The two men will have their plaques mounted on the Roll of Renown on Tuesday, January 23 at 10.30am outside the
Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre.
HONOURED and humbled: Lindsay Butler and Kevin KIng with their Roll of
Renown induction certificates.
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'Music for the average man'
Country music star Kevin King relaxes at home on the Coast after being honoured by his peers at Tamworth.
The heat hit country music star Kevin King like a brick wall when he stepped off the plane in Papua New Guinea with
Slim Dusty.
It was the 1970s and thousands of locals has pushed up against the cyclone fence to catch a glimpse of the country music
star and his entourage.
But things got off to a bad start.
"Slim went out and started to sing and nothing was happening," Kevin said.
"I noticed he hadn't taken his Akubra out so I picked it up and took it out to him on stage and said 'you forgot your hat,
mate'.
"As soon as he put it on they went crazy, because knew him by the hat."
It's just one tale in a lifetime of yarns Kevin King has collected since he shot to fame with the song,
Rub-a-dub-dub. in
1952.
Last month he added yet another story when he was awarded the highest honour at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, with
his induction to the Country Music Roll of Renown - a list which also included Slim Dusty and his original idol, Tex
Morton.
Even before he was given a guitar for winning a Sydney radio talent quest as an 18-year-old, Kevin knew he wanted to play
country music.
"I started out when I heard Tex Morton singing his song Rocky Ned on the radio," he said.
"I was nine years old and hit me like a tonne of bricks.
"Some people become born again Christians. Well I was born again country mucis after that."
The 75-year-old may have hung up his touring boots and settled for a quiter life on Kawana Island with wife Patricia but
the country music industry hasn't forgotten him.
"There were fellas I hadn't seen for 30 years coming and slapping me on the back and people were crying, it was very
emational," he said.
Times may have changed, but for Kevin the simple honesty of country music remains the same.
"It's about the average man and that's what's appealing," he said.
"We're not all living in mansions in the sky.
"Broken romances, broken hearts, it's all what human emotion goes through.
"That's human nature, you know, and that's what country music is all about; the human race."
-Toby Walker
"Always playing country music": Kevin King (centre)
and his group on stage in the early days of what became
a lifelong career.
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Yet another well deserved award, this time we Congratulate Kevin and Trevor Day on being voted "Best Group or Duo at "The 2008 Gidgee
Coal Bush Ballad Awards" for the Trevor Day composition "Do It Over Again"
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Congratulations Kevin this award was long overdue, you are a very deserving recipient.
You and your lovely wife Pat are very special people, the fact you are both dedicated South Sydney Rabbitoh supporters helps
a lot as well. LOL.
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