Reg Lindsay and Joan Clarke on the Hour of Song, 2UW, 1954. Photo: Curly Fraser, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Most histories of Aussie music in the sixties and seventies are full of long hair and screaming fans. Fair enough. But out in the country halls, on the wireless and on local telly in Adelaide and Brisbane, another sound had a huge following, and Reg Lindsay was one of its best-loved voices.
He was the first Australian to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. He was Slim Dusty’s brother-in-law. And one of his records is sitting in a NASA time capsule. Not many performers can claim any of those.
Who was Reg Lindsay?
Reginald John Lindsay was born in Waverley, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, on 7 July 1929 (Wikipedia). Over 50 years he wrote more than 500 songs and recorded over 65 albums and 250 singles. He died of pneumonia in Newcastle on 5 August 2008, aged 79, and he’s remembered in our Rock n Roll Heaven, even if country was always more his thing than rock ‘n’ roll.
How did a Sydney kid end up in country music?
With a harmonica. His father gave him one when he was two and he picked it up quickly. Banjo, mandolin, guitar and fiddle came later. In 1948 he and Dave Burchell auditioned for Australia’s Amateur Hour, the Dick Fair radio talent show, and they cut some recordings that never came out. Plenty of later country stars came up through the same kind of radio talent quests, and for a young bloke with a harmonica and a guitar it was the obvious way in.
By September 1951 he was on 2KY’s On the Melody Trail with Joy McKean, her sister Heather and a young Slim Dusty. The Reg Lindsay Show started on 2CH that same year and then settled at 2SM, where it ran for 12 years (Wikipedia).
Was Reg Lindsay related to Slim Dusty?
He was. Joy McKean married Slim Dusty in 1951, and on 13 February 1954 Reg married Joy’s sister Heather. So the two biggest male names in Australian country music at the time were brothers-in-law.
Reg and Heather had three daughters, Dianne, Sandra and Joanne, and separated in 1982. He married Roslyn Winfield on 12 October 1988. Dianne Lindsay kept the family trade going as a country singer-songwriter.
The Grand Ole Opry and a NASA time capsule
In June 1968 Reg walked onto the stage of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, the first Australian performer to do it. For a country singer that’s about as big as it gets, a bit like a local footballer being asked to run out at Wembley. Nashville later gave him a plaque on its Walkway of Stars (Wikipedia).
Then came ‘Armstrong’. American folk singer John Stewart wrote it about Neil Armstrong and the 1969 Moon landing, and Reg’s cover, released in March 1971, crossed from country into the pop charts. It got to number six on the Go-Set National Top 60 and hung around for 16 weeks. A copy of it is in a time capsule at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas (Wikipedia). It sits nicely next to the pop of the day on any seventies jukebox.
The Golden Guitars kept coming too. He won Best Male Vocal at Tamworth three times, for ‘July you’re a woman’ in 1974, ‘Silence on the line’ in 1978 and ‘Empty arms hotel’ in 1980.
Where could you watch Reg on the telly?
If you grew up in South Australia you’ll know The Country and Western Hour, which ran on Channel Nine in Adelaide from 1964 to 1972 and won two Logies as the state’s most popular show. Queenslanders had Reg Lindsay’s Country Homestead on Brisbane’s Channel 9 from late 1977 until 1982, and it picked up two Logies of its own (Wikipedia). For a lot of families outside the big rock markets, that was where you saw country music on the box each week.
The Country Homestead tapes nearly didn’t survive. According to Reg’s official site, one of the show’s camera operators rang him years ago to tell him the recordings were headed for the dump. Reg rescued them, big two-inch tapes in heavy steel cans (Reg Lindsay official site).
Those tapes later became the source for a set of limited-edition Country Homestead DVDs, and a ‘Remembering Reg Lindsay’ night during the Tamworth festival sold out.
Honours and legacy
The Roll of Renown, Australian country music’s highest honour, came at Tamworth in 1984, and he received an OAM for service to country music in 1989. His was an unusual career when you think about it. A city kid from Waverley made it big in a genre that loves its bush credentials, then took an Australian voice to Nashville when hardly anyone had tried. He had a pop hit in 1971 when the charts belonged to rock bands. And he kept working for decades after the hits dried up. Country fans in Tamworth still turn out for him.
Did you watch Reg on the box, or catch him at a country show in your town? Share your memories in the comments.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Reg Lindsay’s wife?
Reg married Heather McKean on 13 February 1954. They had three daughters, Dianne, Sandra and Joanne, and separated in 1982. He married Roslyn Winfield on 12 October 1988. Dianne Lindsay became a country singer-songwriter herself.
Was Reg Lindsay related to Slim Dusty?
Yes, by marriage. Reg’s wife Heather McKean was the sister of Joy McKean, who married Slim Dusty in 1951. That made Reg and Slim brothers-in-law, and all four had worked together on radio in the early 1950s.
When did Reg Lindsay die?
Reg Lindsay died of pneumonia on 5 August 2008 in Newcastle, New South Wales. He was 79, and by then he’d spent more than 50 years writing, recording and performing country music.
What was Reg Lindsay’s biggest hit?
‘Armstrong’, released in March 1971. It reached number six on the Go-Set National Top 60 and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks. Other charts had it at number eight.
Who wrote ‘Armstrong’?
American folk singer John Stewart wrote and first recorded it as a tribute to Neil Armstrong and the 1969 Moon landing. Reg’s cover was the big hit in Australia, and his recording sits in a time capsule at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Is Reg Lindsay in the Country Music Roll of Renown?
Yes. He was inducted into the Roll of Renown, Australian country music’s highest honour, at Tamworth in 1984. He also won three Golden Guitars for Best Male Vocal and received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1989.
What instruments did Reg Lindsay play?
Harmonica first, which his father gave him at the age of two. He went on to play banjo, mandolin, guitar and fiddle as well, which came in handy on the long country tours.
Want more stories like Reg’s? Discover more about your favourite artists on Jukebox Saturday Night.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, music history is often based on available documentation and interpretation.
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