Smoky Dawson (19 March 191313 February 2008), born as Herbert Henry Brown, was an Australian singer-songwriter and musician, who performed western and folk music with a tinge of country, he was a radio and television presenter and entertainer. He was widely touted as Australia's first singing

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

complete with acoustic steel string guitar and yodel, in the style of Americans

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

and

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), nicknamed the King of the Cowboys, was an American singer, actor, television host, and Rodeo, rodeo performer. Following early work under his given name, first as a c ...

. Dawson had an extraordinarily long and prolific career, having begun performing professionally in 1932 and releasing his last album in 2005, aged 92. Through his high-rating syndicated radio serials (at their height broadcast on 100 stations), ''The Adventures of Smoky Dawson'', as well as television appearances, comic books and songs he created the persona of a happy-go-lucky singing cowboy. Dawson did his own version of the western standard "

Wild Colonial Boy "The Wild Colonial Boy" (Roud 677, Laws L20) is a traditional anonymously penned Irish-Australian folk ballad that tells the story of a bushranger in early colonial Australia who dies during a gunfight with local police. Versions of the ballad ...

", rewriting the words and music with American country singer

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

. Dawson also met The Kelly Family, and wrote a ditty about Jim Kelly, the brother of

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 185411 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader, bank robber and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing armour of the Kelly gang, a suit of bulletproof ...

Family

Dawson was born as Herbert Henry Brown on 19 March 1913 in Collingwood,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. * Henry Herbert Brown born 1913, Collingwood, Registration No. 2726 * Parker Frederick Brown married Olive Amy Muir, 1905, Registration No. 6942 * Leslie Muir Woods born 1904, Northcote, Registration No. 12496 * Laura Olive Emily Brown born 1906, Melbourne West, Registration No. 20568 * Peter Frederick James Brown born 1908, Coburg, Registration No. 2311 His father, Parker Frederick Peter Brown (21 November 1884 – 1957), was a

labourer A laborer ( or labourer) is a person who works in manual labor typed within the construction industry. There is a generic factory laborer which is defined separately as a factory worker. Laborers are in a working class of wage-earners in which ...

Irish descent The Irish ( or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been continually inhab ...

; * Parker Frederick Peter Brown born 1885, Footscray, Registration No. 2709 * Parker Brown died 1957, aged 72, Heidelberg, Registration No. 12431 * Laura Olive Emily Maxwell née Brown died 1941, aged 33, Mont Park, Registration No. 2231 * Peter Frederick Brown died 1972, aged 64, Box Hill, Registration No. 8913 * Edward Parker Dawson died 1978, aged 63, Parkville, Registration No. 6199 his mother, Olive "Amy" Muir (ca. 1880 – June 1919), was of

Scottish descent Scottish people or Scots (; ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded the Kingdom of Scotland (or ...

. * Olive Amy Brown died 1919, aged 39, Richmond, Registration No. 18833 * Leslie Muir Wood Brown died 1920, aged 17, Kangaroo Ground, Registration No. 14930 * Edward Parker Peter Brown born 1915, Brunswick North, Registration No. 1215 His parents married in 1905, and they had five children, Leslie Muir Wood "Les" (1904–1920), Laura Olive Emily (1906–1941), Peter Frederick James (1908–1972), Herbert Henry "Herbie", and Edward Parker Peter "Ted" (aka Ted Dawson) (1915–1978). The Browns initially lived in Melbourne and briefly moved to the rural area of

Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...

. His father, Parker, also worked in a

dispensary A dispensary is an office in a school, hospital, industrial plant, or other organization that dispenses medications, medical supplies, and in some cases even medical and dental treatment. In a traditional dispensary set-up, a pharmacist dispense ...

, and had performed as a baritone under the name Frederick Parker, at the Bijou, a theatre in Melbourne. Parker had studied as a medical student before serving in World War I. Parker Dawson enlisted in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

in June 1915 and fought at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

from October until January 1916 and also served in Borneo. He was diagnosed with

neurasthenia Neurasthenia ( and () 'weak') is a term that was first used as early as 1829 for a mechanical weakness of the nerves. It became a major diagnosis in North America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries after neurologist Georg ...

and was honourably discharged in August 1916 on medical grounds. Dawson later remembered, " dad went to Gallipoli ... but unfortunately he suffered a lot from it and so did the family". In June 1919 his mother, Amy, died of unspecified causes and the following year his brother, Les, died by drowning on Christmas Day. By that time his father had remarried. Smoky marched every year in the annual

Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

marches, right up until his death

Early life

Dawson's early life was unsettled, as his father Parker was prone to heavy drinking and violence, he repeatedly ran away from home after his beatings. Once he was nearly choked to death, ran off and, after being caught, he was chained in a dog's tent by his father. From the age of eight or nine he was "making up little ditties" which soothed him. At about nine-years-old, Dawson was so severely beaten that he ran away from home again. He travelled to his mother's family, the Muirs, in Melbourne and was sent, by a court order, to live for three years at the

St. Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, Congregation of the Mission, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was an Occitans, Occitan French Priesthood in the Catholic Church, Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving ...

Boys' Orphanage, in

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...

. It was administered by the Catholic Church's Christian Brothers, and Dawson was baptised in that faith and took the

confirmation name In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on of hands. Catholicis ...

, Aidan. For school holidays he was sent to a farm in Eurack near Colac, run by the Carews. He had learned to sing at the orphanage and Jack Carew taught him to play the harmonica and piano accordion. At the age of thirteen Dawson left the orphanage to join his older brother, Peter, working on a farm at Stewarton (about from Goorambat). Each Saturday night he would sing at the local town hall with a repertoire that included " Funiculi, Funicula", "Little Brown Cottage" and "Good Morning, Good Morning".

Music and performing career

In 1932 Smoky Dawson worked at a tannery and on weekends he played a

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar or lap slide guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of pla ...

in a duo, The Coral Island Boys, with his younger brother, Ted, on Spanish guitar. Both sang lead vocals, with Ted's singing described by Dawson as "a much richer voice than mine. He had more depth in his voice". They performed then-popular songs, such as "Gee But I'm Lonesome for You Caroline" and "Southern Moon Keep on Shining". In 1934, Dawson formed a Western group with an accordionist, a bass guitarist, and Malcolm on violin; which cut a test acetate at Fidelity Records with Jack Murray recording. It was the first professional use of Dawson's nickname, "Smoky" – he had tried pipe smoking when living at Stewarton but it had sickened him. The recording led to sponsorship by

Pepsodent Pepsodent is an American brand of toothpaste with the minty flavor that is derived from sassafras. The brand was purchased by Unilever in 1942 and is still owned by the company outside of the United States and Canada. In 2003, Unilever sold the ...

– a toothpaste company – and so the group were named, Smoky and the Pepsodent Rangers. In 1935 they were the first Western group to be broadcast live on an Australian radio station,

3KZ GOLD104.3 (call sign: 3KKZ) is a radio station broadcasting in Melbourne, Australia. It is part of ARN Media's Gold Network and broadcasts on the 104.3 MHz frequency. History 3KZ 3KZ commenced operations on 8 December 1930. The radio station ...

, and by 1937 Dawson had his own radio show. His show was re-broadcast into New South Wales on 2CH as "Hill-billy Artists" by "Smoky" Dawson and His Boys. In 1941, he signed with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, where he recorded his first commercial releases, including "I'm a Happy Go Lucky Cowhand" and "The Range in the Western Sky". He also toured around Australia. Dawson had used music as a way of comforting himself and during World War II he took this talent to boost the morale of others. In 1939 upon the outbreak of the war he had attempted to enlist, but was rejected on medical grounds for a "bumpy heart". In 1940, with Smoky Dawson's Five-Star Rangers, he would perform at soldier's socials. In 1941 when the Japanese forces approached Australia, he enlisted as a non-combatant nursing orderly and was commandeered by the First Australian Army Entertainment Unit. On 13 March 1944, while still in the army, he married Florence "Dot" Cheers (12 October 190627 October 2010), an elocution teacher – they had met nine years earlier when both worked in radio. '' Western Mail''s Louis Clark, described Dawson as an "Australian outback songster" and the unit as "an array of genius". Aside from music, Dawson would also perform at rodeos, circuses and country shows demonstrating his skill at knife-throwing using machetes, commando knives, tomahawks, or two-edged axes. By October 1949, Dawson had recorded about 60 tracks from his songbook of 280 tunes – all of them "have a cowboy setting—with a dash of romance". Dawson travelled around Australia for eight months a year while Dot remained behind as Auntie June on her own radio show for 3KZ. In March 1951 Dawson, as a cowboy entertainer, narrated a documentary film, directed by

Rudall Hayward Rudall Charles Victor Hayward (4 July 1900 – 29 May 1974) was a pioneer New Zealand filmmaker from the 1920s to the 1970s, who directed seven feature films and numerous others. Biography Hayward was born in Wolverhampton, England, and died i ...

, on Australian rough riders at a

Kyabram Kyabram () is a town in north central Victoria, Australia. Kyabram is located in the centre of a rich irrigation district in the Goulburn River Valley, north of Melbourne. The name of the town is thought to derive from an Aboriginal word Kia ...

rodeo, which was to be broadcast on United States TV. Dawson sang a self-written song praising their skills and noted "there's nothing half-baked about Australian rodeos or the boys who ride in them. They're entitled to all the credit we can give them ... Rodeos and rough riders are just as much a part of our national heritage as symphonies and seascapes". In June that year Dawson and Dot travelled to the US where he played and recorded demos in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. While in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, he took the role of

Petruchio Petruchio ( ; an anglicisation of the Italian name Petruccio, ) is the male protagonist in Shakespeare's '' The Taming of the Shrew'' (c. 1590–1594). Plot In the play, Petruchio comes to the town of Padua in the hopes of marrying a wealthy ...

in a stage version of the musical, ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off- ...

''. His trip to the US was cut short after he was injured in a car crash in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

; while driving to

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

, for an invitation to appear on ''

Louisiana Hayride ''Louisiana Hayride'' is a radio and later television country music show that was broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana; during its heyday from 1948 to 1960, it helped to launch the careers of some ...

'' hosted by

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. One of the earliest pioneers and practitioners of the Nashville sound, he played a central role in the sonic development of country music in th ...

, Dawson absent-mindedly ran a red light and his car was hit by a Cadillac going the opposite direction; he was hospitalised and his appearance on ''Louisiana Hayride'' never eventuated. When Dawson returned to Australia in September 1952 he was hailed as an "Australian singing 'cowboy' who has made good in the US at the expense of the world's best". For trick riding his

palomino Palomino is a equine coat color, genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane (horse), mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. The palomino color derived from the breeding of Spanish hor ...

horse, Flash (1951–1982), was bedecked in American-style tack rather than Australian. Flash lived to be 31 years old and Dawson supplemented his feed by giving him porridge with a spoon.

''The Adventures of Smoky Dawson'' radio show

Echoing US singing cowboy,

, on 8 December 1952 Dawson starred in his own radio show, ''The Adventures of Smoky Dawson'', which stayed on the air for ten years until 1962. At its peak, Dawson's show was broadcast on 69 stations across the country. Dot also had her own radio shows for children. A related comic book of the same name was published from 1953 to 1962 and both featured "Dawson's persona

hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...

became 'Australia's favourite cowboy', with his faithful sidekick Jingles, his horse Flash and their young friend Billy fighting the evil outlaw Grogan, adhering to Smoky's 'code of the west', pausing for a song, a moral and sometimes a bowl of cornflakes, courtesy of the program's sponsor". For the radio show Dawson provided "rendition of a magpie, kookaburra, rooster, turkey, pig, cow, an impatient horse, a posse with bloodhounds (with the bandit being shot), a pack of dogs fighting and next door's dog howling in the middle of the night". In 1957 he founded the Smoky Dawson Ranch on farm at Ingleside as a venue to host country music shows, a horse riding school and a holiday camp for children.

Television

In 1974 a TV series, ''Luke's Kingdom'', was shot at Dawson's ranch. The following year he featured on '' This Is Your Life'' hosted by

Mike Willesee Michael Robert Willesee, (29 June 1942 – 1 March 2019) was an Australian television journalist, interviewer and presenter. Early life and family Willesee was the son of politician, Western Australian ALP senator and foreign minister Don W ...

. In 1988 he appeared in two episodes of TV soap opera, ''

A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera/serial which was broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 22 November 1993, and subsequently on Network Ten from 13 April 1994 to 5 November 1994. Altogether, 14 ...

'', as a drifter, "Charlie McKeahnie", who passes through the fictional location of Wandin Valley and proposes to town gossip, "Esme Watson" (portrayed by

Joyce Jacobs Joyce Mary Jacobs (née Penn; 15 April 1922 – 15 September 2013) was an English-born Australian character actress, and comedienne who had a successful career on the small screen, in soap opera and serials, after emigrating there from her ...

). His performance was so popular with viewers that he made another appearance the following year. Dawson was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

Death

In his later years Smoky Dawson was diagnosed with

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

and two

hernias A hernia (: hernias or herniae, from Latin, meaning 'rupture') is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. The term is also used for the normal development of the i ...

. In June 2000 he was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver and had spinal injuries. As of 2004 he and Dot presented a radio show on

2NSB Northside Broadcasting Co-operative Limited (2NSB) - 99.3FM is Sydney's vibrant North Shore community radio station for lovers of great music and local content. Based in Chatswood, Sydney, Australia, the station operates on the FM 99.3 freque ...

and lived in

Lane Cove Lane Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Lane Cove is nine kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the ...

. Herbert Henry "Smoky" Dawson died on 13 February 2008 after a short illness, aged 94. He was survived by his wife, Florence "Dot" Dawson, an elocutionist, radio actress and presenter, who died on 27 October 2010 at 104 years of age. In a 2005 interview Dawson indicated how he would like to be remembered, "Ah well, just as Herb. Just as one who's tried his best, he's carried out, lover of his country and always thought about the good things in life. Being honest and true to yourself, the main thing, true to yourself. And ah, I think to be remembered as an old friend".

Awards and legacy

Smoky Dawson continued his long career of recording and performing after his radio show, and enjoyed performing until his death. He has frequently been recognised for his contributions to music and entertainment. On 31 December 1982 Dawson was awarded an

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

– Member (Civil) with the citation, "In recognition of service to country music". In 1978 Dawson was inducted into the

Australian Roll of Renown The Australian Country Music Roll of Renown is an Australian and New Zealand country music Hall of Fame that was inaugurated bRadio 2TMin 1976. The award honours Australian and New Zealand musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a ...

. In 1985 he published his autobiography, ''Smoky Dawson: A Life''. An updated and expanded addition was released in 2021. In the

1999 Australia Day Honours The 1999 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 1999 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane. The Austr ...

Dawson was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

with the citation, "In recognition of service to country music". In 2005 he was inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association Hall of Fame. In April 2007 he donated his first electric guitar to the

Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame is a museum located in Longreach, Queensland, Australia, which pays tribute to pioneers of the Australian outback. The centre is also dedicated to Australian stockmen who have shown bravery and courage. ...

. Smoky's Bar and Grill was opened in his name in 2005 at the West Diggers Club in Tamworth – he attended with Dot. His recording career spanned more than six decades, his last album, ''Homestead of My Dreams'', was released in 2005.

Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), is a collection of 4 museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales. Powerhouse is a contemporary museum of applied arts and sciences, explori ...

described him as "a singer, showman, songwriter, scriptwriter, knife and double-headed axe thrower and all round performer who has lived a long life entertaining audiences. Through his radio serials, comic books and songs he created the persona of a happy-go-lucky singing cowboy". From 2001 the museum has displayed his signed copy of the comic book, ''The Adventures of Smoky Dawson'', and other memorabilia, which was subsequently donated by Dawson in 2004. Near Dawson's former ranch in Terrey Hills is the "Smoky Dawson Pavilion", a multi-purpose hall (containing a full-sized basketball court) situated within Galstaun College at Ingleside. Smoky Dawson Pavilion opened in late 2014 with money from the estate of Dawson and Dot.

Australian Roll of Renown

The

honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to Country Music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the

Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wale ...

in Tamworth in January. , - , 1978 , Smoky Dawson , Australian Roll of Renown ,

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. They commenced in 1987. Dawson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.ARIA Award previous winners. , - ,

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, ''High Country'' (with

Trevor Knight Trevor A. Knight (born October 3, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback . He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies. After leading Oklahoma to an 8–5 record in the 2014 s ...

) ,

Best Country Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the country music ge ...

, , - ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, Smoky Dawson ,

ARIA Hall of Fame Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has inducted artists into its annual ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone ceremo ...

Country Music Awards of Australia

The

(CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales, Tamworth, New South Wales. The f ...

, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973. In 1988 Dawson and

won The Heritage Golden Guitar at the

for "The Days of Old Khancoban" – written by Dawson about the droving days of his youth in the Snowy Mountains. The following year Dawson and Knight won a second Golden Guitar for their song, "High Country", as Best Vocal Duo or Group. , - , 1977 , himself , Hands of Fame , , - , 1988 , "The Days of Old Khancoban" Smoky Dawson & Trevor Knight's Newport Trio , Heritage Award , , - , 1989 , "High Country" Smoky Dawson & Trevor Knight , Vocal Group or Duo of the Year , * Note: wins only

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were last awarded in 2016. ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Smoky Dawson won one award in that time (wins only) , - , 2007 , Smoky Dawson , Outstanding Contribution to Country Music , , -

Tamworth Songwriters Awards

The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the

. They commenced in 1986. Smoky Dawson won four awards. (wins only) , - , 1987 , Smoky Dawson , Song of the Year Award , , - , 1989 , Smoky Dawson , Traditional Bush Ballad Award , , - , 1990 , Smoky Dawson , Songmaker Award , , - , 1997 , Smoky Dawson , Tex Morton Award , , -