Rex Dallas

Born on 6 November 1938 in Wallerawang, New South Wales, Australia, Dallas developed an early affection for bush poetry through regular readings by his grandfather. At fifteen he made his initial radio appearance on 2LT Lithgow, and the following year he moved to Sydney. A successful audition on Australia’s Amateur Hour secured him a three-year run as a regular guest on 2SM’s On The Trail And Hall Shows. He later joined Lee Gordon’s touring roster and cut his first sides for EMI Records in the early sixties, the debut single being ‘Bicycle Wreck’.

His range has allowed him to tackle everything from country and rock ‘n’ roll to light operetta. An accomplished yodeller with a particular regard for Harry Torrani, he released an album of Torrani material in 1975. Its strong reception prompted a follow-up collection, twenty tracks of which appeared in the United Kingdom under the title Yodelling Songs Of Harry Torrani on Westwood in 1978. Although skilled in the technique, he does not feature it on every recording; many listeners in Australasia know him chiefly as a bush-ballad specialist in the tradition of Buddy Williams and Slim Dusty. Several self-written ballads have earned him awards, among them ‘Old Wallerawang’, a tribute to his grandfather that received a Gold Guitar at the Tamworth awards and was later covered by Rolf Harris and others, and ‘His Spurs Are Rusty Now’, co-written with his son Colin in 1982, which also took the same prize. His album repertoire further encompasses horse songs, war songs, mother songs and a set devoted to coalmining.

Extensive touring began in the early seventies with his band the Dallas Cowboys, whose line-up included sons Brett (born 16 January 1963 in Sydney, New South Wales; lead guitarist) and Colin (born 8 November 1965 in Cooma, New South Wales; drums). During the eighties the two younger sons, Jeffrey (born 27 August 1970 in Sydney; bass, mandolin) and Shannan, joined the stage, the latter making his first appearance at the age of three. A 1981 television documentary examined his touring operation. In 1976 he became the first performer to wrest the Best Male Vocalist award at Tamworth from its previous long-term holders, Slim Dusty and Reg Lindsay. When not on the road he performs at his own venue, Gully Park in Moonbi, New South Wales. He was inducted into the Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown in 2000.