DENIS GIBBONS

Denis Gibbons was born in 1932, his father, Alfred Charles Gibbons, was a hotelier. Gibbons grew up in Port Elliot, South Australia, he attended the Sisters of Mercy in Victor Harbour and then Rostrevor College in Adelaide. His early jobs included labouring in Adelaide, selling hardware, managing a bicycle shop, truck driving, working for the PMG and in factories. He started in radio in 1951. While working at 3SR in Shepparton , he was described in August 1953 in Melbourne's newspaper The Argus as a "cheery breakfast and lunch-time announcer on his own programme soon singing folk songs Burl Ives fashion with guitar." By May 1954 he was compère of Time for a Song at 3AW. In November 1955 he married Joan Carey in Shepparton. 

Gibbons first recording ''Jamaica Farewell / The Big Rock Candy Mountains'' was released in 1957 on the Magnasound label. Gibbons moved to the W&G label in the late 1950s where he recorded a few folk singles before his debut album, 'Trads and Anons', which was issued in September 1960. The Australian Women's Weekly's correspondent reviewed the album stating, "the disc is a cosmopolitan collection of folk songs including the Dutch 'Jan Himmerk', the Irish 'Spinning Wheel', the Australian 'Bold Tommy Payne', 'Dying Stockman', and 'Wild Colonial Boy', the English 'Early One Morning', and the Scottish 'Skye Boat Song'." Gibbons continued to record with the label and his album and single releases would last well into the 70s. All in all, he recorded at least ten singles, four EP's and eleven albums and a few of these would be released in New Zealand.

In 1982 he received an Advance Australia Award, for ‘his outstanding contribution to Australian Folk Music’. He had sung Australian folk songs from Simpson's Gap in Central Australia to Government House in Victoria. In the early days of TV he had a regular spot before the news on Channel nine. He sang on Bert Newton's Late Show and appeared with Irish tenor Patrick O'Hagen on ABC TV. He died in 2002.

SINGLES

''Jamaica Farewell / The Big Rock Candy Mountains'' 1957 Magansound
''Marianne / The Money Tree'' 1957 Magansound

''The Fox / Little Mohee'' 1957 Magnasound
''Take A Message To Mary / Cindy'' 1959 W&G
''Here Comes Summer / The Overlanders'' 1959 W&G
''Along The Old Bush Track / Changing Heart'' 1959 W&G
''The Drover's Dream / The Blue Tail Fly'' 1960 W&G
''Michael (Row The Boat Ashore) / The Spinning Wheel'' 1961 W&G
''Tina / The Skye Boat Song'' 1962 W&G
''National Service Blues / Oleanna'' 1966 W&G
''Reedy River'' 1971 Ambassador 

EPs

'Bush Songs' 1961 W&G

'Songs From "The Sundowners" Presented By Denis Gibbons' 1962 W&G

'Shearing Songs' 1962 W&G

'Waltzing Matilda With Denis Gibbons' 1967 W&G

ALBUMS

'Trads And Anons' 1960 W&G
'Australian Folk Songs For Schools' 1961 W&G
'The Denis Gibbons Show' 1962 W&G
'Folk Songs For Schools Volume 2' 1963 W&G
'Folk Songs With Denis Gibbons' 1964 W&G
'Hootenanny Folk Concert' 1965 Strand
'Folk Songs With Denis Gibbons Vol. 2' 1966 W&G
'Folk Songs Of Australia Volume 1 - Convicts And Early Settlers' 1969 W&G
'Folk Songs Of Australia Volume 2 : Immigrants, Gold Miners And Bushrangers' 1970 W&G
'Folksongs Of Australia - The Struggle For Survival' 1975 W&G
'Folk Songs Of Australia Volume 3 - Squatters, Selectors, Shearers & Drovers' W&G