BRIAN YOUNG

Country and Western singer Brian Young was born in 1935 in Ayr, Queensland. At 18, he won the World Champion Bull Riding title at Home Hill, seemingly destined for a rodeo career, but an injury cut it short. Turning to his other passion, he began writing country music story-songs about Australia and its people. In the late 1950s, Young toured with the All Star Western Show alongside Rick and Thel Carey, Nev Nicholls, Kevin King, Chad Morgan, and others. He loved life on the road and continued teaming up with fellow performers, traveling the country and sharing his music far and wide.

Young kicked off his recording career in 1962 with an EP on the W&G label that featured three of his own songs. He followed up with a couple of singles on the Columbia label, then took a long break from recording. Around 1975, he signed with Ross Murphy’s Opal Records and released his first album, 'Young Country.' He went on to put out several more albums with Opal, including 'Gotta Wander Gotta Travel' (1978), 'I'm Gonna Make It After All' (1979), 'Pull Up A Stump' (1983), and 'Tribute To Coster The Man' (1985). After leaving Opal, Young recorded under the LBS label, releasing 'Tjilpi' (1990), 'Voice Of The Outback' (1992), and his final album, 'The Last of the Travelling Showmen,' in 2007.

In 1977, he launched his own touring act, the Brian Young Show. Every year, he ventured into far-flung corners of Australia, often chartering planes to reach the most remote spots, all while teaching countless youngsters about showmanship and life. The longest tour reportedly lasted 13 weeks, covering 22,000 km through the country’s most isolated areas. Along with transforming eager young kids into true-blue musicians, his tours brought top artists like Col Hardy, Auriel Andrew, Roger Knox, and Jimmy Little to audiences hungry for entertainment – giving them exactly what they craved.

Over the years, awards found their way to him—though he never chased recognition for doing what he loved. One of the first big honours was his induction into the Country Music Hands of Fame in 1978. In 1999, he joined the Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown and was also named Songmaker of the Year by the Tamworth Songwriters’ Association. The following year at Tamworth, he received both the TSA’s Tex Morton Award and the Outback Trailblazer Award. In 2001, the Queen’s Birthday Honours list saw him awarded the Order of Australia medal.

In recent years his health had declined and was a resident at Moonby House Nursing Home in Tamworth. Several of those youngsters who got a start with Young voiced their grief on Facebook in 2016 after the news broke of his passing. Troy Cassar-Daley was moved to write the following about the man he was so inspired by. ''Another loss for the year, a hero and good mate, Brian Young passed away ... You may not know a lot about Youngy (as he was known by his friends), but he had a hand in getting so many of us started in this industry and was someone I looked up to as a true gentleman. My time out on the road with him taught me so much musically and really helped me mature as a bloke''.“I want to send my condolences to all his family and to the many, many friends he has across this country that he loved and travelled so much. He will be missed from Weipa FNQ, Napperby SA, Derby WA, Cloncurry QLD, Timber Creek NT and by me. RIP Youngy. I guess this is where the cowboy rides away, old mate. We love ya.Troy xxx”

SINGLES
''Walk Away, Let's Forget, It's Too Late / Kidman, The Cattle King'' 1965 Columbia

''The Cattle Duffer / Please Forgive Me Don't Forget Me'' 1966 Columbia
''Stockmans Hall Of Fame / Kidman, The Cattle King'' 1980 Opal
''Thistles On The Hillside / Tjilpi'' 1990 LBS
''Ships Of The Desert / Darby's Castle'' 1991 LBS

EPs

'Brian Young' 1962 W&G
'Brian Young Sings' 1963 W&G

ALBUMS

'Brian Young Country' 1977 Opal
'Gotta Wander Gotta Travel Again' 1978 Opal
'I'm Gonna Make It After All' 1979 Opal
'My Country The Flag And Me' 1980 Opal
'Pull Up A Stump' 1982 Opal
'Tribute To Coster The Man' 1985 Opal
'TJILPI' 1990 LBS

'Voice Of The Outback' 1992 LBS
The Last Of The Travelling Showmen 2007 LBS

References

A ‘good mate’ has passed on | The Northern Daily Leader | Tamworth, NSW