Herbert Henry Brown AM MBE (1913 - 2008)

Born 19 Mar 1913 in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Florence Minnie (Cheers) Brown — married 13 Mar 1944 in Victoria, Australia

Died 13 Feb 2008 at age 94 in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Herb Brown AM MBE is Notable.

Smoky Dawson AM MBE was an Australian country music performer, radio star, entertainer, and icon, who enjoyed an extraordinarily long and prolific career spanning the years 1941 to 2005; making him, at the time, the world's oldest recording artist.

Herbert Henry Brown was born on 19th March 1913 in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia. He was the third son of Parker Brown, a labourer of Irish descent, Olive 'Amy' Muir, of Scottish descent. ^[1] His mother died when Herb was just six years of age and his father married again the following year. Herb ran away from home at nine, to his mother's family, but was placed in an orphanage. It was in the orphanage that he learned to sing, and to play the harmonica and piano accordion. At the age of thirteen, he left the orphanage and joined his older brother, Peter, working on a farm at Stewarton, Victoria. Each Saturday night he would sing at the local town hall.

In 1932, Herb worked at a tannery and on weekends played a lap steel guitar in a duo, with his younger brother, Ted (known as Ted Dawson), on Spanish guitar. As Smoky Dawson he started a band and, in 1935, they were the first country and western group to be broadcast live on an Australian radio station, 3KZ. By 1937, Smoky had his own radio show. Soon afterward, he signed with Columbia Records and began touring Australia.

Herb Brown AM MBE is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Second Australian Imperial Force 1942-1946
Australian Army Amenities Unit

On 23rd June 1943 he enlisted in the Australian Army (he had earlier attempted to do so in 1939 upon the outbreak of war, but was rejected on medical grounds) as an entertainer in the Australian Army Amenities Unit. In this role Smoky was able to boost the morale and comfort of soldiers and returned servicemen through concerts. He was discharged on 28th February 1946, following the war. ^[2]

On 13th March 1944 in Victoria, whilst in the army, he married Florence 'Dot' Cheers, an elocution teacher six-and-a-half years his senior who he had met nine years earlier when both worked in radio. ^[3]

Echoing US singing cowboy, Roy Rogers, in 1952 Smoky starred in his own radio show, The Adventures of Smoky Dawson, which remained on the air for ten years. A related comic book of the same name was published from 1953 to 1962.

Although Smoky and Dot did not have children of their own, in 1957 they founded the Smoky Dawson Ranch on 26 acres (11 hectares) at Ingleside, New South Wales as a horse riding school, a holiday camp for children and a venue to host country music concerts.

He was honoured on 19th February 1976 with an episode of This Is Your Life on ATN-7 with Mike Willesee as compere. In 1988-89 Smoky appeared in three episodes of one of Australia's best-known television soap-operas, A Country Practice. ^[4]

Smoky Dawson was inducted into the Australian Country Music's Roll of Renown in 1978. ^[5] He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year's Honours 1983 for 'service to country music' ^[6] and Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on Australia Day (26th January) 1999 in 'recognition of service to country music'. ^[7] In 2005 he was inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association Hall of Fame ^[8] and has also been recognised in the US, receiving the Honor Award of the Grand Ole Opry.

Smoky passed away, aged a month short of 95 years, on 13th February 2008 at Hornsby, New South Wales. Not bad for someone diagnosed in 1932 as having a weak heart! He was survived by Dot, already a centenarian, who later died at 104 years of age. His ashes, combined with those of Dot's, were scattered at the Mount Oxley Lookout, overlooking Australia's 'Country Music Capital', Tamworth, New South Wales.

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #2726/1913
2. ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: VX126714 Private Herbert Henry Brown; accessed 13 Jan 2021
3. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #4141/1944
4. ↑ IMDb: Smokey Dawson (1913–2008); accessed 12 Feb 2022
5. ↑ Australian Country Music Roll of Renown; accessed 12 Feb 2022
6. ↑ Australian Honours: MBE; listed incorrectly as Herbert Henry Dawson
7. ↑ Australian Honours: AM; listed incorrectly as Herbert Henry Dawson
8. ↑ ARIA Awards 2005; accessed 12 Feb 2022

See also

• Smoky, Dawson. Smoky Dawson: A Life. Illustrated by Pro Hart; Introduction by R M Williams. Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1985. ISBN 978-0-86861-774-9.
• Wikipedia profile: Smoky Dawson; accessed 13 Jan 2021.