Inducted January 1976

The first of our country music legends to be elevated to the Roll, at its opening in 1976, was a man considered to be the father of Australasian Country Music ­ Tex Morton.

Tex was born Robert William Lane in Nelson, New Zealand, in August 1916. By the age of 16 he was a proficient performer and had recorded. The big break, however, came when he moved to Australia in 1932 and pioneered the "Travelling Country Show".

He toured with Ashton's and Holden's Circus as well as running his own travelling rodeo which gave inspiration to famous songs such as Mandrake and Rocky Ned. It's no surprise then, that his most famous song is also about a horse, the legendary Goondiwindi Grey.

Tex travelled the world in various capacities, but will be best remembered as the one who established Australia's own musical identity. He died in Sydney in 1983 aged 66.