Family reunion hits the road

Born into a family of country musicians, it was inevitable that Anne Kirkpatrick, daughter of the legendary Slim Dusty, would establish herself as a successful artist in her own right.

But as she and three generations of the family are about to embark on a Slim Dusty reunion tour, she said without the contributions of her late father the whole idea would not have even been possible.

“He would have been so chuffed to see us all playing together,” she said of the touring ensemble which includes Slim’s wife Joy McKean and son David Kirkpatrick, as well as his two children Kate and James Arneman.

“He would have just been itching to get out on the road with us if he was still around, but I know that he’ll be there in spirit feeling so proud that we are carrying on the tradition,” Anne said.

The tour, which kicks off on July 3, will feature songs from the hugely successful Slim Dusty Family reunion album and also some of Slim’s biggest hits, something that Anne said would be sure to please fans.

“It is a great opportunity for the fans to reconnect with Slim through the family. We will also be showing archival never-before-seen footage from Slim and Joy’s early touring videos,” she said.

Anne said her mother Joy was the “driving force” behind the tour after the family had began to express interest in recording a family album not long after Slim Dusty’s death in 2003.

“She really made it all come together,” she said. “We all love country music that much that even though some of us have other pursuits we are all still really involved in music. Everyone kept saying to me ‘why isn’t the family out touring?’ and Mum rang Slim’s old record producer and that really got the ball rolling.”

The family, who will appear at Nambour Civic Centre on July 10, have also managed to secure Slim Dusty’s legendary Travelling Country Band something that Anne said was extremely important.

“The band was treated as family by Slim’s fans as well and it is also important to get that authentic sound,” Anne said.

“Even though we are using traditional elements from Slim’s performances the show is also moving forward and is our take on the heritage of the music and the passing of country music through the generations,” she said.

Anne, who has been travelling with her parents on tour since the age of two, said it was a natural development that she and her family would end up in the music game themselves and said she sees the tour as a great way to honour Slim’s contribution to country music.

“The outpouring of affection that the family received since my Dad passed away made me realise how much he was part of the fabric of so many people’s lives in Australia. With three generations of family performing it really is quite a unique touring concept,” she said.

Slim Dusty Family Reunion will perform at Nambour Civic Centre on Thursday. Tickets are $25-$49 and for more information, call 5475 7755.