Chad Morgan
{{Short description|Australian musician (1933–2025)}}
{{for|the actress|Chad Morgan (actress)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Chad Morgan
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100|OAM}}
| image = ChadMorganJun2011.jpg
| caption = Morgan in 2011
| birth_name = Chadwick William Morgan
| alias = The Sheik of Scrubby Creek
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1933|02|11}}
| birth_place = {{nobr|Wondai, Queensland, Australia}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2025|01|01|1933|02|11}}
| death_place = Gin Gin, Queensland, Australia
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|guitarist}}
| years_active = 1952–2024
| spouse = {{ubl|Pam Mitchell|Joanie}}
| children = 3
| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar}}
| genre = {{hlist|Country|folk|novelty}}
| label = EMI
}}
| website = {{URL|chadmorgan.com.au}}
}}
Chadwick William Morgan (11 February 1933 – 1 January 2025) was an Australian country music singer and guitarist known for his vaudeville style of comic country and western and folk songs, his prominent teeth and goofy stage persona. In reference to his first recording, he was known as "The Sheik of Scrubby Creek".
In February 2024, Morgan announced his retirement after his final performance of the Farewell to Australia tour on 21 April 2024, at age 91.{{cite web|url=https://countrytown.com/news/chad-morgan-announces-retirement-last-show-at-91/sIwOoqWkp6Y/12-02-24|title= Chad Morgan Announces Retirement, Last Show At 91|website= Country Town|date= 12 February 2024|access-date=18 February 2024}}
Early life
Chadwick William Morgan was born on 11 February 1933 in Wondai, Queensland as the eldest of 14 children,{{cite web| url=http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/Hands/Morgan_Chad.htm| title=Chad Morgan| website=Country Music Hall of Fame| via=National Library of Australia|archive-url=http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20140314221412/http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/Hands/Morgan_Chad.htm| archive-date=14 March 2014| access-date=21 August 2023| url-status=live
}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{cite web| url=http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/Renown/1987%20-%20Chad_Morgan.html| title=Chad Morgan| website=Country Music Hall of Fame| via=National Library of Australia| archive-url=http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20200331175651/http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/Renown/1987%20-%20Chad_Morgan.html| archive-date=31 March 2020| access-date=25 August 2023| url-status=live
}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} to Dave and Ivy Morgan.{{cite news|last1=Quinn|first1=Ben|title=Just glad to be Chad|url=http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&kw=chad+morgan+and+wondai&pb=all_pubs&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=author&sf=headline&rc=150&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=NCH041002196S951A7VG|access-date=7 March 2016|work=Newcastle Herald|date=2 October 2004}} From an early age he was raised by his grandparents, Bill and Eva Hopkins. After his grandfather died in 1947, with his grandmother, he moved back to Scrubby Creek to live with his mother and siblings. Both parents were amateur musicians; his father played accordion and his mother accordion and mandolin, while Morgan learned guitar. He left school at age 14 and found work cutting timber.
According to Morgan, he made a dentist appointment to remove his protruding teeth. "I was tormented so much... But the farm truck broke down." He later reflected that he was glad he never made another appointment.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46075680 |title='The Sheik of Scrubby Creak' |first=Valerie |last=Carr |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=35 |issue=51 |date=22 May 1968 |access-date=25 August 2023 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Career
From 1948, he worked on cattle farms near Rockhampton and began composing music. Morgan's lyrics use Australian slang including {{abbr|sheilas|women}}, {{abbr|drongos|slow witted, clumsy}}, {{abbr|dills|dull people}} and {{abbr|geezers|males}}. He was discovered through Australia's Amateur Hour, a radio talent contest, where he sang his original song "The Sheik of Scrubby Creek" and became a national finalist.{{cite news|last=Veitch|first=Jock|title="The sheik" comes to town|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19640329&id=3PpjAAAAIBAJ&pg=4808,8849607|access-date=24 May 2014|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=29 March 1964}} By November 1952 he had recorded that track together with "You Can Keep Your Wimmln and I'll Stick to My Beer".{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50518002 |title=Bosses not Pushing |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |issue=4994 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=29 November 1952 |access-date=21 August 2023 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia }} He signed with Regal Zonophone Records (a subsidiary of EMI), which issued his debut single, "The Sheik of Scrubby Creek", in December. He was described as a "Queensland hillbilly" with a "deadpan, bumpkin style".{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98281133 |title="The Sheik" is now on a disc |newspaper=The Sunday Mail |issue=1680 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=7 December 1952 |access-date=23 August 2023 |page=24 |via=National Library of Australia}} He also undertook national service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at Amberley Base.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110569756 |title=Cinema Dimboola earns a vote of thanks |first=Dougal |last=MacDonald |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=53 |issue=16,009 |date=24 July 1979 |access-date=23 August 2023 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Morgan toured extensively during his career, including with the Slim Dusty Show, the All Star Western Show and the Chad Morgan Show. He released 18 studio albums and undertook regular live performances. At the 1987 Country Music Awards of Australia he was inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown,{{cite web |url=https://www.tcmf.com.au/What-s-On/Roll-of-Renown/ |title=Roll of Renown |publisher=TCMF |access-date=21 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821093757/https://www.tcmf.com.au/What-s-On/Roll-of-Renown/ |archive-date=21 August 2018 |url-status=dead }} and was awarded an OAM on Australia Day (26 January) in 2004 for "service to country music."{{cite web |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1056341 |title=Award Extract − Australian Honours Search Facility |website=pmc.gov.au |date=26 January 2004 |access-date=22 August 2023 }} Morgan appeared in the films Newsfront (1978) and Dimboola (1979). In the former film he provided a cameo as "Redex singer".{{cite web| url=http://bonza.dsc.rmit.edu.au/person/view/3480| title=Name: Chad Morgan| website=Bonza – Australia & New Zealand Database| via=National Library of Australia| archive-url=http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080722060910/http://bonza.dsc.rmit.edu.au/person/view/3480| archive-date=22 July 2008| access-date=25 August 2023| url-status=live}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} For the latter film he depicted Bayonet with "the full force of his unusual personality... [and] the lustre of his success in the entertainment world."
Morgan contributed one verse to the Gordon Parsons song "A Pub with No Beer". He was dubbed the "clown prince of comedy" by Slim Dusty.{{cite news|title=Chad and the other hillbillies|url=http://www.echonews.com.au/news/chad-and-the-other-hillbillies/1568279/|access-date=24 May 2014|newspaper=The Northern Rivers Echo|date=4 October 2012}} He recorded a duet with John Williamson, "A Country Balladeer". He had platinum and gold album sales, and is one of Australia's most popular country music artists. Morgan performed at Sydney Opera House with Slim Dusty in April 1978. An album of the concert was released three years later, as On & Off the Road. It was released the same year as Sheilas, Drongos, Dills & Other Geezers, which contained 20 of Morgan's hits from the 1950s and 1960s. In 2009 he wrote a song about his Aboriginal heritage, dedicated to his grandparents who raised him as a child, "The Ballad of Bill and Eva".{{cite news|title=Not dead yet|url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/entertainment/music/not-dead-yet-20111102-1v36x.html|access-date=24 May 2014|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=2 November 2011}} It was recorded with his granddaughter, Caitlin Morgan.{{cite web|title=The Dues Are Paid|url=http://www.chadmorgan.com.au/gallery1/the-dues-are-paid|publisher=Chad Morgan (Official website)|access-date=24 May 2014}}
Artists who have impersonated Morgan in their shows include Col Elliott and John Williamson. Barry Humphries used Morgan as his inspiration for Les Patterson's teeth.[http://www.nucountry.com.au/articles/diary/july2011/210711_chadmorgan_docco.htm Dave's Diary, (21 July 2011), Chad Morgan Documentary Chad Morgan − Not Dead Yet, Nucountry website]
Tex Morton once described Morgan as the only original country music artist in Australia.{{cite web|url=http://offbeatoperations.com.au/artist/national-artist/chad-morgan-show/|title=Chad Morgan show − Entertainment Agency Coffs Harbour North Coast NSW|work=Offbeat Operations Entertainment Agency|access-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920140642/http://offbeatoperations.com.au/artist/national-artist/chad-morgan-show/|archive-date=20 September 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
In January 2023, Morgan was touring rural Victoria, his career having spanned over 70 years.
Personal life and death
Morgan was hospitalised for 14 months from December 1954 following a collision between his motorcycle and a car.{{cite web|url=http://nucountry.com.au/articles/diary/january2023/130123_chadmorgan_feature.htm| title=Dave's Diary – 13 January 2023 – Chad Morgan Feature| author=Dawson, Dave| website=Nu Country| date=13 January 2023| via=National Library of Australia| archive-url=http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20230301003703/http://nucountry.com.au/articles/diary/january2023/130123_chadmorgan_feature.htm| archive-date=1 March 2023| access-date=25 August 2023| url-status=live}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} His injuries included two broken ribs, broken hand and broken leg, which subsequently prevented doing "hard physical work, [so he] turned to singing." At age 47, the singer suffered a stroke.
He married fellow singer Pam Mitchell in 1957. The couple had three children, Allan, Chad Jr. and Janelle. Morgan's second marriage was to Joanie, lasting from 1985 to 2017 (her death). He also admitted to being a heavy drinker and smoker. After their wedding, Morgan gave up drinking and smoking.
As of 2004, he had resided in Bli Bli, Queensland.
In 2008, false rumours of his death began to surface after an erroneous announcement on radio 4GY. The radio station later apologized for the rumour.[http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jan/21/no-im-not-dead-says-angry-muso/ "Chad Morgan: No, I'm not dead!"], The Daily, 21 January 2008.
Morgan's biographical documentary film I'm Not Dead Yet was directed by Janine Hosking and released in 2011.{{cite web| url=http://www.nfsa.gov.au/calendar/event/3052-im-not-dead-yet/| title=I'm Not Dead Yet| publisher=National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA)| via=National Library of Australia| archive-url=http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20120401221245/http://www.nfsa.gov.au/calendar/event/3052-im-not-dead-yet/| archive-date=1 April 2012| access-date=22 August 2023| url-status=live}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Australian writer Anna Rose published his biography Chad Morgan − Seventy Years in the Making in 2022.{{Citation | author1=Rose, Anna | title=Chad Morgan: Seventy Years in the Making | date=2022 | publisher=Anna Rose Publications | isbn=978-0-648-17534-6 }}
Morgan died on 1 January 2025, at the age of 91.{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Stephen |title=Country Music Legend Chad Morgan Passes Away |url=https://countrytown.com/news/aussie-music-legend-chad-morgan-passes-away/kzMph4aJiIs/02-01-25 |access-date=1 January 2025 |publisher=Countrytown |date=1 January 2025}}
Awards and honours
=Australian Roll of Renown=
The Australian Roll of Renown honours Australian and New Zealander musicians who have shaped the music industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to country music. It was inaugurated in 1976 and the inductee is announced at the Country Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth each January.{{cite web |url=https://www.tcmf.com.au/roll-of-renown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227192415/https://tcmf.com.au/roll-of-renown |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 February 2019 |title=Roll of Renown |publisher=Tamworth Country Music Festival |access-date=29 October 2020 }}
{{awards table}}
|-
| 1987
| Chad Morgan
| {{yes2|Inductee}}
{{end}}
=Country Music Awards of Australia=
Morgan was given a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2010 CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia, as the first person to be honoured with this award.{{cite news|last=Belt|first=Rebecca|title=A golden night out for guitar hero|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/music/a-golden-night-out-for-guitar-hero/2010/01/23/1263663187043.html|access-date=24 May 2014|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=24 January 2010|quote=The inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award went to Chad Morgan, known fondly as The Sheik of Scrubby Creek, and renowned for his vaudeville style of comic country and western songs.}}
{{awards table}}
|-
| 2010
| Chad Morgan
| Lifetime Achievement Award
| {{yes2|Awarded}}
{{end}}
A bronze bust of Morgan was unveiled in Tamworth's Bicentennial Park in 2017.{{cite news|last1=Bullock|first1=Laurie|title=Chad Morgan bronze bust now stands in Tamworth Bicentennial Park|url=https://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/4721224/bronze-bust-of-chad-morgan-unveiled-in-tamworth/|access-date=13 May 2018|work=Northern Daily Leader}}
=Mo Awards=
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (known informally as the Mo Awards) were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognised achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Morgan won one award during that time.{{cite web|url=https://www.moawards.com.au/awardwinners|title=MO Award Winners|website=Mo Awards|access-date=16 March 2022}}
{{awards table}} {{small|(wins only)}}
|-
| 2015
| Chad Morgan
| Country Male Act of the Year
| {{won}}
{{end}}
=Queensland Music Awards=
The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.{{cite web|url=https://www.queenslandmusicawards.com.au/about|title= About the Queensland Music Awards|website=Queensland Music Awards|access-date=21 March 2021}}
{{awards table}} {{small|(wins only)}}
|-
| 2018{{cite web|url= https://www.queenslandmusicawards.com.au/past-winners/2018|title=Past Winners 2018|website=Queensland Music Awards|access-date=25 March 2021}}
| himself
| Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award
| {{yes2|Awarded}}
{{end}}
=Tamworth Songwriters Awards=
The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. They commenced in 1986.{{cite web|url=https://www.tsaonline.com.au/song-competition/|title=Tamworth Songwriters Association|website=Tamworth Songwriters Association Online|access-date=23 March 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.tsaonline.com.au/past-winners/|title=Tamworth Songwriters Association Past Winners|website=Tamworth Songwriters Association Online|access-date=23 March 2022}}
{{awards table}} {{small|(wins only)}}
|-
| 2013
| Chad Morgan
| Songmaker Award
| {{yes2|Awarded}}
{{end}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of studio albums ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Details |
| scope="row"| The Sheik of Scrubby Creek
|
|
|---|
| scope="row"| The Chad Morgan Songbook
|
|
| scope="row"| The Artistry of Chad Morgan
|
|
| scope="row"| Cock of the Walk
|
|
| scope="row"| Here I Am
|
|
| scope="row"| Sings John Ashe
|
|
| scope="row"| One of the Mob
|
|
| scope="row"| You Can't Keep a Good Man Down
|
|
| scope="row"| They Call Me the "Sheik"
|
|
| scope="row"| Chad Charms the Birds
|
|
| scope="row"| Double Decker Blowflies
|
|
| scope="row"| Don't Drink the Water (In the Outback Mate)
|
|
| scope="row"| Been There, Done That (Gonna Do It Again)
|
|
| scope="row"| Muckin Round in Muckadilla
|
|
| scope="row"| Songs My Old Mates Sang
|
|
| scope="row"| Deadly
|
|
| scope="row"| Family and Friends
|
|
| scope="row"| Quarantined
|
|
=Live albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of live albums ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Details |
| scope="row"| On and Off the Road
|
|
|---|
| scope="row"| Booze Ballads and Broads (with Terry Gordon) |
|
| scope="row"| It's Only the Depth That Counts
|
|
| scope="row"| Live!
|
|
=Compilation albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of compilation albums ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Details |
| scope="row"| The Best of Chad Morgan
|
|
|---|
| scope="row"| Sheilas, Drongos, Dills and Other Geezers − 20 Chad Morgan Greats
|
|
| scope="row"| At His Sunday Best
|
|
| scope="row"| The Singles Collection − Regal Zonophone and Beyond
|
|
| scope="row"| Cop This Lot: 50 Years, 1952 – 2002
|
|
| scope="row"| Australian Country Classics
|
|
| scope="row"| The Dues are Paid: 60 Years
|
|
| scope="row"| Worst of Chad Morgan
|
|
| scope="row"| More Worst of Chad Morgan
|
|
| scope="row"| The A-Z of Chad Morgan − Volume 1
|
|
| scope="row"| The A-Z of Chad Morgan − Volume 2
|
|
| scope="row"| The A-Z of Chad Morgan − Volume 3
|
|
=Extended plays=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of EPs ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Details |
| scope="row"| Thoughts on Marriage
|
|
|---|
| scope="row"| Chad Morgan in Person
|
|
| scope="row"| In a Cemetery
|
|
References
{{Refbegin}}
General
- {{Citation |last1=Rose |first1=Anna | title=Chad Morgan: Seventy Years in the Making |date=2022 |publisher=Anna Rose Publications |isbn=978-0-648-17534-6 }}
Specific
{{Refend}}
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Chad Morgan}}
- {{Official website|http://www.chadmorgan.com.au/}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20050614073032/http://acmf.org.au/ror/chadmorgan.html Morgan's induction into the Roll of Honour by the Australian Country Music Foundation]
- {{IMDb name| 0604542}}
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2016914/ IMDB website listing for I'm Not Dead Yet]
- [https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/11l3i0/alma99183627020202061 Chad Morgan digital story and oral history] − State Library of Queensland
- {{discogs artist|Chad Morgan}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Chad}}
Category:Australian country guitarists
Category:Australian male guitarists
Category:Australian country singers
Category:Musicians from Queensland
Category:People from Wide Bay–Burnett
Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
Category:Australian acoustic guitarists
Category:Australian male singer-songwriters