A website dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of Australian
country music.

Country Music
The Music Of
Our Country

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Country Music Roll of Renown

In 1974, with the Australasian Country Music Awards well established and the January Festival growing strongly, Radio 2TM looked for something, which would provide a new Festival feature as well as a year round attraction for visitors to Country Music Capital.

After much discussion it was decided that there should be a permanent memorial to acknowledge and honour those who people who have made a lasting and significant contribution to Australian country music.

It was named the Australasian Country Music Roll Of Renown.

At the fourth Australasian Country Music Awards in Tamworth Town Hall on January 29th, 1976, it was announced that Tex Morton (above with Max Ellis) was to be the first person to be honoured on the Roll of Renown. After receiving the plaque, Tex laughingly told how he was apprehended as a vagrant under the bridge in Tamworth in the early thirties. He later amazed many of the audience of young recording industry executives, who had never heard the legend perform.

The memorial itself was created on the front lawns of Radio 2TM with 26 granite boulders brought from Fielders farm near Kootingal. The largest Boulder weighs over 30 tonnes. Tex unveiled his plaque on the newly placed rocks in January 1977, noting at the time, that his birth date was wrong. This was later corrected on a new plaque!

In the years that followed Buddy Williams ('77), Smoky Dawson ('78), and Slim Dusty ('79) joined Tex and every January since, more pioneers and outstanding figures have been elevated to the Roll. (In 2004 and 2005, two names were announced each year)

In the early 1980s, the original rough sculptured faces were replaced by the photographic images we see today.

In September 2000, Radio 2TM, acknowledging the Roll of Renown’s significance to Australian country music, allowed Tamworth City Council to re-locate the monument to its present site at Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre (TREC), where the new interpretive centre, "Walk A Country Mile", was opening. Max Ellis who had been responsible for setting up the original Roll of Renown in 1976 supervised the move (pictured at right, click on the thumbnail for a bigger photo).

Although "Walk A Country Mile" was moved to the Tamworth Tourist Information Centre in 2004, The Roll of Renown remains at TREC .

The Australian Country Music Foundation (ACMF) took over responsibility for the Roll of Renown from 2TM in 1995 and now conducts a poll to determine those worthy of elevation to the famous rocks, with inductees being announced at the ACMF's concert on the first Saturday of the Tamworth Festival.

Up to 2008, thirty seven names (made up of 31 individuals and 6 groups or duos) had been placed on the Roll, all entertainers except for John Minson, 2TM's famous Mr Hoedown who did so much for Australian Country Music.

Today The Roll of Renown stands in Tamworth as an impressive tribute from all Australians to those individuals who have contributed so much over the past 7 decades to making our country music, the music of our country.

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1976 — Tex Morton

1977 — Buddy Williams

1978 — Smoky Dawson

1979 — Slim Dusty

1980 — Shirley Thoms

1981 — Tim McNamara

1982 — Gordon Parsons

1983 — The McKean Sisters

1984 — Reg Lindsay

1985 — Rick & Thel Carey

1986 — Johnny Ashcroft

1987 — Chad Morgan

1988 — John Minson

1989 — The Hawking Bros

1990 — Stan Coster

1991 — Barry Thornton

1992 — Nev Nicholls

1993 — Shorty Ranger

1994 — Jimmy Little

1995 — Ted Egan

1996 — Dusty Rankin

1997 — John Williamson

1998 — Rocky Page

1999 — Brian Young

2000 — Rex Dallas

2001 —  Arthur Blanch

2002 — The Schneider Sisters

2003 — Frank Ifield

2004 — The Webb Brothers

2004 — Kenny Kitching

2005 —The Singing Kettles

2005 — Athol McCoy

2006 – Reg Poole

2007 – Lindsay Butler

2007 — Kevin King

2008 – Geoff Mack

2008 — Jean Stafford

2009 – Slim Newton

2010 – Anne Kirkpatrick

2011 – Phil & Tommy Emmanuel

2012 – Terry Gordon

2013 – Wayne Horsburgh

2014 – Norm Bodkin

2014 – Les Partell

2015 – Lee Kernaghan

2015 – Ray Kernaghan

2016 – Graeme Connors

2017 – Troy Cassar-Daley

2018 – Kasey Chambers

2019 – James Blundell

2020 – Joy McKean

2021 – Dobe Newton & Roger Corbertt; The Bushwackers

2022 – Beccy Cole

2023 – Colin Buchanan

2024 – Allan Caswell