Slim Dusty Wife: Meet Joy McKean

Slim Dusty, AO MBE was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country’s most awarded stars, with a career spanning nearly seven decades and producing numerous recordings.

David Gordon Kirkpatrick was born on 13 June 1927 in Nulla Nulla Creek west of Kempsey, New South Wales, the son of a cattle farmer. His childhood home, “Homewood”, survives and is now heritage-listed.

Meet Joy McKean

Joy McKean OAM, (born 14 January 1930), is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and wife and manager of the late Slim Dusty. Known as the “grand lady” of Australian country music, McKean is recognized as one of Australia’s leading songwriters and bush balladeers and wrote several of Dusty’s most popular songs

In 1951, Dusty married singer-songwriter Joy McKean and, with her help, achieved great success around Australia. In 1954, the two launched a full-time business career, including the Slim Dusty Travelling Show.

McKean was Dusty’s wife and manager for over 50 years. Together the couple had two children, Anne Kirkpatrick and David Kirkpatrick, who are also accomplished singer-songwriters.