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STAN
COSTER
Inducted January 1990
Stan Coster was born May 27, 1930, in Casino,
NSW and died, March 25, 1997, at Manilla, NSW.
The power of the Stan Coster pen produced
161 titles, from age 25 in 1956 to the end of his life. Stan
introduced his writing to Slim Dusty at Longreach, Queensland.
Slim's first recording of a Coster composition was in January
1962 - Return Of The Stockman.
Somewhat typical of the low-key Coster,
the requested songwriting audition tape took a fair time getting
into Slim's hands (over 12 months later at Rockhampton!).
Through the insistence of Mack Cormack (also a writer for Dusty),
eight of the original submissions subsequently went to disc,
making up a career total of 70 plus, including more than 30 Slim
Dusty gold record sales.
Coster the writer/singer also released
This Old Land, a 1983 album effort for Dusty's own Nulla
label. Earlier, in 1978, record producer and Opal label owner
Ross Murphy convinced Stan he ought to record his own material.
The My People album put down in
Dubbo's CM studio March 28-29, 1979, was the start of a solo
14-album performance. The same year, Stan undertook his first
professional tour (six weeks) with the Brian Young Show. Later
the same year, co-inciding with new-found performing vigour,
Coster started touring Australia continuously as singer/storyteller
in company with his daughter Tracy and wife Dot (the booking
agent!).
But Stan's premier success was as a writer
of bush ballads sung by other top acts. Well over 100 Coster
titles have been recorded this way; from Slim Dusty to Johnny
Chester.
A late starter professionally, Stan had
authentic appeal living the life he wrote about. An Australian
historian in harmony with hard-working Australians.
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