TEX MORTON

Tex Morton (born Robert William Lane in Nelson, New Zealand, 30 August 1916 and was a pioneer of New Zealand and Australian country music. Morton attended Nelson College between 1930 and 1931. At age 14 he left home to launch himself into show business. His first attempts to run away and join the circus ended in him being found busking by police and he was promptly returned home. Around 1934, he recorded some hillbilly songs privately. He later claimed that these were played on New Zealand radio, though this is perhaps unlikely. Some of these recordings have recently come to light, though they have not been commercially reissued. About 1934 (the exact date is uncertain - Morton himself once claimed it was 1932), he emigrated to Australia, apparently intent on a recording career. On 25 February 1936, he recorded four songs for the Columbia Graphophone Company in Sydney.

Between 1936 and 1943, Morton recorded ninety-three 78-rpm records of his songs, accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar for most tracks, for Columbia's Regal Zonophone label. On some later tracks, he was accompanied by his band, The Rough Riders, and a female singer 'Sister' Dorrie (real name Dorothy Carroll). In 1943, he left Columbia following a dispute with Arch Kerr, the Record Sales Manager, probably over the company's reluctance to use The Rough Riders. He was billed as 'The Yodelling Boundary Rider' on records, though he apparently didn't approve of the name. During the 1930s and 1940s, he gradually 'Australian-ised' many of the songs he wrote. This approach was followed by other Australian country artists who followed in his footsteps, such as Buddy Williams and Slim Dusty, leading to a particular genre of country music - the Australian bush ballad, which was also influenced by the turn-of-the-century poetry of 'Banjo' Paterson and Henry Lawson.

In 1949 and 1950, he recorded more sides in Sydney and possibly New Zealand. These were released on the Rodeo and Tasman labels; some songs were probably recorded at the instigation of Ralph Peer, who visited Sydney in 1949 and met Morton. From 1950 to 1959, Morton was in Canada and the United States. He toured with Pee Wee King in 1952 and recorded in Nashville in March 1953. He claimed to have toured for six months as an opening act for Hank Williams, but this is extremely unlikely, though he may have met Williams in late 1952 through Oscar Davis, who was Morton's manager and Williams's last manager.

Morton toured Canada and the United States as a stage hypnotist, memory expert, whip cracker and sharpshooter, and was associated for some time with the Canadian country singer, 'Dixie' Bill Hilton. He returned to Australia in 1959 with a Grand Ole Opry show, featuring Roy Acuff, the Wilburn Brothers and June Webb, but the show was not popular with Australian audiences and the tour had to be called off. Morton continued to record during the 1960s and 1970s, and had a surprise hit with ''Goondiwindi Grey'' on the Australian Singles Charts (Go-Set), reaching #5 in June 1973. Morton recorded over a dozen albums over his lifetime. 

Also, during this period, Morton showed an increasing interest in acting. He appeared in Australian television shows and feature movies (such as We Of The Never Never). He was the first inductee into Australia's country music Roll of Renown in 1976, recognising his pivotal role in the development of country music in Australia and New Zealand.

Morton, in his career, capitalized on American cowboy and Wild West images, and was sometimes billed as "The Singing Cowboy Sensation," performing for rodeos, and singing in a yodeling style that drew heavily on those of American singers such as Jimmie Rodgers. His yodelling was influenced by Rodgers, Goebel Reeves and the British Alpine yodeller, Harry Torrani. Although Morton chose to sing in an American (rather than Australian) accent and sang many songs with American subject matter, several of his recorded songs (such as "The Ned Kelly Song," "Beautiful Queensland," and "Murrumbidgee Jack") feature Australian themes. ("Beautiful Queensland" was a simple re-write of W. Lee O'Daniel's "Beautiful Texas", however.) Morton died on 23 July 1983, after a short illness. There is a collection of bronze busts in Bicentennial Park, Tamworth that includes Shirley Thoms, Stan Coster, Tex Morton, Gordon Parsons, Barry Thornton and Buddy Williams.

SINGLES

''You And My Old Guitar / Dreams Of Silver'' 1959 Festival
''Wrap Me Up With A Stockwhip And Blanket / Flowers Never Bloom In Lonesome Valley'' 1959 Festival
''The Cat Came Back / Rye Whisky'' 1961 Festival
''The Disqualified Jockey / The Letter Edged In Black'' 1962 Festival
''Tex Morton's Protest Song / Green, Green Grass Of Home'' 1967 Columbia
''The Cream Inbetween / 21st Birthday'' 1967 Columbia
''The Jailhouse Window / Barnacle Bill The Sailor'' 1967 Columbia
''Welcome To The Club / I've Got You (Right Out Of My Mind)'' 1968 Columbia
''The Transport Man / The Black Sheep'' 1970 Columbia
''The Shicer / Bob The Log'' 1971 Columbia

''Old Blue / Dunmarra'' 1972 Columbia
''Bob The Log / There's A Bridle Hanging On The Wall'' 1973 Columbia
''The Goondiwindi Grey (#9) / Drinking With The Dead (The Glass On The Bar)'' 1973 Picture Records

EPs

'You And My Old Guitar' 1959 Festival
'Stockwhip And Blanket' 1959 Festival
'The Yellow Rose Of Texas' 1960 Columbia
'Don't Say Goodbye' 1960 Columbia
'Tex Morton Looks Back' 1961 Festival
'The Cat Came Back' 1961 Festival
'The Shooting Of Dan McGrew' 1962 Festival
'The Cowboy's Prayer' 1962 Festival
'Tex Morton And Banjo Patterson' 1962 Festival
'Tex Morton In New Zealand' 1968 Columbia

ALBUMS

'Songs Of The Outback' 1978 Columbia
'Tex Morton Reads Banjo Paterson' 1960 Festival
'The Versatile Tex Morton' 1962 Festival
Tex Morton Looks Back 1962 Festival
'The Sentiment And Humour Of Banjo Patterson' 1965 Festival
'Ginger Mick Vol. 1' 1965 Festival
'Ginger Mick Vol. 2' 1965 Festival
'Sentimental Tex' 1965 Columbia
'Going Back To Texas' 1966 Columbia
'Today' 1970 Columbia
'Tex Morton's Australia' 1973 Picture Records
'Hallelujah I'm A Bum' 1973 Festival
'Laugh And Sing With Tex Morton' 1974 Universal Summit
'Tex Morton's The Goondiwindi Grey' 1977 Festival

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex_Morton

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/