Rod Coe reflects on his enduring musical bond with Slim Dusty

IT’S a rare thing in the music industry to find a partnership as enduring as the one between Rod Coe and Slim Dusty.

The pair worked together for nearly three decades, their collaboration only ending with the passing of the country music icon – known for such hits as The Pub with No Beer – in 2003.

“It’s sort of unheard of in a way, that sort of a relationship between a producer and an artist,” said Coe, who now lives in New Brighton.

“I had a definite affinity for the type of music he was playing. It was a very Australian approach to country music, which is a unique thing.

“One thing about Slim was that once he got a team together that was loyal to him, he was loyal back. It really became an institution in a way.”

 

Coe always held Dusty in high regard, describing him as not only a great singer, but also a talented guitar player and songwriter, along with his wife, Joy McKean.

“He taught me a bit, and we just got on really well,” he said. “Even though we came from different backgrounds and musical upbringings, we clicked.”

Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, Coe picked up the bass guitar after leaving boarding school in his late teens.

“Everyone around me was playing guitar, so I switched to bass,” he said.

He moved to Australia at 25 to pursue a career in the music industry and soon landed a job as a producer at EMI. Dusty was signed to the label, and when his producer left for another company, Coe stepped into the role.

He had previously worked with Dusty’s daughter, Anne Kirkpatrick, as well as his backing group, the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band.

Over the years, Coe produced 38 of Dusty’s albums. Once his children were grown, he joined Dusty’s touring band as the bass player and later served as band leader for the final 10 years of Dusty’s performing career.

 

In 1990, Dusty presented Coe with the inaugural Golden Guitar Award for Producer of the Year. Last year, Coe was also named Musician of the Year by the Country Music Association of Australia for his lifelong contribution to the genre.

Now 80, Coe modestly describes himself as a “retired freelance bass player”. He still performs with the Slim Dusty Band a few times a year at events like the Tamworth Country Music Festival and other gigs.

This weekend, Coe will play at the Tamworth Bush Ballad Awards on Saturday before rushing back to perform at the Mullum Roots Festival on Sunday, July 13, where he’ll support three acts: Lou Bradley, Hubcap Stan and the Sidewalk Stompers, and Clelia Adams.