One of the very first Australian country musicians, yodeler Buddy Williams (ne Harold Taylor, 1918-1986) is credited as the creator of the "bush ballad" genre, although much of that material ties in to deeper Aussie folk music traditions. Regardless, Williams was a towering figure in Australian twang, both in his influence and his output. A prodigious recording artist, his career spanned across multiple decades, with his first 78rpm singles being released in 1940, and a flurry of later albums in the 1980s, right up until his passing. Here's a quick look at his work...

Buddy Williams "Buddy Sings Hank" (RCA Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Wills)
And just which Hank was he singing...? Oh, I think you know.

Buddy Williams "The Cowboy's Life Is Good Enough For Me" (RCA Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Wills)

Buddy Williams "Sentimental Buddy" (RCA-Camden Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Wills)

Buddy Williams "Country Style" (RCA-Camden Records, 1970) (LP)

Buddy Williams/Harold Williams/ Kaye Williams "A Family Affair" (RCA Records, 19--?) (LP)
Not exactly sure what year this album came out, but it was probably sometime around 1970, if not a bit earlier. That's when Buddy Williams helped launch his kids, Harold Williams and Kaye Williams, on their solo careers... Harold Williams did better than his sister, recording about a half dozen albums, including this one made with their pop, and a duet album with Kaye. She also recorded a solo album, though seems to have left show biz after a short stint on the RCA label.

Buddy Williams "Along The Outback Tracks" (RCA-Camden Records, 1972) (LP)

Buddy Williams & The Overlanders "Hard Times" (RCA Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Wills)
Again, another one where the exact release date is unclear, though the catalog number and the presence of the Overlanders band suggest it was sometime around 1970-71, around the same time the Overlanders were backing Williams's kids on their early solo outings...

Buddy Williams "Aussie On My Mind" (RCA Records, 1972) (LP)

Buddy Williams "The Big Banana Land" (RCA-Camden Records, 1973) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Headin' For The Warwick Rodeo" (RCA Records, 1973) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Country Touch" (RCA Records, 1975) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Hittin' The Road Again" (RCA Records, 1975) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Thanks To You" (RCA Records, 1975) (LP)

Buddy Williams "The Happiest Days Of My Life" (RCA Records, 1976) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Ramblin' 'Round" (RCA Records, 1977) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Farming '77" (RCA Records, 1977) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Trucks And Trains" (RCA Records, 1977) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Without Friends (What A Dreary Old World It Would Be)" (RCA, 1978) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Help Me Understand" (RCA-Camden Records, 1979) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Wonder Valley" (RCA-Camden Records, 1980) (LP)

Buddy Williams "An Old Hillbilly From Way Back" (RCA Records, 1981) (LP)

Buddy Williams "A Breath Of Country Air" (RCA Records, 1982) (LP)
Though this album incorporates a variety of relatively "modern" country styles (with echoes of Johnny Cash or Marty Robbins on a few tunes...) Williams remained a remarkably static figure, musically speaking, right up until the end. Ernest Tubb comes to mind (though Tubb never would have used arrangements that were even as mildly adventurous as these...) or perhaps, more closely, Tex Williams, who did try on a few different hats during the early 'Seventies countrypolitan era. At any rate, although the appeal might have been limited outside of Australia, this definitely has its moments, and plenty of solid, competent musicianship, even if the studio musicians were not identified. Also, some genuinely interesting songs, particularly Williams's own composition, "The Drover Days Are Over," a lengthy, mournful look back at the Australian livestocking culture, with an in-depth comparison to its romantic past and its mechanized, impersonal future... There's also a bit of trucking music ("Big Rigs And Country Music") and Bill Lewis's title track, "A Breath Of Country Air," which extols the glory of the outdoor life, even as it laments how hard it's become to remember to seek out Nature. Musically a bit fusty, but thematically rich.

Buddy Williams "A Man And His Guitar" (RCA Records, 1982) (LP)

Buddy Williams "Big Country Muster" (RCA Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Lindsay Butler, Garry Coxhead, Bruce Emery & Garry King)
Alternately jaunty and plunky, this is a fairly diverse late-vintage album from Buddy Williams, spanning bush ballads, novelty numbers, Aussie-specific war songs such as "Missing In Action" and "Suvla Bay," and a few sentimental oldies from America, like "Mother, The Queen Of My Heart," "Old Shep" and "Wedding Bells Will Never Ring For Me." The album closes on a curious note, Trevor Day's pacifist anthem, "Our Milk And Honey Land," which fatalistically decries the tilt towards armageddon seen in the waning days of the Cold War, and which makes reference to the so-called "star wars" program championed by the Reagan administration, over in the United States. Not the kind of thing you'd expect on an old-school country album, but a certainly a sign of the Atomic Age anxieties felt at the time. The pickers are all usual suspect Aussies, including folks like steel players Norm Bodkin and Kenny Kitching, guitarist/producer Lindsay Butler and others, but also a few newcomers, marking the shifting tides and a changing of the guard in the Australian country scene... As with many of these old-school bush country records, this has its rewards if you're willing to get onto its wavelength, though for many country fans it might sound a little static at first blush. Worth a spin.

Buddy Williams/Various Artists "Our Buddy: A Tribute To Buddy Williams" (Axis Records, 1985) (LP)
A whole slew of Australian twang talent, artists new and old, performing in duet (and trio) with country crooner Buddy Williams. The guest list includes luminaries such as Slim Dusty, Tex Morton and Sister Dorrie, Reg Lindsay, Nev Nicholls, Smoky Dawson, Gordon Parsons, Johnny Ashcroft and Gay Kayler, Alan Hawking and even cowgirl yodeler Shirley Thoms. Quite a lineup!

Buddy Williams "Take My Hand" (RCA Records, 1985) (LP)

Buddy Williams "How's Your Memory" (RCA Records, 1986) (LP)

Buddy Williams "The Bushland That I Love" (RCA Victor, 1986) (LP)

Buddy Williams "I'll Stroll Down Memory Lane With You" (EMI-Australia Records, 1978) (CD)
There are doubtless a milliondy-bazillion Buddy Williams best-ofs out there; this just happens to be the one I found floating around my local Record Hut, and it's quite nice. A simple, straightforward overview of Williams's career, this unfurls chronologically from 1939-63, spanning his 78rpm days to his first LPs, and includes some zippy western tunes and lively yodeling songs. It's particularly nice to hear the earliest songs, where his voice is youthful and bright; it's also fascinating to hear his voice age and thicken. This also includes "Let's Grow Old Together," one of the handful of duets Williams recorded with Aussie cowgal Burnie Burnett, who had a very Patsy Montana-like sound: wouldn't mind tracking down the rest of her stuff! Anyway, this is probably a fairly standard-issue set of Buddy Williams material, but it definitely makes me want to find some of the more comprehensive collections of his early work. You can hear why the guy became a big star.

Buddy Williams "Buddy Williams Regal Zonophone Collection, v.1" (RCA Records, 1997) (CD)
This would be the early stuff, dating back to his first 78s on the Regal Zonophone label in the early 1940s. If you're looking for historical material, be sure to keep this generously programmed 3-CD collection on your radar. I am.

• Wikipedia: Buddy Williams

• Discogs: Buddy Williams

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