WATCH: Joy McKean, the first Golden Guitar winner and wife and manager of Slim Dusty, dies aged 93
Australian songwriter and musician Joy McKean, wife of the late Slim Dusty, has died aged 93.
Ms McKean’s family has confirmed she died peacefully on May 25 following a long battle with cancer.
“She will be remembered as a pioneer in Australian music,” the family said in a statement.
“Joy McKean was a multi-award winning songwriter and musician who wrote many of her husband Slim Dusty’s most famous songs and won the first Golden Guitar awarded at the Tamworth Country Music Festival for Lights on the Hill.
“Her musical partnership with Slim produced over 100 albums, sold over eight million albums and earned 45 Golden Guitars.
“Joy was Slim’s manager, ran the business and most importantly loved and raised the family.”
Ms McKean was born in Singleton in NSW on January 14, 1930.
She began performing and broadcasting radio with her sister Heather in the 1940s as the McKean Sisters.
Over seven trailblazing decades, Ms McKean co-founded the Country Music Association of Australia, composed iconic country music hits and collected seven Golden Guitars at the Tamworth Country Music Awards.
Her services to Australia music were honoured with the 2021 Ted Albert Award and as a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
In 2020 the documentary Slim & I covered her life on the road with Slim Dusty and her remarkable career as a songwriter and performer in her own right.
The Country Music Association of Australia board has paid tribute to the “Queen of Australian Country Music”.
“Extraordinary songwriter, performer, partner. Joy leaves an incredible musical legacy which will live on forever,” the statement said.
In December 2022, Ms McKean attended a ceremony with her children to transfer the ownership of the Slim Dusty Centre to Kempsey Shire Council.
The centre on the NSW mid north coast is a museum and legacy of Slim Dusty’s life and music.
In a Facebook post, the centre remembered Ms McKean for her “immense talent” and “remarkable contribution to the music industry”.
“Joy will forever be cherished as a trailblazer in Australian music,” the post said.
“Through her artistry, she brought communities together and gifted us with countless extraordinary moments in time that will be etched in our memories.”
The centre will have a condolence book available from May 30 for visitors and community members to contribute to.
NSW Senator Tim Ayres said on Twitter Ms McKean had a “huge” cultural impact.
“Songs like Lights on the Hill, Biggest Disappointment and countless others were the best of country – with a love and empathy for the experience of Australians from the bush and great turns of phrase,” he said.
Ms McKean is survived by her children Anne Kirkpatrick and David Kirkpatrick, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
