LIONEL LONG

Lionel Long was born in Burwood, New South Wales in 1939 to Ernest Sydney and Aileen G.H. (née Ellis-Lynch) Long. He grew up in Bondi with his mother Aileen and father Ernest who was an accomplished violinist. He went to Christian Brothers School where he was an A-grade student and won many scholarships to continue his education. On completion of his high school years, Long decided to go and work as a jackaroo in the Hunter Valley and then into the expansive outback of Queensland where he also honed his skills in singing and playing guitar.

Long returned with his family to Sydney, where he attended Hawkesbury Agricultural College, studying commercial art and marine biology. He learned to play the guitar with his long-time friend Gary Shearston. Both young men had a fondness for country and folk music and shared song verses at the Long family home at Rose Bay. It was here where the idea arrived to pen their book Australian Bush Songs.

While studying at Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Long's musical talent was recognised by Ron Wills of EMI Columbia, and he was signed to the music label. Wills had previously produced the breakthrough Australian country hit "Pub With No Beer" by Slim Dusty and had also signed Frank Ifield to the label. Long's friend Gary Shearston also went on to fame, recording on the CBS records label.

The 1950s and early 1960s saw folk music become popular in Australia with the success of American folk revivalists such as the Weavers and the Kingston Trio and, later, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Peter Paul and Mary. The Australian folk music scene's popularity was aided by the international success of the Australian group The Seekers. Australian musicians and producers started to research and rediscover Australian folk music from the 18th and 19th centuries, such as "Botany Bay", "Bound For South Australia" and the most famous of all Australian folk songs, "Waltzing Matilda". It was this folk music revival that made EMI Columbia insist that Long move away from his love of country music and record folk music.

In 1958, Long released his first singles. Through the EMI Columbia label, he released many albums from 1961 to 1970, meeting critical acclaim and becoming Australia's most popular performer of traditional "bush music". After his first LP in 1961, 'Waltzing Matilda', and his second in 1962, 'Wild Colonial Boy', Long had established himself as a household name. In 1963, he released his third LP, 'The Bold Bushrangers: Songs of Wild Colonial Days', which featured Australian artist Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly on the sleeve. In 1964, he was presented with a gold record by EMI Records for his first LP 'Waltzing Matilda'.

Many of Long's albums featured accompaniment by other musicians, including Dave Guard of the Kingston Trio (who emigrated to Australia in the early 1960s), guitarist and teacher Don Andrews and jazz legend Don Burrows. During the 1960s, Long's profile was boosted by appearances on many TV shows, including the Channel 9 music program Bandstand. In 1962, the rocker Johnny O'Keefe suffered a breakdown after disagreements with the producers of his Johnny O'Keefe Show. While O'Keefe convalesced, Long took over as host of the show, retitled Sing Sing Sing, for a year. Soon after O'Keefe returned to host the show in early 1963, Long's popularity was so strong that he was given his own TV program titled Music Time, which aired for a year. Around this time, Long married Carole Newgrosh.

In 1964, Lionel Long released another LP, this time not entirely Australian folk songs, 'Songs of the Sea'. This album was dedicated to Lionel's early memories of fishing off the coast of New South Wales near Port Macquarie and his boyhood adventure of trying to sail from Sydney to Newcastle (130 km) in a rubber dinghy at the age of 10. Lionel was a keen sailor, having owned boats and spent much time sailing and fishing with friends, many of whom were famous recording artists in their own right.

'Long Ago: Folk Songs of the British Isle' was Lionel Long's 1965 album, and featured him playing a custom-made 6-string lute he purchased in the UK. A photograph of Lionel with his 6-string lute featured on the album cover for this LP and two later ones. 'A Sunburnt Country' was Lionel's next album, which returned to Australiana, its title taken from Dorothea Mackellar's famous poem My Country which featured on the LP as a spoken track. Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River also featured as a spoken track.

In 1966, Lionel Long's next album was 'Amberwren and Other Folk Songs'. His 1967 release 'Today' included the song ''Follow the Wind'', a Bee Gees song that was on the B side of ''Wine and Women''. In 1970, Lionel Long released one more album on the EMI Columbia label, 'Close Up', before signing with RCA and releasing four folk music albums, 'The Man From Snowy River', 'Australia! Australia!', 'Brandied Plums' and 'The Best of Lionel Long'. He also released several singles on RCA.

Lionel Long re-signed with EMI in 1980 and released his final album, 'High, Wild and Handsome', which featured guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, a version of "Let It Be" by the Beatles and the well-known Kermit the Frog song "Rainbow Connection". Lionel performed his music well into the 1980s, appearing at the Sydney Opera House in 1987 and travelling to Nashville, Tennessee, to work with the LeGarde Twins on various recording deals. Lionel Long was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 1993 Australia Day Honours, with the citation, "for service to the performing and visual arts" Lionel Long died on 1 January 1998 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney. He was cremated after a small service at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park in Matraville, Sydney.

SINGLES

''Hi-di-derry-down-dey / I Love You Best Of All'' 1958 Columbia
''The Bunyip / Searching'' 1959 Columbia
''The Ballad Of Cobb And Co / The Girl With The Auburn Hair'' 1959 Columbia
''Mighty Pyramid / The Note On The Woolshed Wall'' 1959 Columbia
''Botany Bay / Ring-A-Ling'' 1961 Columbia
''Boll Weevil / The Drover's Dream'' 1963 Columbia
''True, True Loving / Love Is An Eagle'' 1965 Columbia
''Missin' You / Got A Feelin'' 1967 Columbia
''To The End Of The World / Somewhere In A Rainbow'' 1968 Columbia
''Nick The Greek / Bindi-i-i'' 1970 Columbia
''Old Colonial Chair / The Gunner And The Baron'' 1974 RCA
''Cash And Co. / 10,000 Miles'' 1975 RCA

EPs

'Lionel Long' 1964 Columbia

ALBUMS

'Waltzing Matilda' 1961 Columbia
'The Wild Colonial Boy' 1962 Columbia

'The Bold Bushrangers (Vol.1) - Songs Of Wild Colonial Days' [with Patricia Cook, Dave Guard, Don Andrews] 1963 Columbia
'Songs Of A Sunburnt Country' 1964 Columbia
'Songs Of The Sea' 1964 Columbia
'Long Ago: Folk Songs of the British Isle' 1964 Columbia

'Amberwren And Other Folk Songs' 1966 Columbia
'Today' 1967 Columbia
'Close Up' 1970 Columbia
'Walkabout' 1970 Columbia
'The Man From Snowy River' 1973 RCA
'Brandied Plums' 1974 RCA
'Australia! Australia!' 1975 RCA
'High, Wild And Handsome' 1980 Axis

References

Lionel Long - Wikipedia