Smoky Dawson & Dot Dawson Print Page 
Smoky Dawson (19 March 1913 – 13 February 2008) was widely touted as Australia's first singing cowboy. The plaque commemorates the lives of both Smoky and his wife Dot who, with her creative flair and practical skills, played a major role in Smoky’s extraordinarily varied and successful career.
In 1952 he starred in his own radio show, The Adventures of Smoky Dawson echoeing that of Roy Rogers in the United States. The show stayed on the air for ten years and at its peak was broadcast on 69 stations across the country.
A long career of recording and performing followed his radio show, and he still enjoyed performing until he died. He was frequently recognized for his contributions to music and entertainment. In 1978 he was awarded an MBE for his services to country music. In 1983 he was named on the Australian Country Music Roll of Renown.
Country music legend Smoky Dawson and his wife, Dot, were remembered by family and friends as their ashes were scattered during a private ceremony at the Tamworth Lookout on Saturday morning. Smoky Dawson Memorial Committee member Max Ellis said, while emotional, the day could not have been more perfect.
Mr Ellis said about 20 people attended the ceremony, including a number of the couple’s family members from Melbourne.
Mr Ellis said the unveiling of a granite rock bearing a plaque, funded by the committee, after the couple’s ashes were spread was significant for a number of reasons. “Plans for the statue, and then the spreading of the ashes in Tamworth, are things that we have been working on and discussing since 2009, so it was nice for everyone to finally see them come to fruition,” he said.
The plaque was unveiled by Smoky’s long-time friend, Lance Smith, in the native garden where the ashes were spread. In the lead-up to the ceremony, committee members, Smoky and Dot’s family and Tamworth Regional Council worked together to determine the most appropriate place for the memorial.
Mr Ellis said the council’s support of the idea and co-operation were greatly appreciated by Smoky and Dot’s family.
The Northern Daily Leader, 4 November 2012.
Location
| Address: | Scenic Road, Oxley Scenic Lookout, East Tamworth , 2340 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -31.083441 Long: 150.946871 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Arts |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 3rd November, 2012 |
|---|
Riding, Riding
On A Trail Where Dreams Come True
Smoky Dawson 19.3.1913 ~13.2.2008
Dot Dawson 12.10.1906 ~ 27.10.2010
Over eight decades Smoky and Dot Dawson played leading roles in the great and colourful pageant of Australian Country Music.
While Smoky revelled in his role as showman extraordinaire, Dot, with her creative flair and practical skills, inspired and managed Smoky and kept the show on the road.
Dot met Smoky early in his remarkable career in Melbourne in 1933. He was already a talented, popular entertainer on stage and radio. Dot, known then as Florence Cheers, was a radio personality, writer and producer. Together they created a special magic.
By the late 1930s, Smoky had discovered hillbilly music and when he made his first recording in 1941, it was clear he would be a star. In the decades that followed, he and Dot built an amazing career. In 1953, after a short but brilliant spell in America, they returned home to the incredibly successful Kelloggs radio show "The Adventures of Smoky Dawson." Broadcast throughout Australia, it made Smoky and his horse Flash national identities. Smoky composed, recorded and performed hundreds of songs for his vast audience of loyal fans and received countless awards and accolades.
The Dawsons had a long and personal association with Radio 2TM stretching back to the 1950s, including an appearance on the first Golden Guitar Awards in 1973 and Smoky`s song Everybody Knows Why Everybody Goes To Tamworth. The city became their second home and Tamworth adopted them too.
Smoky and Dot were treasured by all who knew them as two genuinely warm and talented people supporting and complementing each other personally and professionally.
Together they created the legendary figure that we know as "Smoky Dawson" and together their ashes lie around this plaque.
