Joy McKean’s lifetime of musical achievements recognised

Joy McKean and daughter Anne Kirkpatrick at the Australian Women in Music Awards black carpet at New Farm, Brisbane. Picture: AAP

At the second annual Australian Women in Music Awards in Brisbane last week, the lifetime achievement award went to country singer-songwriter Joy McKean, whose 90th birthday will be celebrated with a concert where the likes of Paul Kelly, Troy Cassar-Daley, Beccy Cole and Don Walker will gather to perform her songs during the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January. McKean’s acceptance speech was a thing of unvarnished joy and beauty, and what follows is a lightly edited transcript of what she said from the stage.

“The first thing I can say is that I never thought it would ever happen — an awards night for us! I used to always think that all this might eventually happen, but it took a darn long while. But it’s been a lot of fun along the way, and I’ve had a lot of help. I started off singing when I was a child and since then I’ve done a lot of different things. I think with my sister, Heather, we were probably the very youngest of country music broadcasters: I was 18, she was 16. We sang together for a long time.

“You would know me also in relation to the years of travelling with my husband, Slim Dusty. And because I’ve done so many different things in my life, I have to give him credit with making me do them. You see, Slim was a great believer in what I could do, if he, you know, made the pressure heavy.

“I want to thank all the musicians that have helped me along the way, and helped me learn to knock a bit of music out of something. But I have done a lot of songwriting, and I began writing when I was about 12. As all you songwriters out there can tell me, it’s a hard road, really, to try and put into one short song all that you want to say. I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to write some songs, and I’ve had a lot of fun writing different ones.

“I must say, one of the achievements in my life that I’m very proud of is my daughter, Anne (Kirkpatrick). I am very happy to say that she’s made her way against all the pressure that has come from Mum and Dad. She’s really her own woman in music.

“The other thing I want to say is that I am absolutely so pleased with the progress of country music in Australia, and the way that women are taking such a huge part of it in these days. Because in the first place, women and their writing were being held back in a very stilted way. Now, I think that women in country music are writing what they want to write, and they’re singing it loud and clear. I want to be celebrating my 90th birthday at a big concert in Tamworth. I’m very proud that so many of my friends in country music are going to be singing my songs. I’m so grateful for that, and I’m looking forward to a pretty big night, and a lot of fun.”
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